Infosys Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Salil Parekh received Rs 82.6 crore in FY26, almost three times the Rs 28 crore paid to Tata Consultancy Services Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer K Krithivasan, company disclosures show.
The gap stands out because TCS generated substantially higher revenue and profit than Infosys during the year. Annual reports from the two technology companies show that equity-linked payouts accounted for a significant share of Parekh's remuneration, while Krithivasan's earnings were largely made up of salary, allowances and incentive-based commission.
The filings provide a snapshot of how the country's two biggest software services companies rewarded their top executives during a year when businesses increased spending on artificial intelligence while remaining cautious on broader technology budgets.
How The CEOs Were Paid
Parekh's total remuneration for FY26 rose to Rs 82.6 crore from the previous year.
His package included fixed pay of Rs 7.97 crore, retirement and related benefits of Rs 0.53 crore, variable compensation of Rs 8.5 crore, stock-based incentives worth Rs 23.35 crore and gains linked to exercised stock awards valued at Rs 50.75 crore.
Infosys said Parekh did not receive compensation from any subsidiary or other group entity.
The company said he exercised 2,72,400 restricted stock units granted under its 2015 stock plan and another 64,690 units issued under the 2019 plan during the financial year.
The board also approved fresh grants linked to business goals, environmental, social and governance targets, and cumulative shareholder return metrics, according to the annual report.
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Krithivasan's remuneration increased 6.3% year-on-year to Rs 28 crore.
TCS said the package consisted of basic pay of Rs 1.67 crore, benefits and allowances of Rs 1.43 crore, and performance-linked commission of Rs 25 crore.
The company said his remuneration was equivalent to 332.8 times the median pay of TCS employees. TCS also reported that median employee remuneration increased 5.1% during FY26. Salary increments for junior and middle-level employees in India ranged between 4.5% and 7%, while top performers received higher increases.
Chairmen Decline Compensation
Infosys said Chairman Nandan Nilekani did not draw remuneration from the company during the year.
TCS disclosed that Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran did not receive commission from the company.
"As a policy, N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, has abstained from receiving commission from the company and hence not stated," TCS said in its annual report.
The report showed Chandrasekaran received Rs 4.2 lakh as sitting fees during FY26.
TCS Remains The Larger Company
TCS retained its position as the larger of the two companies by both revenue and profit.
The company posted FY26 revenue of Rs 2.67 lakh crore and profit after tax of Rs 49,210 crore.
Infosys reported revenue of Rs 1.79 lakh crore and net profit of Rs 29,440 crore. The company generated free cash flow of Rs 33,097 crore and ended the year with a workforce of more than 3.28 lakh employees.
The disclosures show that although TCS remained ahead of Infosys on revenue and earnings, Parekh's remuneration exceeded Krithivasan's by about Rs 55 crore, reflecting the larger contribution of stock-linked compensation in the Infosys chief executive's pay package.
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