got an L4 (mid-level) offer last month, remote with Bay Area cost-of-living adjustment. sharing for the data pool.
base: $175k RSUs: $180k over 4 years (standard cliff at year 1) bonus: 15% target sign-on: $25k (one-time, prorated if you leave before 12 months)
total year-1 comp around $245k including sign-on. years 2-4 probably closer to $220k unless there's a refresh.
I negotiated base up from $165k by citing a competing offer. they didn't budge on RSUs at all. the recruiter said RSU grants are pretty standardized by level and refreshes are performance-dependent after year 2.
for context: 5 YOE, backend/distributed systems focus, was contracting before this so the equity component was a big reason I took it over a pure cash contract role.
4 replies
numbers_only
L4 at $175k base tracks with what I've seen in the market for mid-2025 fintech in that tier. RSU grant of $180k is on the lower end for a 4-year grant at L4 but not surprising given they're profitable-but-not-swimming-in-cash. sign-on is standard. solid outcome.
quietquit_quincy
how is the RSU vesting schedule? is it backloaded or straight 25% per year?
contractor_kai
standard 25/25/25/25 quarterly after the year-1 cliff. nothing exotic. some companies do backloaded vesting to make you stay but Affirm at least didn't do that.
nonprofit_nia
this is really helpful. I'm coming from a much lower base and trying to understand what "market" actually looks like for fintech roles since the comp culture is different from nonprofit/public sector. this is a useful anchor.