Staff Software Engineer H-1B salary at IBM — 237 certified filings (FY2016–FY2026)
- 2
- Filings · FY2025
- $126k
- Median base · FY2025
- $126k–$178k
- Middle 50% · FY2025
- −42%
- vs market median · all years
IBM filed 2 certified H-1B LCAs for Staff Software Engineer in FY2025, with a median base salary of $126k and the middle 50% of offers between $126k and $178k. Across all years its $94k median is 42% below the $163k market median for Staff Software Engineer. It has filed 237 Staff Software Engineer LCAs since FY2016, most often in San Jose, CA.
How much does IBM pay a Staff Software Engineer?
Certified base salary for Staff Software Engineer at IBM by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $126k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
Does IBM pay Staff Software Engineers above the market?
IBM's all-years median against every employer's certified Staff Software Engineer LCAs — 42% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| IBM | 237 | $94k |
| All employers · Staff Software Engineer | 11,475 | $163k |
How has IBM's Staff Software Engineer hiring changed by year?
100 certified Staff Software Engineer filings in FY2016 → 2 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 2 | 0% | $152k |
| FY2025 | 2 | −75% | $126k |
| FY2024 | 8 | +700% | $178k |
| FY2023 | 1 | −75% | $150k |
| FY2022 | 4 | +300% | $100k |
| FY2021 | 1 | −67% | $177k |
| FY2020 | 3 | −92% | $113k |
| FY2019 | 37 | +3% | $97k |
| FY2018 | 36 | −16% | $100k |
| FY2017 | 43 | −57% | $98k |
| FY2016 | 100 | — | $86k |
Which wage levels does IBM file for Staff Software Engineer?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 19% of IBM's Staff Software Engineer filings sit at Level III–IV. Higher levels earn more entries in the wage-weighted H-1B lottery.
Share of 134 Staff Software Engineer filings with a wage level · all years
- Level II81.3%109
- Level III13.4%18
- Level IV5.2%7
Where does IBM hire H-1B Staff 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 | 102 | $111k |
| Texas | 38 | $84k |
| Massachusetts | 31 | $98k |
| North Carolina | 19 | $90k |
| Ohio | 13 | $77k |
| New York | 12 | $92k |
| Georgia | 4 | $80k |
| Kansas | 4 | $76k |
| City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | 65 | $111k |
| Foster City, CA | 30 | $107k |
| Austin, TX | 27 | $76k |
| Littleton, MA | 18 | $94k |
| Durham, NC | 15 | $91k |
| Dublin, OH | 11 | $76k |
| Cambridge, MA | 7 | $112k |
| New York, NY | 7 | $96k |
Also filed as
IBM's other sponsored titles, and the employers that file the most Staff Software Engineer LCAs. All years.
Other titles at IBM
| Job title | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Application Developer | 3,199 | $86k |
| Software Developer | 1,263 | $110k |
| Managing Consultant | 854 | $124k |
| Software Engineer | 847 | $92k |
| Application Architect | 797 | $108k |
| Package Consultant | 730 | $104k |
| Test Specialist | 612 | $76k |
| Project Manager | 580 | $97k |
| IT Specialist | 420 | $81k |
| Senior Managing Consultant | 417 | $159k |
Top Staff Software Engineer sponsors
| Employer | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Walmart Associates | 1,608 | $160k |
| 634 | $184k | |
| Intuit | 563 | $171k |
| Qualcomm Technologies | 451 | $120k |
| Servicenow | 312 | $174k |
| 240 | $258k | |
| Uber Technologies | 225 | $234k |
| Home Depot Management | 208 | $155k |
| Qualcomm Atheros | 185 | $145k |
Common questions about Staff Software Engineer H-1B pay at IBM
- How much does IBM pay a Staff Software Engineer on an H-1B?
- IBM's median certified H-1B base salary for Staff Software Engineer is $126k in FY2025, from 2 filings; the middle 50% of offers fall between $126k and $178k. Across all years the median is $94k.
- How many Staff Software Engineer H-1B LCAs has IBM filed?
- IBM has 237 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Staff Software Engineer on record (FY2016–FY2026), 2 of them in FY2026. That is 1% of its 23,826 certified filings across all titles.
- Does IBM pay Staff Software Engineers above the market?
- IBM's all-years median of $94k is 42% below the $163k median for Staff Software Engineer across all H-1B employers (11,475 certified filings).
- Where does IBM hire H-1B Staff Software Engineers?
- IBM's Staff Software Engineer LCAs name worksites mostly in California, Texas, Massachusetts; the top cities are San Jose, CA, Foster City, CA, Austin, TX.
- 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–FY2026). An LCA is not an approved visa; pay figures are base salary and exclude bonus and equity. Methodology →