Tim Cook made $74.29 million in total compensation in 2025 as Apple’s CEO. His base salary was $3 million, but salary represented only a small part of his overall earnings. The largest portion came from Apple stock awards worth about $57.54 million, followed by $12 million in performance-based compensation and $1.76 million in other compensation.
His annual salary is $3 million, but his total compensation can be many times higher because Apple pays him heavily through equity and performance incentives.
Apple’s 2026 proxy statement set Cook’s target compensation at $59 million for 2025 and kept the same target structure for 2026. His actual 2025 compensation was higher because of the value of his stock awards and incentive compensation.
As of August 31, 2026, Cook is also completing his tenure as Apple’s CEO. Apple announced that John Ternus will become CEO on September 1, 2026, while Cook will become executive chairman.
How much did Tim Cook make in 2025?
Tim Cook received $74,294,811 in total compensation from Apple in 2025.
His compensation was divided into four main categories:
Compensation | Amount |
Base salary | $3,000,000 |
Stock awards | $57,535,293 |
Performance-based compensation | $12,000,000 |
Other compensation | $1,759,518 |
Total | $74,294,811 |
The figures come from Apple’s 2026 proxy filing, which reports executive compensation for fiscal 2025.
Cook’s $3 million salary has remained unchanged since 2016. That means the headline figure attached to his compensation is not the same as his annual salary. Most of his pay comes from Apple’s long-term incentive system.
What is Tim Cook’s annual salary?
Tim Cook’s annual base salary is $3 million.
That works out to approximately $250,000 per month, before taxes and excluding bonuses, stock awards and other compensation.
His salary has stayed at $3 million since 2016. Apple has instead used stock awards and performance incentives to make up most of his compensation package.
How much does Tim Cook make from Apple stock?
Cook received approximately $57.5 million in stock awards in 2025.
Stock-based compensation is the largest part of his Apple pay package. In Apple’s 2026 proxy statement, the company said his 2025 equity award was valued at $50 million when it was granted, with 25% subject to time-based vesting and 75% subject to performance-based vesting.
The $57.5 million reported in the compensation table reflects the accounting value of stock awards rather than simply cash deposited into Cook’s bank account.
Executive stock compensation can vest over time and its value can change with Apple’s share price. It should not automatically be treated as money Cook received as cash during the year.
How much does Tim Cook make from bonuses?
Cook received $12 million in non-equity incentive compensation in 2025.
This part of his compensation is tied to Apple’s performance against financial goals established under the company’s executive incentive plan.
Apple’s 2025 compensation structure gave Cook a target cash incentive opportunity of $6 million, equal to 200% of his $3 million base salary. His actual payout was $12 million.
This illustrates how Apple’s compensation system works: Cook’s fixed salary is relatively modest compared with his potential performance-based earnings.
How much was Tim Cook paid in 2024?
Tim Cook received $74.61 million in total compensation in 2024, according to Apple’s proxy filing.
His 2024 compensation included:
- $3 million in salary
- $58.09 million in stock awards
- $12 million in non-equity incentive compensation
- $1.52 million in other compensation
That brought his total to $74,609,802.
His 2025 compensation therefore declined slightly from the previous year, falling by roughly $315,000.
The change was small because Cook’s basic compensation structure remained largely unchanged.
How much has Tim Cook earned as Apple CEO?
Tim Cook has earned hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation during his time leading Apple.
His annual compensation has varied significantly because stock awards can change from year to year. For example, Apple’s proxy filings show total compensation of about $99.4 million in 2022, $63.2 million in 2023, $74.6 million in 2024 and $74.3 million in 2025.
Adding those four years alone produces more than $311 million in reported compensation.
His broader earnings over his 15-year tenure have been much higher. Recent reporting puts Cook’s cumulative compensation at roughly $880 million since becoming Apple’s CEO, although the exact figure depends on how compensation and equity are calculated across different years.
Why is Tim Cook’s salary only $3 million when he runs Apple?
Cook’s $3 million salary is only one component of his compensation.
Apple deliberately places much more weight on equity and performance incentives. The company’s 2026 proxy statement says Cook’s 2025 target compensation consisted of:
- $3 million base salary
- $6 million target cash incentive
- $50 million target equity award
That produced a total target compensation of $59 million.
Apple also said that the same $59 million target compensation structure was maintained for 2026.
The reason is simple: a large portion of Cook’s potential earnings is connected to Apple’s long-term performance. If Apple performs well and the relevant stock awards vest, Cook’s compensation can rise substantially above his base salary.
How much does Tim Cook make per month?
Using his $3 million annual base salary, Tim Cook earns about $250,000 per month in salary.
But using his $74.29 million total 2025 compensation, the equivalent monthly figure would be approximately $6.19 million.
The second number should not be interpreted as a monthly paycheck. It is simply the annual total divided by 12. Much of Cook’s compensation comes from stock awards and performance-based payments rather than a fixed monthly salary.
What is Tim Cook’s 2026 compensation?
Apple set Cook’s 2026 target compensation at $59 million, the same level as his 2025 target.
The package consists of:
- $3 million base salary
- $6 million target cash incentive
- $50 million target equity award
Apple said there were no changes to the amount or structure of his 2026 target compensation.
However, there is an important development for 2026: Cook is no longer continuing as Apple’s CEO after August 31. Apple announced that John Ternus will become CEO on September 1, 2026, while Cook moves into the role of executive chairman.
Therefore, the $59 million figure should not be presented as though Cook will necessarily receive that amount for a full year as Apple’s CEO in 2026.
Is Tim Cook one of the highest-paid CEOs?
Cook is very highly compensated, but his package is unusual because the majority is tied to stock and performance rather than salary.
For comparison, the average compensation for S&P 500 CEOs reached $22.8 million in 2025, according to an AFL-CIO analysis reported by Reuters. Cook’s $74.3 million total compensation was therefore well above that average.
Still, comparing CEO pay requires caution. Some executives receive enormous one-time equity grants, while others have compensation structures that pay out over several years. Cook’s package has generally emphasized long-term Apple stock performance.
Tim Cook’s annual pay at a glance
- Base salary: $3 million
- 2025 total compensation: $74.29 million
- 2025 stock awards: $57.54 million
- 2025 performance compensation: $12 million
- 2025 other compensation: $1.76 million
- 2025 target compensation: $59 million
- 2026 target compensation: $59 million
- Monthly equivalent of base salary: $250,000
- Monthly equivalent of 2025 total compensation: about $6.19 million
Conclusion
Tim Cook’s base salary is $3 million a year, but his latest reported total annual compensation was $74.29 million in 2025.
The difference comes largely from Apple stock awards and performance-based compensation. His $3 million salary has remained unchanged since 2016, while equity and incentive payments have made his total annual compensation considerably higher.
Cook’s compensation also needs to be viewed in the context of his changing role. After 15 years as Apple’s CEO, he is moving to executive chairman on September 1, 2026, with John Ternus taking over as CEO.
