Software Engineer Leveling Calculator
L3 or L5? E5 or E6? SDE II or SDE III? Tell us your scope and YOE — we show your level at Google, then unlock the full FAANG+ matrix with median comp from levels.fyi.
Sign up unlocks the full FAANG+ leveling matrix, comp ranges, and promo-readiness diagnosis.
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Frequently asked
Where do the leveling bands come from?+
Median total comp and YOE bands are pulled from levels.fyi (refreshed 2026-Q2). Scope descriptions and equivalent-level mappings are calibrated from levels.fyi's published rosetta plus Gergely Orosz's trimodal-salaries research at The Pragmatic Engineer.
Why does the calculator weight scope more than YOE?+
Past senior, YOE is unreliable. Two engineers with 8 years of experience can land at L4 or L6 depending on what they actually owned. Recruiters and committees use scope (what you own, who you influence) as the dominant signal — so we do too.
Are these comp numbers Bay Area?+
levels.fyi's per-level pages aggregate US-wide. Bay Area / NYC / Seattle TC is roughly equivalent at Big Tech; non-hub locations are typically 10–25% lower. We label all numbers 'US (Bay Area-weighted)'.
Where are the higher levels (Apple ICT6, Microsoft 68+)?+
Comp data for distinguished-engineer tiers is thin on levels.fyi (single-digit submissions per band). We omit p25/p75 ranges where the data wouldn't be reliable — see the asterisks on individual level cards.