Meta Software Engineer Salary

Meta (formerly Facebook) is a leading employer for software engineers worldwide, attracting professionals across various levels and specialties. Known for offering competitive compensation in the tech industry, Meta compensates its software engineers generously—but pay varies based on role level, location, and other factors. So, how much can you expect to earn as a software engineer at Meta? Our salary negotiation team is here to help you figure that out.

With extensive experience negotiating hundreds of tech job offers, we provide insights based on real-world Meta salary negotiations and compensation research. In this guide, you'll find detailed information on Meta software engineer levels, the key components of a Meta software engineer salary, and a breakdown of average base salaries and total compensation packages by level and location.

Want to Negotiate Your Offer? Get offer-specific guidance from a Meta Salary Negotiation Coach. We help software engineers negotiate competitive job offers.

Or leverage our Salary Negotiation Courses and Templates.

Meta has a tiered structure for its software engineering roles just like you’d see at most large tech companies. Understanding the Meta software engineer level is important before interviewing and accepting an offer, as they influence your software engineering responsibilities, total compensation, and career trajectory within Meta. Meta determines the Meta SDE level based on a combination of factors, including years of experience, the scope of responsibilities, and the overall impact of the role.

In this section, we provide an overview of the Meta software engineer levels to help you navigate their role levels.

As a software engineer at Meta, you can follow either an Individual Contributor (IC) or Engineering Manager (EM) career path. Below are the Meta SDE levels for the IC track:

• Meta E3 Software Engineer (SDE II)

• Meta E4 Software Engineer (SDE III)

• Meta E5 Software Engineer (Senior SDE)

• Meta E6 Software Engineer (Staff SDE)

• Meta E7 Software Engineer (Senior Staff SDE)

• Meta E8 Software Engineer (Principal SDE)

• Meta E9 Software Engineer (Distinguished SDE)

We focus on the Meta SDE levels for the IC track on this page, but for reference here are the Meta Engineering Manager levels for the manager track:

• Meta M1 Software Engineering Manager (Engineering Manager)

• Meta M2 Software Engineering Manager (Senior Engineering Manager)

• Meta D1 Software Engineering Manager (Engineering Director)

• Meta D2 Software Engineering Manager (Senior Engineering Director)

In a Meta software engineer salary package, you’ll find four core compensation components. For more in-depth details from us on Meta’s compensation structure, you can check out our Meta Salary Negotiation and Software Engineer Salary Negotiation articles. Below is a quick overview of what to expect before we cover the average compensation for Meta software engineer salary.

Meta Base Salary

This is the fixed amount you’ll receive in each paycheck at Meta. There are set base salary ranges for each Meta SDE level and location.

Meta Performance Bonus

The performance bonus is a percentage of your base salary, determined by both individual and company performance. Depending on your Meta SDE level, the target bonus percentage typically ranges from 10% to 30%.

Meta Equity Package

Upon joining Meta, you'll receive an initial grant of Meta Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). These will vest over a four-year period in equal annual increments, meaning you'll receive 25% of your RSUs each year.

Meta Sign-on Bonuses

Meta typically offers software engineers a sign-on bonus in the first year. This one-time bonus serves as an incentive to join Meta or to compensate for any benefits or perks you may lose when leaving your current company.

Meta Stock Refreshers

These are annual Meta RSU equity grants that you may receive based on your annual performance review at Meta.

Meta has a set base salary and total compensation range for each Meta software engineer level. While they typically aim to pay new hires within the lower to mid-range of these pay bands, we’ve successfully negotiated Meta software engineer salaries closer to the top end of each pay range.

Below, we’ve listed the average compensation for Meta software engineers across the Meta SDE levels. Note that these figures are averages based on our research and negotiation experience, and not the top end of the Meta SDE pay bands. To identify and reach the top end of the pay range and secure a competitive software engineer salary at Meta, we recommend working with a Meta Salary Negotiation Coach.

Meta SDE 2 Salary (E3)

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for an E3 Meta SDE 2 salary.

Meta SDE 3 Salary (E4)

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for an E4 Meta SDE 3 salary.

Meta Senior Software Engineer Salary (E5)

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for an E5 Meta senior software engineer salary.

Meta Staff Software Engineer Salary (E6)

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for an E6 Meta staff software engineer salary.

Meta Senior Staff Software Engineer Salary (E7)

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for an E7 Meta senior staff software engineer salary.

Meta Principal Engineer Salary (E8)

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for an E8 Meta principal software engineer salary.

Meta Distinguished Engineer Salary (E9)

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for an E9 Meta distinguished engineer salary.

Meta offers competitive pay for software engineers, but salaries at Meta can vary significantly depending on the location. For example, a Meta software engineer salary Seattle won't be the same as an Meta software engineer salary California, and a Meta software engineer salary UK will be different compensation than those in the US. As a large tech company, Meta closely monitors cost-of-living differences when setting their base salary and total compensation ranges.

Below, we’ve listed the average compensation for software engineers in some of Meta's key hiring locations for software engineers at the Meta E6 salary level. These figures are based on our research and negotiation experience and represent averages, not the top end of the Meta pay bands. To identify and reach the top end of the salary range and secure a competitive offer at Meta in your specific location, we recommend working with a Meta Salary Negotiation Coach.

Meta Software Engineer Salary Los Angeles

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for Meta Software Engineer Salary Los Angeles.

Meta Software Engineer Salary New York

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for Meta Software Engineer Salary New York.

Meta Software Engineer Salary San Francisco

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for Meta Software Engineer Salary San Francisco

Meta Software Engineer Salary Seattle

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for Meta Software Engineer Salary Seattle.

Meta software engineer salaries vary significantly across countries and non-US locations will have different pay rates. For example, a Meta software engineer salary UK won't be the same as a Meta SDE salary in Canada. It will also be lower than what Meta pays software engineers in the US.

Below, we’ve listed the average compensation for software engineers in some of Meta's key international hiring locations for software engineers at the Meta E6 salary level. These figures are based on our research and negotiation experience and represent averages, not the top end of the Meta pay bands. To identify and reach the top end of the salary range and secure a competitive offer at Meta in Europe or Canada, we recommend working with a Meta Salary Negotiation Coach.

Meta Software Engineer Salary London, UK

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for Meta Software Engineer Salary London, UK.

Meta Software Engineer Salary Canada

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for Meta Software Engineer Salary Canada.

Increasing the pay in your job offer at Meta requires a deep understanding of their compensation philosophy and the right salary negotiation strategy. Our expert Meta Salary Negotiation Coaching will help you navigate the negotiation process and secure the top end of Meta’s pay band.