Principal Software Engineer H-1B salary at CA — 32 certified filings (FY2016–FY2019)
- 2
- Filings · FY2019
- $145k
- Median base · FY2019
- $145k–$155k
- Middle 50% · FY2019
- −2%
- vs market median · all years
CA filed 2 certified H-1B LCAs for Principal Software Engineer in FY2019 (down 82% from the year before), with a median base salary of $145k and the middle 50% of offers between $145k and $155k. Across all years its $148k median is 2% below the $151k market median for Principal Software Engineer. It has filed 32 Principal Software Engineer LCAs since FY2016, most often in Santa Clara, CA.
How much does CA pay a Principal Software Engineer?
Certified base salary for Principal Software Engineer at CA by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $145k median in FY2019. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
Does CA pay Principal Software Engineers above the market?
CA's all-years median against every employer's certified Principal Software Engineer LCAs — 2% below the market. Same cleaned DOL title, same base-salary definition, so the two rows compare like for like.
| Base salary for this title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|
| CA | 32 | $148k |
| All employers · Principal Software Engineer | 7,525 | $151k |
How has CA's Principal Software Engineer hiring changed by year?
6 certified Principal Software Engineer filings in FY2016 → 2 in FY2019. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2019 | 2 | −82% | $145k |
| FY2018 | 11 | −15% | $153k |
| FY2017 | 13 | +117% | $145k |
| FY2016 | 6 | — | $140k |
Which wage levels does CA file for Principal Software Engineer?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 42% of CA's Principal Software Engineer filings sit at Level III–IV. Higher levels earn more entries in the wage-weighted H-1B lottery.
Share of 26 Principal Software Engineer filings with a wage level · all years
- Level II57.7%15
- Level III38.5%10
- Level IV3.8%1
Where does CA hire H-1B Principal Software Engineers?
Worksite states and cities on the certified filings for this title, all years, with the median base salary at each.
| State | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| California | 18 | $153k |
| Massachusetts | 6 | $140k |
| Texas | 4 | $135k |
| New York | 3 | $130k |
| Colorado | 1 | $141k |
| City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara, CA | 18 | $153k |
| Burlington, MA | 3 | $149k |
| Framingham, MA | 3 | $137k |
| Austin, TX | 2 | $145k |
| Islandia, NY | 2 | $130k |
| Plano, TX | 2 | $120k |
| Boulder, CO | 1 | $141k |
| Stony Brook, NY | 1 | $120k |
Also filed as
CA's other sponsored titles, and the employers that file the most Principal Software Engineer LCAs. All years.
Other titles at CA
| Job title | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| R&d Engineer Software | 318 | $145k |
| Senior Services Consultant | 79 | $108k |
| Services Architect | 53 | $131k |
| Software Engineer | 47 | $102k |
| Senior Software Engineer | 39 | $125k |
| Client Services Consultant | 35 | $153k |
Top Principal Software Engineer sponsors
| Employer | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Walmart Associates | 333 | $186k |
| Microsoft | 237 | $190k |
| Cadence Design Systems | 171 | $138k |
| Palo Alto Networks | 163 | $204k |
| Nisum Technologies | 135 | $120k |
| Symantec | 122 | $139k |
| Intuit | 112 | $192k |
| Veritas Technologies | 100 | $138k |
| Staples | 98 | $113k |
| Splunk | 90 | $220k |
Common questions about Principal Software Engineer H-1B pay at CA
- How much does CA pay a Principal Software Engineer on an H-1B?
- CA's median certified H-1B base salary for Principal Software Engineer is $145k in FY2019, from 2 filings; the middle 50% of offers fall between $145k and $155k. Across all years the median is $148k.
- How many Principal Software Engineer H-1B LCAs has CA filed?
- CA has 32 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Principal Software Engineer on record (FY2016–FY2019), 2 of them in FY2019. That is 3% of its 1,015 certified filings across all titles.
- Does CA pay Principal Software Engineers above the market?
- CA's all-years median of $148k is 2% below the $151k median for Principal Software Engineer across all H-1B employers (7,525 certified filings).
- Where does CA hire H-1B Principal Software Engineers?
- CA's Principal Software Engineer LCAs name worksites mostly in California, Massachusetts, Texas; the top cities are Santa Clara, CA, Burlington, MA, Framingham, MA.
- Does a certified LCA mean an H-1B visa was approved?
- No. A Labor Condition Application (LCA) is the Department of Labor attestation an employer must have certified before filing an H-1B petition with USCIS. It records the job, worksite and offered wage, but not whether the petition was filed, selected in the lottery, or approved. Filing counts measure intent to sponsor, not headcount.
- What salary do these figures show?
- The base annual wage offered on the certified LCA, converted to a yearly amount. Bonus, equity, overtime and benefits are not included, so total compensation is typically higher. Figures are medians and percentiles over certified filings; wages above $5,000,000 a year are excluded as data-entry errors.
- What do prevailing-wage levels I–IV mean?
- The Department of Labor assigns each LCA an OES wage level from I (entry) to IV (fully competent) for the occupation and area. Under the FY2027 wage-weighted H-1B lottery rule, a higher level earns more selection entries, so an employer's level mix is a proxy for how senior its sponsored roles are.
Keep exploring
Calculate your H-1B lottery odds →orCheck out the insights →
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification — certified LCA disclosure data through June 2026 (FY2016–FY2019). An LCA is not an approved visa; pay figures are base salary and exclude bonus and equity. Methodology →