Microsoft’s internal pay guidelines, last updated in May, outline salary, hiring bonuses, and stock award ranges for new technical hires in the US, allowing recruiters to approve higher offers in competitive situations.
These documents, obtained by Business Insider, detail compensation packages including salaries, on-hire stock awards, signing bonuses, annual stock awards, and percentages for annual bonuses, all tied to the company’s internal level system. Microsoft declined to comment on the matter. The level system denotes seniority, with levels 57 to 59 generally considered entry-level engineers. Senior engineers begin at level 63, and principal-level engineers start at level 65. Partners are at level 68, while distinguished engineers are at level 70.
Leaked Microsoft pay guidelines unveil salary ranges by level
Salary ranges vary by location. A “main” pay range exists for workers at the Redmond, Washington, headquarters, while a “high” pay range applies to areas with higher costs of living, such as San Francisco. According to a person familiar with hiring processes, most of Microsoft’s hiring occurs in these locations. For example, Level 70 candidates located in a “high” pay area can earn a yearly salary of up to $408,000. Their compensation package may include a one-time stock award upon hiring of up to $1.9 million and annual stock awards reaching $1,476,000. While a signing bonus typically accompanies their compensation, specific ranges for this level were not detailed in the documents.
- Level 57:
- “High” salary range: $95,800 to $124,600
- “Main” salary range: $83,000 to $108,000
- On-hire stock award: $5,000 to $13,000
- Annual stock award: “By career stage”
- Signing bonus: $0 to $9,000
- Annual bonus: “NA”
- Level 58:
- “Main” salary range: $94,100 to $122,300
- “High” salary range: $105,900 to $137,700
- On-hire stock award: $6,000 to $20,000
- Annual stock award: “By career stage”
- Signing bonus: $0 to $18,000
- Annual bonus: 0 to 20%
- Level 59:
- “Main” salary range: $101,400 to $152,000
- “High” salary range: $109,000 to $163,600
- On-hire stock award: $15,000 to $120,000
- Annual stock award: $0 to $20,000
- Signing bonus: $0 to $18,000
- Annual bonus: 0 to 20%
- Level 60:
- “Main” salary range: $110,200 to $165,200
- “High” salary range: $120,200 to $180,400
- On-hire stock award: $20,000 to $130,000
- Annual stock award: $0 to $24,000
- Signing bonus: $0 to $27,000
- Annual bonus: 0 to 20%
- Level 61:
- “Main” salary range: $123,200 to $184,800
- “High” salary range: $131,400 to $197,000
- On-hire stock award: $30,000 to $150,000
- Annual stock award: $0 to $36,000
- Signing bonus: $0 to $36,000
- Annual bonus: 0 to 20%
- Level 62:
- “Main” salary range: $132,600 to $199,000
- “High” salary range: $143,600 to $215,400
- On-hire stock award: $40,000 to $170,000
- Annual stock award: $0 to $44,000
- Signing bonus: $0 to $45,000
- Annual bonus: 0 to 20%
- Level 63:
- “Main” salary range: $145,000 to $218,400
- “High” salary range: $158,400 to $237,600
- On-hire stock award: $55,000 to $220,000
- Annual stock award: $0 to $64,000
- Signing bonus: $0 to $45,000
- Annual bonus: 0 to 30%
- Level 64:
- “Main” salary range: $156,500 to $234,700
- “High” salary range: $172,000 to $258,000
- On-hire stock award: $70,000 to $270,000
- Annual stock award: $0 to $80,000
- Signing bonus: $0 to $54,000
- Annual bonus: 0 to 30%
- Level 65:
- “Main” salary range: $172,800 to $259,200
- “High” salary range: $188,000 to $282,000
- On-hire stock award: $100,000 to $320,000
- Annual stock award: $0 to $130,000
- Signing bonus: $0 to $90,000
- Annual bonus: 0 to 40%
- Level 66:
- “Main” salary range: $183,200 to $274,800
- “High” salary range: $202,800 to $304,200
- On-hire stock award: $180,000 to $640,000
- Annual stock award: $0 to $200,000
- Signing bonus: $0 to $126,000
- Annual bonus: 0 to 40%
- Level 67:
- “Main” salary range: $197,800 to $296,400
- “High” salary range: $220,800 to $331,200
- On-hire stock award: $380,000 to $850,000
- Annual stock award: $0 to $420,000
- Signing bonus: $0 to $180,000
- Annual bonus: 0 to 60%
- Level 68:
- “Main” salary range: $212,800 to $319,200
- “High” salary range: $236,000 to $354,000
- On-hire stock award: $500,000 to $1,150,000
- Annual stock award: $0 to $754,000
- Signing bonus: Not listed
- Annual bonus: 0 to 90%
- Level 69:
- “Main” salary range: $225,600 to $338,400
- “High” salary range: $247,000 to $370,800
- On-hire stock award: $657,000 to $1.35 million
- Annual stock award: $0 to $1,150,000
- Signing bonus: Not listed
- Annual bonus: 0 to 90%
- Level 70:
- “Main” salary range: $252,000 to $378,000
- “High” salary range: $272,000 to $408,000
- On-hire stock award: $827,001 to $1.9 million
- Annual stock award: $0 to $1,476,000
- Signing bonus: Not listed
- Annual bonus: 0 to 90%
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