H-1B Wage Level Checker
What is your H-1B wage level — I, II, III, or IV? Enter your job title and salary below to get an instant estimate from 1.5M+ real DOL filings, see exactly where you fall on the wage scale, and learn what your level means for the wage-weighted lottery.
Estimated H-1B wage level
Level IIIExperienced
4–6+ years · sound understanding, independent work
Lottery entries
3×
≈ 46% selection odds
For experienced workers who can work independently and apply a sound understanding of the occupation. A meaningful step up in lottery entries.
Where your salary falls — Software Engineer
Boundaries estimated from 40,003 real DOL filings (median $151,000)
All four H-1B wage levels, compared
Level I · Entry level
0–2 years · closely supervised, routine tasks
Level II · Qualified
2–4 years · limited experience, moderate judgment
Level III · Experienced
YOU4–6+ years · sound understanding, independent work
Level IV · Fully competent
6+ years · expert, complex problem-solving
Real filing data behind this estimate
Median offered
$151,000
Est. 25th pct
$128,350
Est. 75th pct
$173,650
FY filings
40,003
Percentiles are rough estimates derived from the median of actual DOL LCA filings for “Software Engineer” — illustrative, not official prevailing-wage figures.
⚠️ This is an estimate — not the official DOL determination
This checker estimates your wage level by comparing your salary against actual H-1B LCA filing salaries for your job title. The official prevailing wage is determined by the Department of Labor using OES survey data for your specific occupation (SOC code) and worksite area — which this tool cannot replicate. Employers must use the official DOL wage data; never substitute this estimate on an actual filing.
See what Level III means for your lottery odds →
Open the H-1B Lottery Odds Calculator with wage-weighted selection projections.
How to Use the H-1B Wage Level Checker
1Enter your job title
Start typing — the checker suggests verified job titles drawn from official Department of Labor records. Pick the closest match to the role on your offer letter.
2Enter your offered salary
Type the annual base salary from your offer (before bonus). This is the number DOL compares against the prevailing wage — not total compensation.
3Drag the what-if slider
Curious what a raise would do? Drag the slider and watch the gauge move in real time. The tool tells you exactly how much more per year reaches the next wage level.
4Read your level and lottery impact
Your estimated Level I–IV appears with experience expectations, lottery entries (1×–4×), and approximate selection odds. Click through to the lottery odds calculator for the full picture.
Who Should Use the H-1B Wage Level Checker
H-1B job seekers
Know your likely wage level before you negotiate — a higher level means more lottery entries and a stronger petition.
F-1 / OPT students
Compare offers the smart way: two identical salaries can sit in different wage levels depending on the job title.
HR & hiring managers
Sanity-check offered salaries against real market data for the title before filing the LCA.
Immigration attorneys
A quick, data-backed reference when discussing wage-level strategy with clients — with the official-determination caveat built in.
Understanding H-1B Wage Levels (I–IV)
The Department of Labor divides every occupation's wage range into four levels. The level reflects the complexity of the job duties and the experience required — and since the wage-weighted selection rule, it also directly controls your lottery entries.
| H-1B wage level | Typical experience | Lottery entries | Approx. odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level I — Entry | 0–2 years, closely supervised | 1× | ~15% |
| Level II — Qualified | 2–4 years, moderate judgment | 2× | ~31% |
| Level III — Experienced | 4–6+ years, independent work | 3× | ~46% |
| Level IV — Fully competent | 6+ years, expert-level | 4× | ~61% |
Odds are DHS projections for wage-weighted selection, also used in our lottery odds calculator.
How DOL Determines Your Official H-1B Wage Level
The official determination is precise and location-specific. DOL takes the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) survey for your exact occupation code (SOC) in your worksite's metropolitan area, then maps the offered wage onto that local distribution — approximately the 17th, 34th, 50th, and 67th percentiles. Two identical salaries in San Jose and Omaha can land in completely different wage levels. That is why this checker is an estimate: it uses national filing data for your title, which is excellent for planning but cannot replace the official SOC-plus-area lookup your employer must perform.
Why Your H-1B Wage Level Matters More Than Ever
Before wage-weighted selection, the wage level mostly affected whether DOL would certify the LCA. Now it also controls your lottery chances directly: a Level IV registration is entered four times, a Level I only once. In practice, that means negotiating from Level II to Level III can matter more than most candidates realize — roughly 15 percentage points of selection probability, according to DHS projections. Use the what-if slider above to see exactly what that jump costs for your title.
H-1B Wage Level FAQs
What is an H-1B wage level?
The H-1B wage level (I, II, III, or IV) is the Department of Labor's classification of where a job's offered wage falls within the prevailing wage range for that occupation and worksite area. Level I is entry-level, Level IV is fully competent/expert. Under the wage-weighted H-1B lottery, higher wage levels receive more lottery entries — Level IV gets 4 entries versus 1 for Level I.
How does DOL determine the official H-1B wage level?
The official determination uses the DOL's Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) survey data for the specific occupation (SOC code) and metropolitan/statistical worksite area — roughly the 17th, 34th, 50th, and 67th percentiles of that local wage distribution. Your employer or attorney looks this up in the DOL wage library; it is not something you can self-certify.
Is this checker the official DOL wage level determination?
No. This tool estimates your level by comparing your salary against actual H-1B LCA filing salaries for your job title nationwide — it cannot replicate the official SOC-code-plus-worksite-area calculation. Treat the result as an informed estimate for planning, and always rely on the official DOL prevailing wage data for any real filing.
Why does my H-1B wage level matter for the lottery?
Under the wage-weighted selection system, each registration is entered into the lottery a number of times based on its wage level: Level I gets 1 entry (~15% odds), Level II gets 2 (~31%), Level III gets 3 (~46%), and Level IV gets 4 (~61%), per DHS projections. Moving from Level II to Level III roughly adds 15 percentage points of selection probability.
What salary do I need to reach the next wage level?
Use the what-if slider above — drag it and watch the gauge. The tool shows exactly how much more per year would move your offer into the next band, based on real filing data for your title. Keep in mind the official thresholds differ by occupation and location.
Can my employer just pick a higher wage level to get more lottery entries?
No — the wage level must match the actual job requirements (duties, experience, education). Inflating the level to game the lottery is misclassification and can trigger DOL enforcement, back-wage liability, and petition problems. The level follows the job, not the other way around.
Where does the salary data in this tool come from?
Every figure is computed from the U.S. Department of Labor's official Labor Condition Application (LCA) disclosure data — 1,532,089 H-1B records across FY2024–FY2026. The medians and level boundaries reflect what employers actually offered, not survey estimates or dummy data.
What's the difference between wage level and prevailing wage?
The prevailing wage is the DOL's baseline minimum an employer must pay for a given occupation and area. The wage level (I–IV) is which quartile of that wage distribution your offered salary falls into. You can think of it as: prevailing wage sets the floor, wage level describes how far above the floor you are.
Related tools
- H-1B Lottery Odds Calculator
Turn your wage level into selection odds with wage-weighted projections and the master's cap boost.
- H-1B Sponsor Match Finder
Find the companies filing the most H-1B visas for your job title — with real median salaries to benchmark your offer.
Methodology: wage-level boundaries are estimated from the median offered wage across 1,532,089 DOL LCA records (FY2024–FY2026) for each job title. This is an informational estimate, not legal advice and not the official DOL prevailing-wage determination. VisaTalentUSA is an independent research project, not affiliated with DOL or USCIS.