Compensation at Gitlab

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Our Philosophy

Our compensation philosophy is to attract and reward team members who deliver meaningful results through collaboration while operating with efficiency as GitLab grows and succeeds.

Our standardized framework utilizes local labor market data to ensure fair and competitive compensation with a focus on transparency. This framework ensures that compensation directly aligns with pay for performance, achieved through both individual excellence and collaborative efforts.

Compensation Elements

Total compensation at GitLab combines three components designed to reward both immediate contributions and long-term value creation. Understanding each piece helps team members see the full picture of their compensation package.

Base Salary

Base salary is annual guaranteed pay, typically paid in local currency. It’s determined by role, level, and location, and forms the foundation of total compensation.

GitLab sets base salary ranges using market data from compensation surveys, such as Radford, targeting compensation at or above the 50th percentile of the software industry to remain competitive.

Variable Pay

Some roles include variable pay in addition to base salary. Variable pay has a target amount, but is not guaranteed. The target amount represents what a team member would earn if performance targets are met. Actual payment can be higher or lower depending on results.

Director+Bonuses

Directors and above (excluding those on a sales commission plan) have a bonus target that’s a percentage of base salary and paid twice per year (semi-annually) based on company performance.

• For example: 15% of a $100,000 base salary would be a $15,000 annual bonus target

For more information: Eligible team members can view more information about the bonus plan on The Loop.

Sales Commissions

Sales roles have compensation structured as On-Target Earnings (OTE), which combines base salary and commission target. The split between base and commission varies by role. Commission is tied to quota achievement - hitting quota earns the full target, exceeding quota provides upside, and missing quota results in lower commission.

• For example, $100,000 OTE with a 60/40 split would be $60,000 base salary and $40,000 commission target

For more information: See the Sales Compensation Internal Handbook.

Understanding Total Target Cash (TTC): Base salary plus variable pay target equals Total Target Cash (TTC). For sales roles, this is often called On-Target Earnings (OTE). TTC and OTE is the compensation a team member would receive if 100% of targets are met.

Equity

Equity compensation provides ownership in GitLab’s future success through Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). Shares vest over time, meaning they become available to the team member according to a schedule. The value of these shares is tied to GitLab’s stock price at the time they’re sold. Equity is a meaningful part of total compensation and represents shared ownership in the company’s long-term value.

When Team Members Are Eligible for Equity

• New hire grants as part of offer packages
• Refresh grants through Annual Compensation Review based on performance and growth potential
• Promotion grants when advancing to a new level

For more information: See the Equity Compensation handbook page.

When Compensation is Determined

Compensation decisions happen at specific points throughout the year, each serving a different purpose in managing total rewards.

Time of Hire

A team member’s initial compensation package is determined when they join GitLab. This includes base salary (or OTE for sales roles), equity grant, and applicable benefits.

The offer is based on:

• The market range for the role and level
• The location of the role
• Experience and skills as they relate to the role

Annual Compensation Review (ACR)

Once per year, GitLab conducts a company-wide review of all team member compensation. ACR addresses market changes, recognizes performance, and ensures internal equity.

Effective Date: May 1

What’s Reviewed:

• Merit increases to Total Target Cash (TTC) based on individual performance
• Equity refresh grants based on growth potential and contribution
• Market alignment to ensure compensation remains competitive

For more information: See the Annual Compensation Review Guide on Loop for detailed information about the process, eligibility, guidelines, and resources.

Promotion Cycles

GitLab conducts formal promotion reviews twice per year. Promotions recognize team members who have demonstrated they are already operating at the next level.

Cycle Timing

• Q2 Cycle: Promotions effective May 1
• Q4 Cycle: Promotions effective November 1

When promoted, compensation is adjusted to align with the market range for the new role and level. This may include changes to Total Target Cash (TTC), equity grants, and variable pay structure.

For more information: See Promotions and Transfers handbook page for more details.

Internal Moves

Team members may change roles within GitLab through open positions posted in Greenhouse or through off-cycle moves due to organizational structure changes. Compensation is evaluated during internal moves and may be adjusted.

Compensation changes from internal moves are effective on the date of the move and are processed outside of the regular ACR and promotion cycles.

Job Architecture

Job Architecture is the structural framework that organizes all roles at GitLab using standardized job families, levels, and career tracks. It enables consistency in how roles are defined and leveled, clear career progression pathways, market alignment, and internal equity.

How it Works

The framework organizes roles using four elements:

• Job Family Group: Major areas of expertise based on how work is organized in the marketplace (e.g., R&D, Marketing, Sales, Data Analytics & Management)
• Job Family: Specific areas of expertise within a job function (e.g., Demand Generation, Software Engineering, Brand Marketing)
• Career Track: Categories based on career path - Management (M), Professional (P), Engineering (P with engineering-specific levels), or Support (S)
• Level: Relative scope, complexity, and contribution of the role (e.g., P4 Senior, M3 Manager, P6 Principal)

Job Profile vs Business Title

GitLab separates internal job classification from external-facing titles:

• Job Profile: Standardized internal classification in Workday that indicates job family and level. Determines compensation range.
• Business Title: Customizable, public-facing title for networking, business cards, and LinkedIn. Can include specialization, team, or role nuance. Does not need to match the job profile.

This separation provides compensation consistency while allowing flexibility in how roles are presented externally.

Market-Aligned Compensation Ranges

GitLab pays local market rates based on cost of labor, not cost of living. This approach supports our globally distributed workforce by ensuring compensation is competitive in each region and enables us to recruit and retain talent worldwide.

GitLab uses country-specific market data from Radford to create compensation ranges in local currencies. This approach:

• Uses local market data that reflects what software companies actually pay in each location
• Eliminates location factor calculations and foreign exchange conversions
• Provides compensation ranges directly comparable to the local software market

How GitLab Benchmarks Roles

GitLab’s job architecture is strategically designed around Radford’s job families and levels to ensure direct market competitiveness with major technology companies. The benchmarking process includes:

1. Job Matching: GitLab roles are matched to Radford’s standardized job descriptions based on responsibilities and scope, not job titles. Roles should align with at least 70-75% of Radford’s job content.
2. Functional Leader Validation: Department heads confirm accurate market mapping to ensure roles are matched appropriately.
3. Scope-Based Leveling: Levels are determined based on decision-making authority, technical complexity, and scope of work.

Market Data Segmentation

To ensure relevant and accurate compensation benchmarks, GitLab applies specific filters to market data:

• Industry: Software Products & Services - filters data to software companies competing for the same talent pool
• Geography:
  • US team members: Three geographic zones. See details about regions.
  • Non-US team members: Major metropolitan area data for each country, creating one country-wide range
• Market Percentile: Most roles target the 50th percentile, while critical technical roles target the 75th percentile for premium positioning

Understanding Compensation Ranges

The competitive market rate based on the data segmentation becomes the midpoint of the range. The full pay range is built by setting a floor and ceiling around that midpoint. GitLab’s compensation ranges typically span from -20% to +20% of the midpoint (0.80 to 1.20 compa-ratio).

For example, if GitLab is targeting the 50th percentile and the market data shows the 50th percentile is $100,000, the midpoint for the range is set at $100,000:

• Minimum: $80,000 (0.80 compa-ratio)
• Midpoint: $100,000 (1.00 compa-ratio)
• Maximum: $120,000 (1.20 compa-ratio)

What is Compa-Ratio?

Compa-ratio measures how a team member’s base salary or Total Target Cash (TTC) compares to the midpoint of their compensation range. It’s calculated as:

Compa-ratio = Team member’s salary ÷ Midpoint of compensation range

For example:

• A salary of $90,000 with a midpoint of $100,000 = 0.90 compa-ratio
• A salary of $110,000 with a midpoint of $100,000 = 1.10 compa-ratio

Compa-ratio provides insight into where a team member is positioned relative to GitLab’s targeted market position:

• Below 0.80: Below GitLab’s targeted market position for the role. Team members in this range may receive market adjustments during ACR to bring them to the minimum if budget is available.
• 0.80 to 1.00: Positioned between the minimum and the market midpoint. Team members have room for growth within the range through performance-based increases.
• 1.00 to 1.20: Positioned between the market midpoint and the maximum. Team members are competitively positioned and still have room for increases based on performance.
• Above 1.20: Well-positioned relative to the market. Team members are being paid above GitLab’s targeted market positioning for the role.

Viewing Compensation Ranges

As of May 1, 2026, all team members at GitLab, regardless of location, have visibility to their compensation range in Workday. This range represents the market-based pay for the role and level in that location.

For more details on GitLab’s commitment to pay transparency, follow along on The Loop.

For more information: Team members can access detailed information about role frameworks, career levels, job profiles vs business titles, how to view compensation ranges in Workday, and what compa-ratio means on the Job Architecture Information Guide on The Loop.

Exchange Rates

Point in time rate as 2026-02-01

Currency	Rate from USD	Rate to USD
AUD	1.49303	0.66978
AED	3.672501047	0.272294
BRL	5.527793747	0.180904
CAD	1.37215	0.728786
CHF	0.793310803	1.26054
CLP	900.9009009	0.00111
CNY	6.9911	0.143039
CZK	20.61978964	0.0484971
DKK	6.372714585	0.156919
EUR	0.853155	1.17212
GBP	0.743492	1.34501
HUF	327.3193852	0.00305512
ILS	3.19	0.31348
INR	90.1949	0.0110871
JPY	156.843	0.00637582
KES	128.9923121	0.0077524
KRW	1444.35	0.000692353
MXN	17.92882615	0.0557761
NOK	10.07944619	0.0992118
NZD	1.73241169	0.57723
PHP	58.88206511	0.0169831
PLN	3.594432942	0.278208
RON	4.341691089	0.230325
RUB	80.05123279	0.012492
SEK	9.229604881	0.108347
SGD	1.28622	0.777475
USD	1	1
ZAR	16.51644956	0.0605457

Exchange Rates for Bonus Processing

All one-time bonuses including Discretionary, Referral, and Working Group Bonuses where the intended value is awarded in USD will be converted to local currency using the set exchange rates above. This is a reversion of the prior policy put in place to use monthly rates with the reversion going into effect as of September 1, 2023. In the future, when we are able to put an efficient process in place for maintaining more up-to-date conversion rates in Workday, we will further revise this policy to use more current rates.

Not paid in your local currency

Team members contracted through CXC or IT BV may have the option to be paid in USD or EUR when there is volatility in their local currency. This change can be made only once during your employment and only if CXC and payroll can support it. USD and/or EUR payment options are not available in all countries.

The conversion from local currency to USD or EUR will be calculated at the time of the update. All future salary adjustments will be based on the new currency amount, regardless of fluctuations in the local currency. This provides stable compensation for team members who opt into this arrangement.

If a team member is currently paid in a non-local currency, they may request to move back to their local currency. Once a team member has requested to move back to their local currency, this decision will be final.

Please reach out to People Operations via HelpLab in order to understand if you are eligible to update your currency to USD or EUR and to initiate this process.

Questions and Support

For compensation questions: Contact HelpLab
For career conversations: Connect with manager or People Business Partner
For detailed program information: Visit Compensation resources on Loop