Google is not only a pioneering company that redefined internet search and changed the way we live, but it is also one of the most desirable places to work for software engineers worldwide. The company’s highly competitive compensation packages are one of the main reasons for this appeal, with most software engineers earning six or even seven-figure salaries. But Google’s attractiveness as an employer is not limited to its impressive salaries.
In addition to its compensation packages, Google offers a variety of generous employee benefits that have earned it a reputation as one of the best employers in the world. These benefits include comprehensive health insurance, retirement plans, and even free gourmet meals. Additionally, Google’s commitment to work-life balance and flexible scheduling options make it an ideal place to work for many software engineers. In this guide, we will dive deeper into Google’s software engineer salary and employee benefits, including levels of compensation and other factors that make working for Google such an attractive prospect.
Key Takeaways
- Google offers highly competitive compensation packages for software engineers, with salaries ranging from six to seven figures.
- In addition to attractive salaries, Google provides generous employee benefits, including comprehensive health insurance, retirement plans, and free gourmet meals.
- Google has a tier-based salary system with 10 software engineer levels, and salaries increase with seniority and experience.
- The average salary for a senior software engineer at Google is $239,340 per year, while an entry-level software engineer earns an average of $193,902 per year.
- Salaries at Google vary by location, with California, Washington, and New York offering the highest salaries.
How Much Does a Google Software Engineer Make?
| Level Name | Total | Base |
| L3 | $191,474 | $142,232 |
| L4 | $281,758 | $175,646 |
| L5 | $366,408 | $210,571 |
| L6 | $518,446 | $254.074 |
| L7 | $648,796 | $284,938 |
| L8 | $1,143,200 | $326,000 |
Data sourced from Levels.fyi
Above are the average salaries you can expect to earn at Google at each software engineer level. Later in the article, we included estimates for bonuses and stock options.
Salary data was not made available for levels L9 to L11. Needless to say, one can immediately recognize that Google software engineer salaries are impressive at every level. To help you better understand these compensation packages, here’s a breakdown of their components:
- Base compensation. This refers to the standard salary you earn. It’s the initial rate of compensation you will earn per annum.
- Bonuses. These are offered to software engineers at Google on an annual basis and can vary from employee to employee.
- Stock. Stock refers to the stock options given to you by Google. We’ll talk more about this in the following section.
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 10 software engineer levels at Google. The majority of engineers at Google work in the lower brackets of the hierarchy. There are a lot of difficulties getting promoted beyond the level of Staff Software Engineer at Google, according to several former Google software engineers. The reason for this could be a shortage of jobs, so only the best get promoted to senior engineer or higher. The Google engineer levels are as follows:
Level 2- SWE 1
Years of experience: 0-3
Total compensation: $118,000
A Software Engineer 1 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 3 – SWE 2
Years of experience: 0-3
Total compensation: 191,474
A Google L3 salary hovers around $190,000 a year, including bonuses and stock options. These entry-level professionals have an undergraduate degree in a computer-related field, with many also having a master’s degree.
Level 4 – SWE 3
Years of experience: 2+
Total compensation: $281,758
A Google L4 software engineer must have at least two years of experience or a PhD. They earn a base salary of $175,000 plus over $24,000 in bonuses.
Level 5 – Senior SWE
Years of experience: 6-10
Total compensation: $366,408
A senior software engineer at Google is the equivalent of a software engineering Manager I. These professionals earn over $360,000 a year 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: $518,446
As the equivalent of a Manager II, staff 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: $648,796
A Google L7 salary, after bonuses and stock options, nears $650,000. Because senior staff 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: $1,143,200
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 are starting to play a role in corporate governance.
Level 9 – Distinguished Engineer
Years of experience: 10+
Total compensation: N/A
Software engineers that 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 represent the highest level 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. Only two individuals have reached this level: Jeff Dean, head of Google AI, and Sanjay Ghemawat, a research scientist in the Systems Infrastructure Group
Google Software Engineer Salary
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.
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 their top-tier workers.
How Much Does a Google Senior Sofware Engineer Make?
A Google senior software engineer makes an average of $239,340 a year, according to Glassdoor. This figure includes a base pay of $154,737 and $84,603 in bonus and stock options.
Senior software engineers at Google enjoy an extremely competitive compensation package. The average senior software engineer at the search giant earns twice as much as the average senior software engineer in the United States.
How Much Does a Google Entry Level Sofware Engineer Make?
The average entry-level software engineer salary at Google is $193,902 per year. This is composed of a base salary of $128,162 in addition to $20,860 in bonuses and $44,880 in 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 US earns less than half the salary of an entry-level software engineer at Google.
Google Software Engineer Salary by Location
Your salary at Google can vary considerably depending on your location. The states of California, Washington, and New York, all renowned for the strength of their tech industries, unsurprisingly boast the highest salaries at Google, according to Zippia.com. Here are the top ten states where Google employees get paid the most:
- California
- Washington
- New York
- Massachusetts
- Oregon
- District of Columbia
- Virginia
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
- Colorado
Google Salary Level by Gender
It is no secret that the tech industry has an embarrassingly large gender pay gap, with women earning up to 28 percent less than men. Unfortunately, Google is no exception. Like in most companies in the tech industry, women earn less than men at most positions within Google, with the difference in pay increasing as women achieve higher positions of responsibility.
According to an article published by The New York Times, Google female employees make 99.7 cents for every dollar their male counterparts make. These findings are based on a spreadsheet shared with Google employees in 2017 that contained salary and bonus information.
Google Salary Level by Ethnicity
The majority of Google’s workforce is white (46.8 percent), followed by Asian (25.2 percent), Hispanic or Latino (14.8), and Black (8.2 percent), according to Zippia.com. The graph below shows the average software engineer salary by ethnicity for companies of similar size to Google.
Data sourced from Comparably
Google Software Engineer Stock Options
| Level Name | Stock | Bonus |
| L3 | $39,116 | $10,127 |
| L4 | $81,737 | $24,376 |
| L5 | $127,529 | $28,005 |
| L6 | $221,823 | $42,550 |
| L7 | $292,825 | $71,033 |
| L8 | $697,000 | $120,200 |
Data sourced from Levels.fyi
Many people often wonder how much stock Google employees get. The Google stock bonus for software engineers is varied. Like in many other Silicon Valley technology firms, Google software engineers are issued Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The company uses these to compensate employees through company shares.
RSUs are subject to a four-year vesting schedule at Google. Each year, 25 percent of your stock is vested (roughly at a rate of 2.08 percent per month). This means you will unlock 25 percent of your stock each year.
Google sometimes refers to its RSUs as a Google Stock Unit or GSU. In addition, the vesting schedule for RSUs/GSUs can vary depending on the number of shares you receive. For instance, if you earn less than 32 GSUs, your stock will vest annually. If you earn between 64 and 159 GSUs, your stock will vest quarterly.
Benefits of Working at Google
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 software engineer, you will also be eligible for a range of benefits, some of which are unique to Google.
For instance, Google provides a subsidized on-site chair or table massage to their employees. The company also provides employees and their families with international personal travel year-round.
What’s more, Google software engineer benefits include a $500 stipend after the arrival of a new baby. This seeks to help employees take care of house cleaning, diaper bills, and other related expenses. It also provides job satisfaction. Other benefits are standard among big technology firms. These can be divided into a few different categories.
These are the three main employee benefits offered by Google:
- Insurance and wellness benefits
- Transportation benefits
- Home, financial, and other benefits
Insurance and Wellness Benefits
| Benefit | Description |
| Vision Insurance | Basic vision insurance is included in an employee’s health insurance package. This means employees do not need to purchase additional vision insurance. |
| Pet Insurance | This insurance is a voluntary benefit to new and current employees. |
| Sick Leave | The amount of sick leave accrued by an employee at Google is determined by their job title, the number of hours worked per week, and how long an employee has been with the company. It averages 20-30 days of PTO per year. |
| Paternity Leave | 18-24 weeks |
| Paid Time Off | 15 days to start; increases to 20 days after working for the company for four years and to 25 days after that. |
| Maternity Leave | 24 weeks. |
| Gym On-Site | Yes, open 24/7 to all employees and their families. |
| Free Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner | Five days per week at over 30 locations on the Mountain View campus. |
| Dental Insurance | Basic dental is included with the standard Google Insurance policy. Employees can opt to customize their benefits package. |
Transportation Benefits
| Benefit | Description |
| Regional Transit System | Google offers van pools, shuttles, and transit hubs for its employees. Google employs a team of regional transit specialists that map out the residences of new hires and plot new routes regularly. |
| Company Shuttle | Google has a private shuttle that transports employees to the Mountain View Campus from the San Francisco area every day. |
| Bikes on Campus | Used to navigate around Google headquarters and surrounding areas |
Home, Financial, and Other Benefits
| Benefit | Description |
| On-Site Laundry | While laundry is not on site, Google does offer employees free laundry services through TaskRabbit. |
| Phone Bill Reimbursement | Google offers phone bill reimbursement. Additionally, if you opt-in, they will pay for your phone bill and provide you with a new phone annually. |
| Fertility and Adoption assistance | Google offers three IVF cycles and PGS and up to $75,000 in IVF benefits. They also offer egg-freezing for employees and their partners, as well as reimbursement for surrogacy and adoption fees, including associated legal costs. |
| Tuition Reimbursement | Employees who pursue higher education at Google are reimbursed for tuition in a field of study that is relevant to their skills and position. The reimbursement provided is up to $12,000 annually. |
| Mega Backdoor Roth IRA | Employees are able to contribute up to $55,000 per year. |
| 401(k) | Fifty percent match available on all contributions up to $19,500; Google will match the greater of either: (a) 100 percent of your contributions up to $3,000 or (b) 50 percent of your contributions up to the $19,500 maximum. |
| Employee Discount | Varies between 10 to 15 percent off Google products |
| Surrogacy Assistance | Reimbursement of up to $40,000 for fees and the ability to speak to a specialist to assist families in the surrogacy process. |
| Donation Match | The company will match employee donations from $50 to up to $6,000 per year per donor. |
| Pet-Friendly Workplace | Google is a pet-friendly workplace. It allows pet owners to bring their pets to work with them as long as it is done in a safe manner. |
With all of these considered, it’s clear that working at Google leads to significant benefits.
Google vs Other Technology Companies
How does Google fare when compared to the salaries at Microsoft and salaries at Amazon? That’s a good question. The table below includes comparisons between the compensation packages offered at Google and those 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 | $195,475 | $178,693 | $98,917 |
| Mid Level | $237,530 | $209,666 | $121,167 |
| Senior Level | $243,936 | $222,409 | $130,964 |
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 around 13 percent more than Amazon. The comparison with Microsoft is even more staggering, with Google paying nearly twice as much to its entry-level and mid-level software engineers as the iconic software behemoth founded by Bill Gates.
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.
How Many Software Engineers Does Google Have?
If you are wondering how many software engineers work at Google, the answer is 27,169, according to Increditools. These engineers work for Google on a global scale. Google has offices in Hong Kong, India, Bogota, and many other locations. Over 70 offices are located around the world, contributing to the number of software engineers employed by Google.
Now that you know how many software engineers are at Google, you may be wondering what they all do. A software engineer has a wide range of responsibilities depending on their specialty. Some engineers will work on game and entertainment systems, while others will work on modeling and simulation. Each engineer’s skills are unique to their experience and education.
Tips to Prepare for Google Software Engineer Tech Interview
If you were attracted to Google’s salary and benefits and immediately applied for a position, you are not alone. Google receives 3 million applications a year. In the event that you are chosen for an interview, you may wonder how to prepare for a Google software engineer interview. Here are some tips to help you ace your interview and get a job at Google:
Focus on the Fundamentals
The best way to prepare for a Google software engineer interview is to focus on the fundamentals. Potential software engineers will be tested on their knowledge of algorithms, system designs, and data structures. Google is known to provide candidates with complex technical tests to test their skills while under consideration.
Get Technical
Begin to brush up on your technical skills and study other relevant technical topics. After all, this will be a technical interview with one of the world’s largest technology giants. If you are looking for the ultimate guide on technical interviews, do some Googling and research tips from reputable career sites before the big interview.
Study
Although you have already earned your degree and likely have experience under your belt, it is still important to study before any interview. This is how many software engineers prepare for an interview with Google. Most people do not remember everything about their job, especially in a field with many specializations. Studying will help you better prepare for the toughest questions.
Google Software Engineer Salary: What Should You Expect?
A Google software engineer salary is one of the most attractive compensation packages in the technology industry. 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. Google is also an option for those looking for a salary of $150K a year without a degree.
But a Google software engineer salary only makes up part of the equation. You’ll also receive benefits like tuition reimbursement, a favorable 401(k) policy, and free meals five days per week. If you’re thinking about working for a big technology firm, Google is certainly worth considering.
Google Software Engineer Salary FAQs
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 percent. Because of the 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?
Yes, you can work as a Google software engineer without a degree. Aspiring job seekers no longer need a degree to apply for Google jobs. You can apply to Google with or without a degree. In addition to Google, many other companies are prioritizing experience over academic credentials. Candidates who have completed bootcamps can apply to Google.
How many hours do Google software engineers work?
A Google software engineer’s hours range from 40-50 hours per week. It 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.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
