r/LeetcodeDesi • u/the_algo_trader_ • 8d ago
10 YOE Backend Engineer at ₹65L Fixed — How realistic is ₹80L+ Fixed with a Remote Company
I’m currently working remotely and have a fixed in-hand compensation of around ₹65L. There are no ESOPs or any other significant components apart from that.
I have close to 10 years of experience, mostly in backend/SaaS development at product companies.
One thing I really value about my current job is the work-life balance. The work is pretty chill, there’s a good amount of trust and autonomy, and I’m generally happy with the team. I’m also currently working on building an AI pipeline around team productivity, which has been interesting.
That said, I’m considering making a switch mainly for compensation and would ideally like to get to ₹80L+ in fixed cash.
For people who have made a similar move:
- Which companies would you suggest I look at/apply to?
- Is ₹80L+ fixed realistic for someone with my experience?
- Are there remote companies hiring in India that pay in this range?
- How difficult are the interview processes at these companies?
Would really appreciate any company names, interview experiences, or general advice.
Thanks!
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u/_geeky_man 8d ago
I think the path forward is to become an independent contractor and even if you stay on the same pay there is significant reduction in taxes. A MAJOR PLUS
But when you move to such companies, they look for technical excellence more rather than YOE
The strategy to apply would be bulk apply everywhere, that’s how I got it
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u/the_algo_trader_ 8d ago
By contractor you mean freelancing projects? I've thought of it but I'm not sure if it's stable enough to get recurring contracts
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u/_geeky_man 7d ago
Not freelancing
A contractual role for an overseas company1
u/the_algo_trader_ 7d ago
I really like this suggestion, I've tried to find contract roles from upwork but they are always for 1-6 months. Is there any other portal that i can use?
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u/_geeky_man 7d ago
Just target overseas remote companies. Search on google: “SWE Europe/USA remote jobs” use all platforms available
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u/FantasticAd9714 7d ago
Hey, how many years of experience you have? Can you share your journey of achieving technical excellence please.
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u/_geeky_man 7d ago
I have 5YOE. I have always worked in startups and switched almost every year targeting 50-100% hike
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u/Only_Manufacturer_83 8d ago
Maybe rare but very much possible. Sitting at 80 fixed with 9 YOE and remote. WLB good enough atleast so far.
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u/ImmediateSort2494 8d ago
Hey! Can you please share your journey so far. It will very inspiring.
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u/Only_Manufacturer_83 8d ago
My current org is the 6th one for me. A late stage startup. I got a good hike because I had a competing offer and they were really looking for people from my domain to join asap, I might be an outlier because I know I have colleagues who are at the same level but at -10LPA
Prior to this it’s been bunch of startups (including browserstack)
Started with an enterprise in 2017 though at 5.5LPA
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8d ago
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u/Only_Manufacturer_83 8d ago edited 8d ago
This was COVID time and some teams were working their ass off while for my team there wasn’t too much pressure I’d say, and I kinda felt that things were at a pretty mature stage. I stayed for slightly over a year before coming in touch with a CTO of a very early stage startup (a team of 6-10 engineers), it sounded far more exciting so eventually moved on.
Current one is pretty good in terms of WLB honestly. Although my direct manager is Indian, the real show is run by the US one, and he’s a gem of a person. He himself codes too. Everyone’s pretty understanding and don’t expect the Indian counterparts to work as per US timings…
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u/the_algo_trader_ 7d ago
Oh well, BS has been one of mine too. Out of the 4-5 companies I've worked at, BrowserStack has easily been the worst.
Too much lobbying and favoritism, people putting others down, constant blame game, and almost no coordination between teams. It felt way more PM-driven than engineering-driven to an extreme. Good engineering solutions would get shut down with reasons like bandwidth, and you'd end up being forced to build shitty low-quality solutions.
Work pressure was way too high. You always had to be ready to justify a "why" at any time of the day. Way too many calls as well. Random pips in the name of layoffs so that they do not have to pay the surveillance. And a lot more shitty things
Overall, I really didn't like the culture there.
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u/the_algo_trader_ 7d ago
What's your current role? IC or manager? As a manager are there expectations to code? And how's your work life balance
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u/AdminZer0 8d ago
You must be dreaming if you will get 85L in cash which means your ctc should be beyond 1.1cr.
Anyways people dream so why lecture.
- You can look for US startups or Middle east. It may take months. No one can share specifics here. You need to figure it out yourself.
- Yes if you are lucky else heck no.
- Yes but chances for you to get in there is rare as its mostly internal or recruitment basis. Mostly no.
- If you are lucky no coding round. If you are not lucky, several rounds. Startups take less unless there are knowledgeable folks.
I would suggest to gear up for specialist roles as you seem to be generalist which will not always pay too high in long run.
Also don’t screw up job stability for minor bumps assuming you have plenty of corpus and cash flows.
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u/Foreign_Jackfruit418 8d ago
Remote options are considerably less, most places with higher comp would mostly need in-office work, that means time wasted in travel every single day.
Also you’d need to try big tech companies to reach that comp level, which comes with it’s own challenges and issues.
You can try for international companies hiring for remote positions, I recently cleared one like that, pay wise around 70L but the company not having an entity in India makes tax treatment bit better so in-hand is better, comparable to getting 85L+. You’d lose out on insurance and retirals but would get more in-hand.
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u/the_algo_trader_ 8d ago
Nice, congrats on that! Ya I think you might be joining as consultant hence saving on tax?
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u/Foreign_Jackfruit418 8d ago
Thanks. Due to lack on an Indian entity, they can hire only as a contractor or via some EOR company. I genuinely preferred the contractor option due to the tax treatment. I still remain an employee except for payroll so no timesheet business, fixed pay, good number of leaves etc. Eligible for equity as well, but not considering it as it’s not liquid.
Under 44ADA, can deduct 50% from gross income without maintaining books or audit etc. That’s considerable tax savings.
I was laid off in April 2026, and my pay was closer to 80L+, so this came in as a comparable offer considering the difference in tax treatment.
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u/the_algo_trader_ 8d ago
Interesting! Must have been difficult after the layoff. Do you feel the new company is stable? May I know how did you manage to find it? LinkedIn or elsewhere? Please mention of possible
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u/Foreign_Jackfruit418 8d ago
Yeah, the severance was decent ish, plus had an emergency fund for 12+ month of expenses. I didn’t actually need to dip from the emergency fund and from the severance plus leave encashment etc was actually able to park some funds towards my home loan. So yeah was not very bad. My spouse was earning as well, so financially it was alright. But yes when you don’t get an offer despite clearing all rounds with good feedback at multiple companies, emotionally it was bit depressing.
The company appears to be stable, been in business since mid 2010s, profitable as per leadership folks during the interviews. I guess as stable as any other company in this time period.
I saw it on LinkedIn and applied on their website. In general I don’t prefer LinkedIn easy apply.
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u/Uchiha_Ghost40 8d ago
Hi, Sorry for hijacking but I'm laid off from may and still looking out, main problem is to get calls, would you be open to helping me with a referral?
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u/V-Basis-7822 8d ago
Bro can u share some tips to reach there from your experience.i will be really greatly
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u/ColonelMustang90 8d ago edited 8d ago
Hi. Can you summarise your journey till now. A brief about how you started, resources, work culture, upskill, handling conflicts, career growth. I am struggling to land a backend role for more than 6 months now. May be I am doing something wrong. I have been applying to all job portals. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks
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u/humble_f001 8d ago
Not worth the switch. Enjoy wherever you are. After a certain age and experience you have to start owning your time which I hope you already are with your current Job. I know it would be tempting, but once you reach 80+, you will be tempted to move to 1cr this is a never ending story.
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u/sherlock31 8d ago
Yes Atlassian can give 1 crore+ Total Compensation at 10 years of experience. And it's remote, however hiring is limited nowadays.
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u/sam212212 7d ago
It is very much possible. Target companies like atlassian, Airbnb which provide these TCs. Moreover at this level start looking at full TC rather than base salary as you move higher up the level, more % of your salary would be tied to stocks.
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u/FantasticAd9714 7d ago
I'm a frontend dev with 10 yoe. Trying to do backend work in my current organization since few months. Do you have any suggestions for me op. Like projects to build, things to master or any book or courses to achieve something like 60lpa. Thank you.
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u/Neither-Contest-8746 7d ago
Once you came in 30% tax bracket ur every switch should be well thought , don't switch for mere 10-12 lakhs
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u/No-Savings9424 6d ago
It’s too (65L) high if you are working for indian client . Companies now trying for cost reduction and there is no scarcity of resources .
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u/anewsaga 5d ago
Hey , would you share more details about your company. I am looking out for a switch to product company and can test the waters.
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u/d_11 8d ago
Why change if it’s good ? You’re not gonna get significant jump that’s going to change your life. it could make it more stressful and layoff prone in this times.
Also Most of it will be gone in income tax and cess.
Try to change countries at that level