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IC SWE-Distinguished, manager Manager-Sr Director. RSUs in publicly-traded NOW; reliable refreshes through the platform's growth run. Bonus targets 7-10% IC, 15-25% manager.
Ranges aggregated from publicly-available sources. Treat the median (p50) as roughly representative; quartile bands reflect negotiation range. Have specific data points or corrections? Send them in.
ServiceNow uses title-based IC levels (Software Engineer through Distinguished Engineer) rather than numbered bands. Equity is RSUs in publicly-traded NOW, vesting over 4 years; refresh grants have been consistent through the company's enterprise-platform growth run, so realized comp has often beaten initial offers. Bonus targets are 7-10% IC and 15-25% on the manager track, making cash a larger share of manager comp than at equity-first peers. Hiring concentrates on platform engineering, Now Assist (generative AI), and security - those teams see top-of-band offers; sustaining work on older platform areas prices 5-10% below the medians shown.
| Component | p25 | p50 | p75 | p90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $130K | $145K | $160K | $175K |
| Equity (annualized) | $20K | $30K | $42K | $58K |
| Bonus / sign-on amortized | $9K | $11K | $13K | $15K |
| Total comp | $160K | $185K | $215K | $250K |
Entry level. RSUs in publicly-traded NOW vest 4 years; bonus target ~7-10%. Santa Clara and San Diego are the main US engineering hubs.
| Component | p25 | p50 | p75 | p90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $160K | $175K | $190K | $205K |
| Equity (annualized) | $40K | $58K | $82K | $112K |
| Bonus / sign-on amortized | $13K | $15K | $18K | $21K |
| Total comp | $215K | $250K | $290K | $340K |
Most-common external hire level. Platform and Now Assist (AI) teams see the top of band.
| Component | p25 | p50 | p75 | p90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $185K | $200K | $215K | $230K |
| Equity (annualized) | $65K | $95K | $135K | $185K |
| Bonus / sign-on amortized | $17K | $20K | $23K | $26K |
| Total comp | $265K | $315K | $375K | $440K |
Staff IC. ServiceNow refreshes have been reliable through the platform's growth run - realized comp has tended to beat initial offers.
| Component | p25 | p50 | p75 | p90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $210K | $226K | $242K | $258K |
| Equity (annualized) | $105K | $150K | $210K | $285K |
| Bonus / sign-on amortized | $22K | $26K | $30K | $34K |
| Total comp | $335K | $400K | $480K | $575K |
Senior IC with platform-wide scope. Equity becomes the dominant growth component.
| Component | p25 | p50 | p75 | p90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $235K | $252K | $268K | $285K |
| Equity (annualized) | $165K | $235K | $325K | $440K |
| Bonus / sign-on amortized | $28K | $33K | $38K | $44K |
| Total comp | $430K | $520K | $630K | $770K |
Small population; appointments are mostly internal. External hires at this level are rare and individually negotiated.
Cross-referenced against public reporting, state pay-transparency postings, and triangulated where source ranges disagreed. Last refresh: June 2026.
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