Software Engineer Salary in Toronto 2026: Government Wage Data and Posted Pay Ranges

The median wage for software engineers and designers in the Toronto region is $56.49 an hour, about $117,500 a year for a 40-hour week, according to Canada's Job Bank (NOC 21231, based on Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey for 2023–2024). Software developers and programmers (NOC 21232) have a Toronto median of $48.08 an hour, about $100,000 a year. Below you'll find the full government figures, pay ranges from current Toronto job postings, and what Ontario's new job posting rules mean for your negotiation.

Software Engineer Salaries in Toronto: Government Data

Job Bank publishes wages for each occupation by region. The low figure is the 10th percentile (10% of workers earn that or less) and the high figure is the 90th percentile (10% earn more). The last column multiplies the median by 2,080 hours, which is 40 hours a week for 52 weeks.

Occupation (NOC 2021 code)	Low (hourly)	Median (hourly)	High (hourly)	Median × 2,080 hours
Software engineers and designers (21231)	$36.06	$56.49	$88.94	$117,500
Software developers and programmers (21232)	$30.00	$48.08	$76.92	$100,000
Web developers and programmers (21234)	$21.63	$39.42	$52.31	$82,000
Data scientists (21211)	$32.00	$46.33	$71.79	$96,400
Cybersecurity specialists (21220)	$28.85	$48.08	$70.51	$100,000
Computer and information systems managers (20012)	$45.54	$67.69	$120.19	$140,800

Source: Job Bank wages for the Toronto region, updated 19 November 2025, reference period 2023–2024 (Job Bank: software engineers and designers, Toronto region; other occupations via Job Bank wage search).

What these numbers do and don't cover

• They describe what people in the job were paid, across all employers and experience levels, not what employers are offering today.
• They are wages before tax. Job Bank says they include tips and commissions and don't include non-wage benefits.
• There is no separate code for backend, frontend, DevOps or machine learning engineers. Those jobs fall under the codes above, mostly 21231 and 21232.
• There is no breakdown by experience level. The low and high figures show how wide pay is spread: in the Toronto region, 10% of software engineers and designers earn $36.06 an hour or less, and 10% earn $88.94 or more.

What Toronto Employers Are Posting Now

Posted pay ranges show what specific employers are offering for open jobs. These examples come from Toronto software engineering postings, checked on each employer's own job page on 24 September 2026. They are examples, not a sample of the whole market, and postings close, so some links may stop working.

Employer	Job title (location)	Posted pay range (CAD a year)
Homebase	Software Engineer II, Full Stack (Toronto)	$110,000–$130,000
Nylas	Software Engineer (remote, Toronto)	$120,000–$160,000
Confluent	Senior Software Engineer, Infrastructure (remote, Ontario)	$144,200–$169,400
Harvey	Senior Software Engineer, Backend (Toronto)	$164,000–$225,000
Kong	Staff Software Engineer, Identity and Access Management (Toronto)	$163,685–$245,800
Snowflake	Senior Software Engineer, Notebooks (Toronto)	$245,250–$295,250

Homebase, Confluent and Harvey also say these roles come with equity, and Harvey mentions a bonus. For more, browse software engineer jobs in Toronto (394 open on 24 September 2026). Every listing on LANDTHATROLE comes from the employer's own hiring system, such as Greenhouse, Lever, Workday or Ashby, and when the employer closes a job, it closes here too. Our Toronto software engineer salary page summarises the pay ranges listed in Toronto software engineer postings on the site and shows how many postings it is based on.

Ontario's Pay Transparency Rules: What Changed in 2026

Since 1 January 2026, Ontario's Employment Standards Act has new rules for publicly advertised job postings from employers with 25 or more employees (Government of Ontario):

• Pay: the posting must include the expected pay or a pay range. A range can be no wider than $50,000 a year. The rule doesn't apply when the expected pay, or the top of the range, is above $200,000 a year.
• Vacancy: the posting must say whether it is for an existing vacancy.
• AI screening: the employer must disclose if it uses artificial intelligence to screen, assess or select applicants.
• Canadian experience: the posting and application form can't require Canadian experience.
• Follow-up: if you're interviewed, the employer must tell you within 45 days of your last interview whether a hiring decision has been made.

The rules don't cover internal-only postings, general recruitment campaigns that don't advertise a specific job, or jobs performed outside Ontario.

Using the posted range in your negotiation

• Anchor to the range before the first call. You know the employer's expected pay before you apply, so you can decide early whether the job is worth your time.
• Aim for the part of the range your experience supports. If you meet every requirement and bring more, ask for the upper end, and explain why.
• Ask about offers below the range. If a posting says $90,000–$120,000 and the offer is $82,000, ask directly: "The posted range starts at $90,000. Can you help me understand the gap?"
• Remember the $200,000 exemption. Senior roles paying more than $200,000 don't have to show pay, so for those you may need to ask.

Take-Home Pay in Ontario

What you keep depends on federal and Ontario income tax, plus CPP and EI contributions. For 2026, federal rates run from 14% to 33%, and Ontario's provincial rates from 5.05% to 13.16% (Canada Revenue Agency). Ontario also adds a surtax once basic provincial tax passes $5,818 (CRA payroll tables, January 2026).

Use the Ontario take-home pay calculator to see what a specific offer leaves you with each month.

Job Outlook for Software Engineers in Toronto

Job Bank also rates the job market for each occupation. For software engineers and designers in the Toronto region (Job Bank outlook):

• 2023–2025: Job Bank found a labour surplus, meaning more workers were available than job openings.
• 2025–2027 outlook: "Very limited", because Job Bank expects employment in the occupation to decline and few positions to open up through retirements.
• Size: about 43,880 people work in this occupation in the Toronto region, 61% of them in professional, scientific and technical services and 12% in finance, insurance and real estate.

A tight market makes a strong application matter more. Apply soon after a job is posted, tailor your resume to the posting, and prepare your stories for the behavioural rounds with our guide to behavioural interview questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average software engineer salary in Toronto in 2026?

Job Bank's latest data (reference period 2023–2024, updated November 2025) puts the median for software engineers and designers in the Toronto region at $56.49 an hour, about $117,500 a year for a 40-hour week. The middle 80% earn between $36.06 and $88.94 an hour. Software developers and programmers have a median of $48.08 an hour, about $100,000 a year.

How does Toronto software engineer pay compare to Vancouver?

By Job Bank's data, median pay is higher in the Vancouver area. Software engineers and designers have a median of $62.50 an hour in the Lower Mainland-Southwest region, compared with $56.49 in the Toronto region. For software developers and programmers, the medians are $52.40 and $48.08.

Is $100,000 a good software engineer salary in Toronto?

$100,000 is about the Toronto median for software developers and programmers ($48.08 an hour for 2,080 hours) and below the median for software engineers and designers (about $117,500). Whether an offer is good depends on the role and level, so compare it with the ranges in current postings for similar jobs.

Should I negotiate salary before or after receiving an offer?

Wait for a written offer before negotiating the details, then say you're keen on the role and name the number you're looking for, with a reason. Postings covered by Ontario's rules must show the expected pay or a range, so you usually know the employer's budget before the first conversation.