Key Takeaways
- • Google software engineers are compensated with a mix of base salary, annual bonuses, and stock options.
- • Pay is structured around a tiered leveling system, with salaries increasing significantly at senior levels.
- • Entry-level engineers earn well above national averages, while senior engineers can command compensation packages worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- • Benefits go beyond paychecks, with health coverage, retirement plans, family support, and workplace perks adding to the total value.
- • Google remains highly selective, but for those who qualify, the financial and lifestyle advantages are among the strongest in the industry.
How Much Does a Google Software Engineer Make?
| Level Name | Total | Base |
| L3 (Entry Level) | $188,000¹ | $145,000¹ |
| L4 | $286,000¹ | $184,000¹ |
| L5 (Senior Level) | $413,000¹ | $220,000¹ |
| L6 (Staff) | $679,000¹ | $268,000¹ |
| L7 (Senior Staff) | $767,000¹ | $290,000¹ |
| L8 (Principal Engineer) | $1.08M¹ | $378,000¹ |
| L9 (Distinguished Engineer) | $2.15M¹ | $407,000¹ |
| L10 (Google Fellow) | Information unavailable | Information unavailable |
| L11 (Senior Google Fellow) | Information unavailable | Information unavailable |
Data sourced from Levels.fyi.¹ All information is current as of September 2025.
Above are the average salaries you can expect to earn at Google at each software engineer level.
Salary data was not made available for levels 10 or 11. Needless to say, one can immediately recognize that Google software engineer salaries are impressive, even for entry-level roles. To help you better understand these compensation packages, here’s a breakdown of their components:
- Base compensation. This refers to the baseline salary you earn. It’s the initial rate of compensation you will earn per annum.
- Bonuses. These are typically offered to Google software engineers on an annual basis and can vary from employee to employee.
- Stock. Stock refers to the stock options given to you by Google.
All of these data points add up to create your total compensation package.
Google Engineer Levels
To understand how much you can expect to earn, it’s important to know the software engineer levels at Google. Google software engineer levels are based on a tier-based salary system. Big firms often use this approach because their hierarchy is larger. Having a scale system also ensures that everyone at similar levels within the company earns a comparable average salary.
There are eight software engineer levels at Google. The majority of engineers at Google work in the lower brackets of the hierarchy. There can be difficulties in getting promoted beyond the level of a staff Google software engineer. There’s no way to confirm this; however, the reason for this could be a limited number of higher roles or simply exclusivity within the higher-paid positions. The Google engineer levels are as follows:
Level 3 – SWE 2
Years of experience: 0-3
Total compensation: $188,000¹
A Software Engineer 2 is usually someone fresh out of college or someone doing an internship at Google while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline. These programmers must have proficiency in languages such as Java, C++, or Python.
Level 4 – SWE 3
Years of experience: 2+
Total compensation: $286,000¹
An L4 Google software engineer must have at least two years of experience or a PhD. They earn a base salary of $184,000 plus over $100,000 in bonuses and stock options.¹
Level 5 – Senior SWE
Years of experience: 6-10
Total compensation: $413,000¹
A senior Google software engineer is the equivalent of a software engineering Manager I. These professionals earn a sizeable yearly income because they assume a greater level of responsibility and are expected to deliver impactful results.
Level 6 – Staff SWE
Years of experience: 10+
Total compensation: $679,000¹
As the equivalent of a Manager II, staff Google software engineers are typically trusted to lead their own teams. These are highly capable individuals who are crucial to the success of their projects. Due to the increase in responsibility, the Google Level 6 salary is significantly higher than the previous level.
Level 7 – Senior Staff SWE
Years of experience: 10+
Total compensation: $767,000¹
A Google L7 salary, after bonuses and stock options, is quite high because these software engineers are considered senior managers—a lot more is expected of them in terms of leadership and delivering results.
Level 8 – Principal Engineer
Years of experience: 10+
Total compensation: $1.08M¹
The Google L8 salary is exceptionally high because employees at this level play a key role in the creation of technical strategies. They are also involved in managing large teams of software engineers and play a role in corporate governance.
Level 9 – Distinguished Engineer
Years of experience: 10+
Total compensation: $2.15M¹
Software engineers who have reached this level are rare. These professionals assume a bigger role in the creation of technical strategies to impact key areas.
Level 10 – Google Fellow
Years of experience: 10+
Total compensation: N/A
Only leading experts in their fields are likely to reach this extremely prestigious level. Google Fellows also receive the title of “Vice President” and are charged with leading large groups of engineers. They are among the highest levels of technical leadership at the company.
Level 11 – Senior Google Fellow
Years of experience: 10+
Total compensation: N/A
The last rung in Google’s corporate ladder is the equivalent of Senior Vice President. According to DEV, Sanjay Ghemawat, a research scientist in the Systems Infrastructure Group, and Jeff Dean, head of Google AI, are the only two Google senior administrators at Level 11.2
Google Software Engineer Salary
A Google software engineer is one of the highest-paid employees in the industry.
A Google software engineer’s salary will be determined by their experience and tier-based level. An entry-level Google software engineer’s salary will naturally be lower than that of an experienced software engineer or senior engineer. As you accrue experience and earn promotions, you can expect to earn a higher annual salary and additional compensation.
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For example, the annual compensation for an entry-level software developer with little experience would be a Google L3 salary. On the other hand, a senior engineer with 10-14 years of experience may obtain a Google L6 salary. The annual base salary is dependent on technical skills and the level of seniority of the software engineer.
Google is definitely one of the top tech companies in terms of compensation. At lower levels, the average compensation is equivalent to that offered by many other firms. But when you consider the higher levels, it’s clear Google favorably compensates its top-tier workers.
How Much Does a Google Senior Software Engineer Make?
A senior Google software engineer employee makes an average of $414,000 a year, according to Glassdoor as of September 2025.3 This figure includes base pay as well as bonus and stock options. Senior software engineers at Google enjoy an extremely competitive compensation package.
How Much Does an Entry-Level Google Software Engineer Make?
The total average entry-level software engineer salary at Google is $188,000 per year.¹ This is composed of a base salary, in addition to bonuses and stock options.
Entry-level software engineers at Google typically earn significantly higher salaries than they would at most other companies. In fact, the average entry-level software engineer in the U.S. $125,000 per year.4 You do the math to confirm, but that’s over $60,000 less than the total salary of an entry-level software engineer at Google.
Benefits of Working at Google
Do those salaries impress you? Would you believe there’s more to Google software Do those salaries impress you? Would you believe there’s more to Google software engineer benefits than performance bonuses and stock options? Well, as a Google software engineer, you will also be eligible for a range of benefits, some of which are unique to Google.
For instance, Google’s benefits include expanded parental leave. According to a Google employee on Glassdoor, Google does “have a generous parental leave policy, 24 weeks for mothers and 18 weeks for fathers.”5 (This information was verified in 2024).
Here are the six main employee benefits offered by Google:6
Health and Wellness Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents
- Employee assistance programs focused on mental health
- Workplace accommodations for physical or mental health concerns
- On-site wellness centers
- Access to mental health apps
- Medical advocacy program for transgender employees
- Support programs including menopause benefit7
Financial Wellbeing
- Competitive compensation
- Regular bonus and equity refresh opportunities
- Generous 401(k) and regional retirement plans
- Annual cross-company pay equity analysis and adjustments
- Student loan reimbursement
- One-on-one financial coaching
Flexibility and Time Off
- Paid time off, including vacation, bereavement, jury duty, sick leave, parental leave, disability, and holidays
- Hybrid work model with remote work opportunities also available
- Four “work from anywhere” weeks per year
- Part-time work and job-sharing options
Family Support and Care
- Fertility and growing family support
- Parental leave and baby bonding leave
- Caregiver leave
- Elder care and support
- Backup childcare
- Survivor income benefit
Community and personal development
- Educational reimbursement
- Googler-to-Googler peer learning and coaching platform
- Donation matching and time off to volunteer
- Employee resource groups
- Internal Googler community groups and local culture clubs
“Google-y” extras
- Inspiring spaces to work, recharge, and collaborate with fellow Googlers
- On-site meals and snacks
- Fitness centers, massage programs, and ergonomic support
- On-demand fitness, wellbeing, and cooking classes
- Art programs, legal services, and more
With all of these considered, it’s clear that working at Google offers significant personal and workplace benefits.
Google vs Other Technology Companies
How does Google fare when compared to the salaries at Microsoft and the salaries at Amazon? The table below includes comparisons between the compensation offered at Google and that offered by Microsoft and Amazon. You can use this to determine which Silicon Valley firm offers the highest salary range:
| Software Engineering Salaries: Google vs Amazon vs Microsoft | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Amazon | Microsoft | |
| Entry Level | $188,000¹ | $175,000⁸ | $174,000⁹ |
| Mid Level | $413,000¹ | $403,000⁸ | $209,000⁹ |
| Senior Level | $767,000¹ | $1.31M⁸ | $237,000⁹ |
Data sourced from Glassdoor
As you can see, Google offers a more competitive average salary than its competitors. Google pays its mid-level software engineers a bit more than Amazon. The comparison with Microsoft is even more staggering, with Google paying nearly twice as much to its mid-level and senior-level software engineers as Microsoft.
This extremely competitive compensation package makes Google one of the best companies for software engineers. This is an impressive feat as there are many large tech firms looking for software engineers every day.
Google Software Engineer Salary: What Should You Expect?
As outlined above, the Google software engineer salary is one of the most attractive compensation packages in the technology industry in 2025. As an entry-level engineer, you’ll command a significant salary. Additionally, as you advance in Google’s software engineering levels, both your salary and other compensation options will increase.
But a Google software engineer’s salary only makes up part of the equation. You’ll also receive benefits like tuition reimbursement, a favorable 401(k) policy, free meals, and massage offerings. If you’re thinking about working for a big technology firm, Google is certainly worth considering.
Google Software Engineer Salary FAQs
What do Google software engineers do?
As a Google software engineer, you’ll be responsible for developing cutting-edge technologies. In order to be a software engineer at Google, you must write and build code, read and write bug reports, and debug problems that occur. Above all else, Google is an engineering company. Software engineers are at the core of everything Google builds and releases.
How hard is it to get a job at Google?
It is very hard to become a Google software engineer. To express it in numbers, Google’s acceptance rate translates to only 0.2-0.5% percent.9 Because of the seemingly endless perks it provides, Google is extremely selective when it comes to hiring. Google receives a large volume of applications every year, leading the company to set high standards for its recruits.
Can I work at Google as a software engineer without a degree?
It’s possible to work as a Google software engineer without a degree; however, you may need a computer science degree, depending on your experience and knowledge. That being said, you can most certainly apply to Google with or without a degree.
How many hours do Google software engineers work?
A Google software engineer’s hours can range from 40 to 50 hours per week; however, it really depends on how many engineers at Google are working on a project at the same time and the urgency of the project. It is also dependent on workload, project structure, and workflow.
Sources:
1 https://www.levels.fyi/companies/google/salaries/software-engineer?country=254
3 https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Google-Senior-Software-Engineer-Salaries-E9079_D_KO7,31.htm
4 https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/entry-level-software-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,29.htm
6 https://www.google.com/about/careers/applications/benefits/
7 https://www.google.com/about/careers/applications/menopause-benefit
8 https://www.levels.fyi/companies/amazon/salaries/software-engineer?country=254
9 https://learningdaily.dev/can-you-pass-google-acceptance-rate-679e1150902e
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