Closing out my search. Signed with Microsoft, L63 SWE, Redmond. Posting full numbers because I couldn't find enough current data when I was researching.
My offer: Base: $178,000 Annual bonus target: 15% of base ($26,700 at 100% performance) Stock: $350,000 RSU grant over 4 years (25% each year, no cliff) Sign-on: $50,000 split across year 1 and year 2
Total year-1 comp: roughly $342,000 at target assuming stock at grant price.
For context I'm coming from a startup where I was a senior IC with 9 YOE. The competing offer I used to negotiate was from another Seattle-area company, not FAANG, which limited how much leverage I had.
Some data points from people I know who joined Microsoft in the last 6 months, all L63: Backend infra, Redmond: $175k base, $320k RSU, 15% bonus, $40k sign Azure networking, Redmond: $182k base, $380k RSU, 15% bonus, $45k sign Teams org, no relocation needed: $172k base, $300k RSU, 15% bonus, $30k sign
So range for L63 SWE in 2026 in Redmond looks roughly $170-185k base, $300-400k RSU over 4 years, 15% bonus target.
A few notes on the equity structure specifically. Microsoft vest is annual, not monthly like Google or Amazon. That means you get nothing until the one-year mark, then 25% drops. If you're used to monthly vesting, budget accordingly for year one cash flow. The RSU price used is the closing price on the vest date, not grant date, so the actual value depends on stock performance.
Bonus is tied to individual performance review scores and divisional performance. Most people land at 100% of target in a normal year but it does move around.
Remote: I know a handful of L63s who joined remote (not Redmond), and their base was similar but sign-on was lower. No relocation budget obviously.
Feel free to ask specific questions. I'll share what I can.