Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and the company's chief executive Eric Schmidt earned salaries of just $1 last year. 

This compares with some other Google executives who earned salaries in excess of $2m.

It is the third year in a row that the company heads have taken basic salaries, although the value of their shares is now five times more than when the company was floated in 2004.

Page and Brin are thought to be worth $14bn each, while Schmidt has be granted shares valued at around $5bn since joining the firm in 2001.

The "triumvirate", as they are referred to in the documents, claimed holiday bonuses of $1,723 each in 2006.

Page also pocketed further bonuses worth a total of $38,519, while Schmidt claimed more than $500,000 to pay for travel and personal security.

The information about the trio's salaries was contained in documents filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.