Microsoft Software Engineer salary

Based on 8,932 H-1B filings by Microsoft Corporation, fiscal years 2025–2026. Base salary only.

Also listed as: Software Developer, Software Development Engineer, SDE

Median salary$173,570
Middle 50%$156k–$194.3k
vs. all employers+25%comparison median $139,194
Filings8,932FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $117,700 and $255,991.
PercentileSalary
10th$139,300
25th$156,000
50th (median)$173,570
75th$194,286
90th$215,160

Salary by year

Median salary

$120k $155k $190k FY2020: median $144,000 (4,966 filings) FY2021: median $144,691 (4,370 filings) FY2022: median $149,891 (6,932 filings) FY2023: median $163,549 (4,990 filings) FY2024: median $161,100 (6,042 filings) FY2025: median $171,186 (5,721 filings) FY2026: median $179,000 (3,211 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 4,966 filings FY20 FY2021: 4,370 filings FY21 FY2022: 6,932 filings FY22 FY2023: 4,990 filings FY23 FY2024: 6,042 filings FY24 FY2025: 5,721 filings FY25 FY2026: 3,211 filings FY26 6,932
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$144,000$130,017$160,9004,966
FY2021$144,691$130,000$163,3394,370
FY2022$149,891$133,130$168,6196,932
FY2023$163,549$145,556$183,7744,990
FY2024$161,100$144,732$181,2686,042
FY2025$171,186$153,620$191,3635,721
FY2026$179,000$160,200$198,4543,211

By state

Washington
$177,447
California
$197,313
Texas
$147,497
Georgia
$142,549
New York
$182,001

Bar length: number of filings (Washington 6,462). Figure: average salary in that state.

By city

Redmond, WA$175,000 · 6,245 filings
Mountain View, CA$199,500 · 670 filings
Atlanta, GA$138,250 · 274 filings
New York, NY$181,500 · 124 filings

Cities with at least 10 filings. Figure: median salary.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Level I · Entry $134,444 676
Level II · Qualified $160,000 3,708
Level III · Experienced $187,700 3,089
Level IV · Fully competent $222,000 1,011

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Questions

How much does a software engineer make at Microsoft?

In H-1B filings, Microsoft Corporation's median base salary for Software Engineer is $173,570; half of filings fall between $156,000 and $194,286. Bonus and stock are not included.

Does Microsoft sponsor H-1B visas for software engineers?

Yes. Microsoft Corporation filed 8,932 certified Labor Condition Applications for this role in FY2025–FY2026. A filing is a step before the visa petition, not an approval.

Which job titles are included?

Filings are grouped by occupation code 15-1252 (Software Developers), so this page covers every job title Microsoft filed under that code.

Where does this data come from?

The U.S. Department of Labor's public LCA disclosure files, updated every quarter. Methodology