Typical comp shape
Senior software engineers usually earn rsu + refresh grants. Common employers include Alphabet, Meta, Stripe, Airbnb. At IC6+ RSU grants commonly exceed base salary, and refresh grants stacked on initial grants create lumpy April tax bills.
What Wyoming changes
Wyoming has no wage income tax, which is structurally favorable for senior software engineers with meaningful RSU comp. The savings vs a CA-resident colleague can be $30-60k per year at senior IC levels. That math is why Austin and Seattle are the two top relocation destinations for Bay Area tech workers.
Planning cadence
For a senior software engineer in Wyoming, the three planning windows are: after each RSU vest (withholding check and sell-vs-hold), before any ISO exercise (AMT model at federal only), and in Q4 (estimated tax top-up to clear the safe harbor). A move-out question — if you're considering leaving Wyoming for a high-tax state, time it around vesting.