Cognizant Principal Software Engineer Salaries by 30+ Employees (Updated 2025)

9 - 18 years exp.

₹12 Lakhs - ₹28 Lakhs

Salary of majority employees

31% less than the average Principal Software Engineer Salary in IT Services & Consulting Companies for 9 - 18 years of experience

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Salaries in different departments

Engineering - Software & QA Principal Software Engineer Salary 9 - 18 years exp. (18 salaries)	₹12 L/yr - ₹28 L/yr
Research & Development Principal Software Engineer Salary 15 - 18 years exp. (5 salaries)	₹16.7 L/yr - ₹28 L/yr
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Data Science & Analytics Principal Software Engineer Salary 15 - 17 years exp. (3 salaries)	₹22 L/yr - ₹27 L/yr
Project & Program Management Principal Software Engineer Salary 11 - 14 years exp. (AmbitionBox Estimate)	₹16.5 L/yr - ₹24 L/yr

Last Updated: 12 Mar 2025

Companies similar to Cognizant for Principal Software Engineer

Company name	Avg Annual Salary	Open Jobs
Dell EMC Principal Software Engineer Salary 9 - 16 years exp. (275 salaries)	₹18.8 L/yr - ₹55 L/yr 75% more
TCS Principal Software Engineer Salary 7 - 14 years exp. (17 salaries)	₹16 L/yr - ₹39 L/yr 16% more
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IBM Principal Software Engineer Salary 7 - 17 years exp. (11 salaries)	₹16 L/yr - ₹45 L/yr 21% more
Accenture Principal Software Engineer Salary 2 - 14 years exp. (11 salaries)	₹20 L/yr - ₹40.8 L/yr 28% more
Infosys Principal Software Engineer Salary 11 - 15 years exp. (9 salaries)	₹23 L/yr - ₹38 L/yr 52% more
Capgemini Principal Software Engineer Salary 9 - 19 years exp. (9 salaries)	₹17 L/yr - ₹30.4 L/yr 7% more	8 job openings
Genpact Principal Software Engineer Salary 9 - 15 years exp. (8 salaries)	₹22 L/yr - ₹42 L/yr 39% more
Dell R&D Center Principal Software Engineer Salary 10 - 12 years exp. (8 salaries)	₹33 L/yr - ₹50 L/yr 66% more
HCLTech Principal Software Engineer Salary 9 - 20 years exp. (8 salaries)	₹23 L/yr - ₹50 L/yr 47% more
Tech Mahindra Principal Software Engineer Salary 2 - 16 years exp. (7 salaries)	₹15 L/yr - ₹40 L/yr 38% more
Wipro Principal Software Engineer Salary 6 - 13 years exp. (7 salaries)	₹11.6 L/yr - ₹40 L/yr 17% more
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NTT Data Principal Software Engineer Salary 10 - 15 years exp. (7 salaries)	₹12 L/yr - ₹20 L/yr 29% less
DXC Technology Principal Software Engineer Salary 8 - 21 years exp. (5 salaries)	₹12 L/yr - ₹40 L/yr 28% more
Societe Generale Global Solution Centre Principal Software Engineer Salary 13 - 14 years exp. (3 salaries)	₹32.9 L/yr - ₹42.1 L/yr 64% more
NielsenIQ Principal Software Engineer Salary 16 - 19 years exp. (3 salaries)	₹22.6 L/yr - ₹32.4 L/yr 26% more

Principal Software Engineer salary at Cognizant ranges between ₹12 Lakhs to ₹28 Lakhs per year for employees with experience between 9 years to 18 years. Salary estimates are based on 33 latest salaries received from various employees of Cognizant.

Experience wise Cognizant Principal Software Engineer salaries

Last Updated: 12 Mar 2025

Experience	Avg Annual Salary
9 years (AmbitionBox Estimate)	₹16.1 L/yr - ₹19.5 L/yr
10 years (AmbitionBox Estimate)	₹12 L/yr - ₹36.1 L/yr
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11 years (AmbitionBox Estimate)	₹16.6 L/yr - ₹24 L/yr
12 years (AmbitionBox Estimate)	₹17.5 L/yr - ₹38.4 L/yr
13 years (3 salaries)	₹19.2 L/yr - ₹25 L/yr
14 years (4 salaries)	₹16.5 L/yr - ₹23.5 L/yr
15+ years (19 salaries)	₹16.6 L/yr - ₹28 L/yr

View all

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Top skills at Cognizant for Principal Software Engineer

Java Project Management Spring Boot Proposals Javascript Product Development MongoDB Monitoring Gradle Enterprise Architecture MySQL Quality Management Hibernate Technology Solutions Maven

Salary related reviews for Cognizant

2.6

Rated by 3 employees for salary & benefits

Programmer Analyst in Mumbai

Full Time

Engineering - Software & QA Department

1.0

• posted on 22 Jan 2025

1.0

for Salary and Benefits

Likes

Depends on your home manager, some are really supportive. 5-6 hours required from office (depends on the project), rest can be done from home, udemy access, cloud certifications

Dislikes

Salary is too low, only ceo earns good money, exploiting freshers and playing with their careers. They don't have many projects, so most of the time people will be on bench. Promotions are delayed/cancelled based on their convenience citing reasons like utilization is less (common sense- it is less because the company has less projects). Promotions criteria are increased if you satisfy previous required criteria. Hikes are less than peanuts. Company culture is bad, no festival celebration nothing. Work-life balance depends on the project; if you have a project, then you're overloaded with work and if you don't, you're overloaded with stress as they can terminate you anyday. FEW OF THE LATERAL HIREES ARE PUT ON BENCH AND LATER TERMINATED AFTER 6 MONTHS. JOIN ONLY IF YOU WANT TO WASTE YOUR TIME AND CAREER.

Salary - Bad

+5 more

Programmer Analyst in Kolkata

Full Time

Engineering - Software & QA Department

3.0

• posted on 18 Jan 2025

2.0

for Salary and Benefits

Likes

I have been learning new technologies since day one, so learning is never stopped for me after joining cognizant

Dislikes

Cognizant will not pay you well , Even if you are eligible for a better pay at the correct time they will release you from the project so that they don't have to promote you

Salary - Poor

+4 more

Senior Associate in Noida

Full Time

Procurement & Supply Chain Department

4.0

• posted on 10 Jan 2025

3.0

for Salary and Benefits

Likes

Cognizant has strong capebilities in delivering technology services with a robust support. People are satisfied working here but since past couple of years company has not given ample opportunitiesto employees in terms of growth and compensastion

Work satisfaction - Good

+2 more

Dislikes

Not good approasal No timely appraisal No promotion policies No standard salary parameters as per exp No benchmarking for compensastion

Senior Associate in Kolkata

Full Time

Engineering - Software & QA Department

3.0

• posted on 10 Jan 2025

4.0

for Salary and Benefits

Likes

If you swith to Cognizant, they will provide good salary compared to other service based company. They also push their associate for skill development with regular certification drive.

Salary - Good

+1 more

Dislikes

The appraisal system dropped drastically in couple of years. Very minimum salary hike with high ratings.

Promotions - Poor

Programmer Analyst in Chennai

Full Time

Engineering - Software & QA Department

5.0

• posted on 08 Jan 2025

3.0

for Salary and Benefits

Likes

I joined Cognizant as a fresher and it’s a best place for starting your career. Culture is very good maybe because of company USA origin. I got good ratings for my hard work without any politics.

Skill development - Excellent

+4 more

Dislikes

Salary and hike is low. Waiting period for promotion is so high even though if you have top year end rating.

see more salary related reviews

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What people are saying about Cognizant

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a snowflake developer

1w (edited)

Novartis Job Offer

Hi everyone, I have 3.6 years of IT experience and currently work at a service-based company in Pune. My current CTC is 14 LPA (13.5 LPA fixed). I recently received an offer from Novartis Hyderabad as Data Analyst level 3 with a CTC of 19.9 LPA (18.3 LPA fixed). Is this a good offer, or is it on the lower side for my experience? Would appreciate your suggestions! Any answers from people working at Novartis pls ?

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Cognizant Principal Software Engineer Salary FAQs

What is the salary of Principal Software Engineer at Cognizant ?

The average salary of a Principal Software Engineer at Cognizant in India typically ranges from ₹12.0 Lakhs to ₹28.0 Lakhs per year, depending on experience (from 9 years to 18 years).

The top 10% of Principal Software Engineer at Cognizant earn more than ₹27.2 Lakhs per year, and the top 1% earn over ₹28.0 Lakhs per year. Principal Software Engineer Salaries at Cognizant can be higher or lower depending on factors such as the specific team, level of experience, and additional benefits like bonuses and stock options.

These estimates are based on salary data submitted by 30+ Cognizant employees in India.

What is the estimated take home salary of a Principal Software Engineer at Cognizant in India?

The estimated take-home salary of a Principal Software Engineer at Cognizant in India typically ranges from ₹1,43,845 to ₹1,49,213 per month. This is based on the average salary range of ₹12.0 Lakhs to ₹28.0 Lakhs per year for employees with experience ranging from 9 years to 18 years.The take-home salary is calculated after accounting for standard deductions such as taxes, provident fund (PF), and insurance. Salary estimates are based on 30+ salaries received from various employees of Cognizant. Check how we calculate in-hand salary with our in-hand salary calculator.

What are the key skills required to be a Principal Software Engineer at Cognizant ?

To be a Principal Software Engineer at Cognizant in india, the key skills required include:

- Java
- Project Management
- Spring Boot
- Proposals
- Javascript

These skills are highly valued at Cognizant and are crucial for successful performance in a Software Engineering role.

Which companies offer higher salaries than Cognizant for Principal Software Engineer in India?

Dell EMC	₹18.8 Lakhs to ₹55.0 Lakhs per year
Dell R&D Center	₹33.0 Lakhs to ₹50.0 Lakhs per year
Societe Generale Global Solution Centre	₹32.9 Lakhs to ₹42.1 Lakhs per year
Infosys	₹23.0 Lakhs to ₹38.0 Lakhs per year
HCLTech	₹23.0 Lakhs to ₹50.0 Lakhs per year

These companies are known for offering competitive compensation packages that can exceed the salary offered by Cognizant, depending on the role and experience level.

What is the salary of a Principal Software Engineer in companies similar to Cognizant in India?

The salary of a Principal Software Engineer at companies similar to Cognizant in India varies, depending on the role, experience, and company size. Here are the typical salary ranges:

Genpact	₹22.0 Lakhs to ₹42.0 Lakhs per year
Tech Mahindra	₹15.0 Lakhs to ₹40.0 Lakhs per year
Accenture	₹20.0 Lakhs to ₹40.8 Lakhs per year
DXC Technology	₹12.0 Lakhs to ₹40.0 Lakhs per year
NielsenIQ	₹22.6 Lakhs to ₹32.4 Lakhs per year

These companies, which operate in similar sectors, offer competitive salaries, although the range can vary based on the company and individual experience levels.

How the salary growth look like for a Principal Software Engineer at Cognizant in India?

The salary growth for a Principal Software Engineer at Cognizant depends on factors such as experience, performance, and promotions. On average, a Principal Software Engineer can expect the following growth trajectory at Cognizant:

Experience	Average Salary Range
9 years	₹16.1 Lakhs to ₹19.5 Lakhs per year
10 years	₹12.0 Lakhs to ₹36.1 Lakhs per year
11 years	₹16.6 Lakhs to ₹24.0 Lakhs per year
12 years	₹17.5 Lakhs to ₹38.4 Lakhs per year

and so on.

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Cognizant Principal Software Engineer Salaries

Cognizant Principal Software Engineer salary in India ranges between ₹12 Lakhs to ₹28 Lakhs with an average annual salary of ₹. Salary estimates are based on 33 Cognizant latest salaries received from various employees of Cognizant.