Current SWE pay bands — juniors to FAANG grads
Recent job posts show remote junior software-engineer roles listing roughly $76K–$100K USD, while specialized backend/Rust roles are advertising $130K–$220K USD — a big spread tied to skillset and remote premium reported reported. Industry commentary also pegs FAANG‑level new‑grad base offers around $120K–$160K with RSU grants commonly worth $80K–$200K+ over four years, so total comp can swing widely by employer and grant structure reported.
Google’s entry‑level L3 package shows a base of about $156K with roughly $33.6K/year in RSU value and a median total of $205K. levels.fyi Meta’s E3 (new‑grad) total‑comp floor is reported around $191K for U.S. roles. levels.fyi Amazon’s SDE‑I/L4 median total compensation sits near $185K in recent Levels.fyi submissions. levels.fyi Most large tech RSU grants follow a multi‑year schedule rather than annual payouts, with the four‑year pattern and a one‑year cliff being the market standard; Google’s published pattern often splits grants 38%/32%/20%/10% across years. paychecktaxcalculator.net Canadian tax treatment commonly taxes RSUs as employment income at vesting (the fair market value on vesting is included in income), a position noted in CRA commentary and in international tax guidance for Canada. canada.ca Tax‑sheltering levers for Canadian tech employees include the TFSA (annual 2026 limit $7,000) and RRSP (2026 limit $33,810); financial planners routinely recommend timing RRSP contributions in high‑RSU‑income years to reduce marginal tax on vesting events. canada.ca Negotiation data shows candidates who counter offers commonly secure meaningful uplifts (studies and syntheses cite average increases in the high‑teens percent range) while roughly half of candidates historically forgo negotiation; specialized negotiation playbooks for tech (base vs. equity vs. sign‑on) are available from Levels.fyi and negotiation researchers. wahresume.com Location and specialization drive the spread: employer pay bands are explicitly adjusted by role, level and work location per Google careers guidance, and niche backend/Rust skills are being paid a documented premium (industry Rust surveys report ~15.5% premium and Rust salary guides show U.S. remote/backend averages north of $130K). support.google.com
