Many people dream of joining a technology company like Google. It represents the pinnacle of big tech companies. With products such as Gmail, GSuite, and Google Search, Google is everywhere. Many software engineers aspire to work at the company because of its appeal. A Google software engineer’s salary ranges from six to seven figures.
A valuable compensation package is often at the top of any software engineer’s mind. Every job must pay the bills, but some do it better than others. It won’t be hard for you to earn a good salary at Google. However, what will your average salary at Google be?
In this guide, we’re going to discuss Google’s software engineer salary. Our discussion will also cover Google software engineers’ levels of compensation. These levels of compensation are based on seniority and experience.
How Much Does a Google Software Engineer Make?
| Level Name | Total | Base | Bonus | Stock (/yr) |
| L3 | $191,000 | $132,000 | $21,000 | $38,000 |
| L4 | $269,000 | $160,000 | $28,000 | $80,000 |
| L5 | $358,000 | $190,000 | $37,000 | $132,000 |
| L6 | $498,000 | $226,000 | $56,000 | $216,000 |
| L7 | $699,000 | $265,000 | $83,000 | $352,000 |
| L8 | $1,090,000 | $333,000 | $121,000 | $633,000 |
Data sourced from Levels.fyi.
Above are the average salaries you can expect to earn at Google at each software engineer level. We’ve also included the estimated calculation of their bonuses and stock options.
Salary data was not made available for levels L9 to L11. Needless to say, one can immediately recognize that the 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
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.
To understand how much you can expect to earn, it’s important to know the software engineer levels at Google. There are nine software engineer levels at Google, which are as follows:
- Software Engineer II (L3 | 0-1 year of experience)
- Software Engineer III (L4 | 2+ years of experience)
- Senior Software Engineer (L5 | Manager I equivalent)
- Staff Software Engineer (L6 | Manager II equivalent)
- Senior Staff Software Engineer (L7 | Senior Manager)
- Principal Engineer (L8 | Director)
- Distinguished Engineer (L9 | Senior Director)
- Google Fellow (L10 | Vice President)
- Senior Google Fellow (L11 | Senior Vice President)
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 a senior engineer or higher.
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.
Google Software Engineer Stock Options
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:
| Comparison | Level | Other Company | |
| Google vs Amazon Salary | Entry-level | $191,000 | $167,000 |
| Google vs Amazon Salary | Second level | $269,000 | $236,000 |
| Google vs Amazon Salary | Third level | $358,000 | $341,000 |
| Google vs Microsoft Salary | Entry-level | $191,000 | $159,000 |
| Google vs Microsoft Salary | Second level | $269,000 | $165,000 |
| Google vs Microsoft Salary | Third level | $358,000 | $181,000 |
As you can see, when it comes to Google vs Amazon software engineer salaries, Google pays their employees thousands of dollars more than Amazon. When it comes to Google vs Microsoft software engineer salaries, the same trend is evident. Google pays its employees 23 percent more than Microsoft.
Google offers a more competitive average salary than its competitors. This 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:
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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.
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.
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