As one of the world’s most prominent technology companies, Facebook hires the most skilled and innovative software engineers, with competitive compensation and generous benefits to match.
A 2020 Comparably survey ranked Facebook at #2 in the USA for compensation, but software engineers aiming for a position there need to know everything they can about compensation packages to ensure they’re getting the best they can.
Facebook wants to attract the best software engineers available, so it offers competitive compensation to its employees, across salary, stock options, bonuses, and benefits. Here’s what remuneration you can expect when landing a job as a software engineer at Facebook.
What are the different roles performed by software engineers at Facebook?
Facebook software engineers develop, improve, and maintain software, apps, and support systems. They perform varied roles across Facebook’s suite of apps and software, from Facebook itself to Instagram, WhatsApp, and more.
They’re often specialized in specific functions or applications of software, such as virtual reality, Android OS, or cryptocurrency.
By coding in various programming languages, software engineers at Facebook are at the core of the innovation offered by the company, and are responsible for bringing new products and new features to market, and maintaining the stability and performance of existing systems.
Salary levels of software engineers at Facebook
Facebook is one of the world’s most innovative software companies, and therefore the company’s software engineers must-have skills of the highest caliber. This means that Facebook software engineers are compensated well for their work, with some of the highest salaries in the industry, even for a tech company.
Total compensation for software engineers is spread across several streams:
- Annual salary
- Bonus
- Stock options and restricted stock units (RSU)
The annual salary for a software engineer at Facebook depends on factors including years of experience, time at the company, seniority, location, education, and area of expertise. Successful candidates for roles as software engineers can expect an offer within a salary range, which is adjusted for these factors.
The average salary for a software engineer at Facebook, according to PayScale, is $123,714, with the average bonus being $14,838 and the average profit-sharing arrangement totaling $36,716. Glassdoor lists a higher average salary for software engineers, at $151,753. Total remuneration depends on many factors, so keep that in mind when anticipating or negotiating a salary offer from Facebook.
The hiring level of a software engineer at Facebook is decided during the onsite interview process. “It’s known as the grading interview because that’s usually where they grade you and they’ll bump you up or down in seniority level,” says Elliott Gorrell, a software engineer starting at Facebook in January 2021. “There is some room to negotiate total compensation depending on your interview performance. If you perform really well, then you’re more able to negotiate.”
As software engineers grow in seniority at Facebook and are promoted through these levels, stock options and bonuses come to make up a significantly higher proportion of total compensation.
Related Read: What Do Software Engineers Earn?
Entry-level software engineer salary at Facebook
The lowest level of remuneration for a software engineer at Facebook is a Software Engineer Level I – or E3, as listed in the table above. Levels.fyi pegs the entry-level E3 remuneration at a total of $178,000, including bonus and stock options. Graduates and other candidates with limited professional experience will usually be placed in this E3 band by hiring managers.
This salary will vary depending on a number of factors, including the location of the employee. The Robert Half Technology Salary Guide 2021, which looks at the entire industry, lists a regional variance increase of 40.5% over the US national average salary for employees in New York City, for instance, or a reduction of 5% for employees in Huntsville, Alabama. These adjustments may be made for reasons of cost of living, availability of talent, or other factors.
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Senior-level software engineer salary at Facebook
As software engineers at Facebook progress through seniority levels, their pay increases proportionately. Facebook has six software engineering job titles, from Software Engineer Level I (E3, entry-level) up to Level VI (E8). Levels.fyi places the average total compensation for a level-E8 software engineer at Facebook at around $1,230,000. This comprises a base salary of $298,000, stock options of $687,250, and a bonus of $244,500.
Progression as a software engineer has the potential to lead into other roles at Facebook, which may offer higher or lower average compensation. For example, there is a separate pay scale for roles such as engineering manager at Facebook, given these roles require much more experience and different skills to software engineers, such as leadership and people management.
Stock options at Facebook
Stock options are a central part of remuneration packages at Facebook. Facebook offers restricted stock units (RSUs) which vest, or come into the employee’s possession, at certain points over time. The RSU element of a compensation package for software engineers at Facebook scales proportionately to the level of the role filled.
The vesting schedule for an employee’s Facebook stock depends on their contract, however, it’s common for Facebook employees to be on a four-year vesting schedule, with 25% of their RSU compensation vesting every year over that period. For example, an E5 level software engineer may be granted $150,000 worth of stock to vest over four years—this means each year 25% of that original value (adjusted for growth or depreciation) will vest into the employee’s possession. They can then be sold or kept for further increase (or decrease) in value, though the employee will need to consider tax implications on these RSUs when they vest or are sold.
Stock options are also commonly granted as part of performance-based or negotiated bonuses or salary increases. These are also often granted on an RSU basis and may vest on an overlapping schedule with the original RSU package.
Benefits at Facebook
In addition to competitive compensation, Facebook employees can take advantage of many benefits, with employees ranking the benefits program at 4.7 out of 5 on Glassdoor. Facebook lists its benefits in five categories:
- Health and wellness. This includes health insurance, dental, pre-tax healthcare arrangements, mental health support, transgender coverage, and reimbursement for certain sport and gym fees.
- Family. Fertility and family planning assistance, paid maternity and paternity leave, “baby cash” grants, support for dependent care.
- Finance. A competitive retirement plan is included here, as well as life insurance, tax consultation, access to TurboTax, and legal support.
- Community. On-campus support includes access to existing or your own Life@ Club, designed to help employees build connections.
- Time away. Paid leave is usually offered at around 21 days per year, plus a 30-day long-service leave granted after five years, as well as 11 annual company holidays, and sick days when required.
If new employees are relocating to take up a position at Facebook, there is often a moving bonus in addition to other compensation, to help employees settle in their new city.
Facebook employees who work at headquarters in Menlo Park, CA, also have access to many on-site services, including free meals, a barbershop, dental services, valet parking, free electric-car charging, dry cleaning services, a bicycle repair shop, and a video game arcade.
Perks in other offices vary by location, but perhaps the best benefit of working at Facebook could be employee satisfaction: a 2020 survey found that Facebook ranks at #8 for happiest employees in the United States.
Since you’re here…
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