Leaked Microsoft salary guidelines seen by Insider reveal how much the company pays new employees by pay grade, with ranges for base salary, hiring bonuses and annual stock awards.
The guidelines were released earlier this year and are used by hiring managers to decide how much to offer new employees, according to a person with direct knowledge of the process.
It’s unclear how broad the guidelines apply or whether they only apply to a specific role or company, but the scopes provide insight into how Microsoft feels about its various tier designations.
Pay at Microsoft varies by area and location, so there is no company-wide standard for pay per level across all units. U.S.-based Microsoft employees in San Francisco and New York are paid more because they live in areas with higher costs of living and some areas, such as… B. positions in engineering also achieve higher wages.
The highest pay package in the guidelines viewed by Insider was $361,500 in salary, $1.2 million in a signing bonus and about $1 million in annual stock awards. The lowest salary was $42,500, with no enlistment bonus and no guaranteed stock award.
Microsoft uses a tier system to indicate seniority. According to the guidelines, higher levels are associated with higher offers. Levels also vary depending on specialty and location, but generally “senior” starts at level 63, “principal” at level 65 and “partner” at level 68, insiders say.
Not all types of roles go up to level 70, but in engineering, an employee at this level is considered an “excellent engineer.” There is also a level 80 for a “technical colleague,” which is usually one of the highest. Ranking of managers in the company.
In 2022, when the economy was still booming, Microsoft granted a blanket pay increase for levels 67 and below through larger stock awards, in response to growing internal dissatisfaction with compensation compared to competitors and to prevent employees from leaving the company, to get better pay, especially to Amazon. As Insider previously reported, Microsoft froze base pay raises and cut its budget for bonuses and stock awards earlier this year as the economy faltered.
Microsoft declined to comment.
Microsoft’s compensation policies for managers:
Level 70:
Base salary: $231,700 to $361,500
Leased stock awards: $310,000, standard value $1.2 million with approval
Annual Stock Grant Range: $0 to $945,000
Level 69:
Base salary: $202,400 to $316,000
Stock award upon hire: $235,000, default value of $1.1 million with approval
Annual Stock Grant Range: $0 to $750,000
Level 68:
Base salary: $186,200 to $291,000
Stock award upon hire: $177,000, default value of $1 million with approval
Annual Stock Grant Range: $0 to $490,600
Level 67:
Base salary: $171,600 to $258,200
Rented stock awards: $168,000, standard $700,000 with approval
Annual stock award range: $0 to $336,000
Level 66:
Base salary: $157,300 to $236,300
Rented Stock Awards: $75,000, standard $600,000 with approval
Annual Stock Grant Range: $0 to $160,000
Level 65:
Base salary: $144,600 to $216,600
Rented stock awards: $36,000, standard $300,000 with approval
Annual Stock Grant Range: $0 to $90,000
Level 64:
Base salary: $125,000 to $187,700
Leased stock awards: $24,000, standard $250,000 with approval
Annual Stock Grant Range: $0 to $60,000
Level 63:
Base salary: $113,900 to $171,500
Leased stock awards: $17,000, standard $200,000 with approval
Annual Stock Grant Range: $0 to $44,000
Level 62:
Base salary: $103,700 to $156,400
Rented Stock Awards: $11,000, standard $125,000 with approval
Annual Stock Grant Range: $0 to $32,000
Level 61:
Base salary: $92,600 to $138,100
Stock grant upon hire: $6,500, standard $75,000 with approval
Annual Stock Grant Range: $0 to $24,000
Level 60:
Base salary: $83,500 to $125,000
Stock grant upon hire: $4,500, standard $50,000 with approval
Annual Stock Grant Range: $0 to $16,000
Level 59:
Base salary: $74,400 to $110,800
Stock grant upon hire: $3,000, standard $30,000 with approval
Annual Stock Grant Range: $0 to $12,000
Level 58:
Base salary: $70,300 to $92,600
Stock grant upon hire: $2,500, default $20,000 with approval
Annual Stock Allocation Range: “By Career Stage”
Level 57:
Base salary: $63,800 to $83,000
Stock grant upon hire: $1,500, default $10,000 with approval
Annual Stock Allocation Range: “By Career Stage”
Level 56:
Base salary: $60,700 to $77,900
Stock grant upon hire: $1,500, default $10,000 with approval
Annual Stock Allocation Range: “By Career Level”
Level 55:
Base salary: $55,200 to $71,300
Lease Stock Premiums: N/A
Annual Stock Allocation Range: “By Career Level”
Level 54:
Base salary: $51,600 to $67,000
Lease Stock Premiums: N/A
Annual Stock Allocation Range: “By Career Level”
Level 53:
Base salary: $46,600 to $59,700
Lease Stock Premiums: N/A
Annual Stock Allocation Range: “By Career Level”
Level 52:
Base salary: $42,500 to $54,600
Lease Stock Premiums: N/A
Annual Stock Allocation Range: “By Career Level”
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