posting numbers because the site needs more recent data and PayPal comp is hard to find.
Role: Software Engineer, L5 (equivalent to Senior at other companies) Team: Payments Platform, backend focus Location: Austin TX, hybrid 3x/week YOE: 8 Base: $178k Annual bonus target: 15% ($26.7k at 100% attainment) RSUs: $200k grant over 4 years, standard vest cliff at 1 year Signing: $30k
Total year 1 with signing: ~$285k. Year 2+ without signing closer to $255k depending on bonus payout.
Recruiter tried to anchor on the $178k base as if that was the whole story. It's not. pushed on RSU grant and signing, got both moved. base was firm at the top of band they said.
For context this is below FAANG L5 but above most traditional fintech. if the work matters to you, the comp is livable. if you're optimizing purely on TC, there are better options.