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H-1B Wage Levels Explained: What Level I–IV Mean for Your Salary
July 8, 2026
The DOL splits every H-1B prevailing wage into four levels — here's what Level I–IV actually mean, and how much pay really rises across them, with real occupation data.
If you have looked at an H-1B job offer or a Labor Condition Application (LCA), you have probably seen a "prevailing wage level" from I to IV attached to it. Those four levels are one of the most misunderstood parts of the H-1B system — they are not arbitrary tiers, and they have a direct, measurable effect on the salary an employer must promise. This guide explains what each level means and shows, with real Department of Labor data, how pay actually climbs across them.
What the four levels are
Before an employer can sponsor an H-1B worker, it must attest on the LCA to pay at least the prevailing wage — the typical wage for that occupation in that location. The Department of Labor splits that prevailing wage into four levels that correspond, roughly, to seniority:
- Level I (entry) — beginning employees who perform routine tasks under close supervision. Think new graduates.
- Level II (qualified) — employees who have some experience and carry out moderately complex work.
- Level III (experienced) — seasoned employees who work independently and may guide others.
- Level IV (fully competent) — senior staff who use advanced judgment, lead, or manage.
The level is set by the job's requirements — experience, education, supervision, and special skills — not by the worker's résumé alone. Because each level maps to a higher point in the local wage distribution, moving up a level means a higher required wage. The question is how much higher, and that varies a lot by role.
Software developers: the ladder in practice
Software developers (SOC 15-1252) are the single most-filed H-1B occupation, so they are the clearest place to see the ladder. Each bar below is the real P25, median, and P75 offered wage on certified filings at that level.
| Level | P25 | Median | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level I | $77,605 | $88,442 | $110,000 |
| Level II | $91,520 | $102,500 | $125,000 |
| Level III | $110,344 | $130,000 | $159,000 |
| Level IV | $132,291 | $155,000 | $185,000 |
Two things stand out. First, the jump from Level I to Level IV is large — a senior developer's median sits well above an entry-level one. Second, the ranges within a level (P25 to P75) are wide, because "software developer" spans everyone from a junior web developer to a principal engineer at a top-paying firm. For where those top-paying roles cluster, see our highest-paying H-1B jobs ranking, and the software developers occupation page for the full employer and state breakdown.
The same ladder looks different by occupation
The four labels are constant, but the shape of the climb is not. Compare a very different field — registered nurses (SOC 29-1141):
| Level | P25 | Median | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level I | $64,937 | $72,342 | $81,120 |
| Level II | $68,869 | $75,192 | $84,926 |
| Level III | $69,826 | $77,875 | $86,382 |
| Level IV | $89,440 | $94,952 | $110,755 |
The levels still rise, but the spread between entry and senior is compressed relative to software: nursing wages are set against a more standardized local labor market, so the level makes less of a dollar difference. Accountants and auditors (SOC 13-2011) sit somewhere in between:
| Level | P25 | Median | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level I | $55,640 | $63,000 | $72,000 |
| Level II | $75,000 | $86,000 | $100,214 |
| Level III | $100,000 | $120,000 | $140,000 |
| Level IV | $113,901 | $137,030 | $168,000 |
The lesson: a "Level II" offer means something quite different in dollar terms depending on the occupation, so always read the level against the role, not as a universal tier.
Why the level matters for your offer
For a worker weighing an offer, the level is a useful floor check. If an offer is pinned to Level I but the job description reads like a Level III role, the attested wage may be lower than the market rate for the actual work. The level is also sticky: it is chosen at filing time and shapes the whole compensation conversation. Knowing where your role should sit — and what the median at that level looks like for your occupation — is real negotiating leverage.
If any of these terms are new, our glossary defines prevailing wage, wage level, and the rest of the LCA vocabulary in plain language.
Important caveats
A few things the level does not tell you. The prevailing wage is the offered floor on the filing, not guaranteed take-home pay, and not a market survey of actual salaries — many employers pay above it. The level also has nothing to do with visa approval: an LCA is a wage attestation certified by the Department of Labor, while the H-1B petition itself is a separate, capped step decided by USCIS. For exactly how we clean and roll up the raw wage data behind these charts, see our methodology.
The bottom line
The Level I–IV ladder is the DOL's way of tying an H-1B wage to a job's seniority, and the charts above show it is real money, not paperwork: pay rises meaningfully from entry to senior, but by how much depends heavily on the occupation. Read your own level against your role's ladder, and you will know whether an offer is competitive or just compliant.
- salary-guide
- prevailing-wage
- levels