Test Specialist H-1B salary at IBM — 612 certified filings (FY2016–FY2026)
- 37
- Filings · FY2025
- $80k
- Median base · FY2025
- $72k–$104k
- Middle 50% · FY2025
- ±0%
- vs market median · all years
IBM filed 37 certified H-1B LCAs for Test Specialist in FY2025, with a median base salary of $80k and the middle 50% of offers between $72k and $104k. Across all years its $76k median is in line with the $76k market median for Test Specialist. It has filed 612 Test Specialist LCAs since FY2016, most often in Cary, NC.
How much does IBM pay a Test Specialist?
Certified base salary for Test Specialist at IBM by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $80k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
Does IBM pay Test Specialists above the market?
IBM's all-years median against every employer's certified Test Specialist LCAs — in line with 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 | 612 | $76k |
| All employers · Test Specialist | 1,643 | $76k |
How has IBM's Test Specialist hiring changed by year?
1 certified Test Specialist 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 | −95% | $73k |
| FY2025 | 37 | −50% | $80k |
| FY2024 | 74 | −7% | $93k |
| FY2023 | 80 | 0% | $94k |
| FY2022 | 80 | +33% | $78k |
| FY2021 | 60 | −30% | $74k |
| FY2020 | 86 | −42% | $74k |
| FY2019 | 148 | +244% | $72k |
| FY2018 | 43 | +4200% | $71k |
| FY2017 | 1 | 0% | $116k |
| FY2016 | 1 | — | $83k |
Which wage levels does IBM file for Test Specialist?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 19% of IBM's Test Specialist filings sit at Level III–IV. Higher levels earn more entries in the wage-weighted H-1B lottery.
Share of 610 Test Specialist filings with a wage level · all years
- Level II81.1%495
- Level III17.0%104
- Level IV1.8%11
Where does IBM hire H-1B Test Specialists?
Worksite states and cities on the certified filings for this title, all years, with the median base salary at each.
| State | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 124 | $73k |
| New Jersey | 80 | $80k |
| Texas | 78 | $80k |
| Georgia | 73 | $74k |
| California | 42 | $85k |
| Pennsylvania | 38 | $72k |
| Massachusetts | 33 | $88k |
| Illinois | 20 | $79k |
| City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Cary, NC | 97 | $73k |
| Atlanta, GA | 69 | $74k |
| Dallas, TX | 54 | $81k |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 31 | $72k |
| West Sacramento, CA | 31 | $80k |
| Middletown, NJ | 28 | $76k |
| San Antonio, TX | 19 | $74k |
| Dorchester, MA | 17 | $88k |
Also filed as
IBM's other sponsored titles, and the employers that file the most Test Specialist 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 |
| Project Manager | 580 | $97k |
| IT Specialist | 420 | $81k |
| Senior Managing Consultant | 417 | $159k |
| Senior Consultant | 383 | $101k |
Top Test Specialist sponsors
| Employer | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| IBM India Private | 433 | $71k |
| International Business Machines | 197 | $76k |
| Mindtree | 169 | $81k |
| Ust Global | 121 | $87k |
| HCL America | 28 | $110k |
| Birlasoft | 13 | $88k |
| Infinite Computer Solutions | 12 | $92k |
| Birlasoft Solutions | 8 | $93k |
| Epitec | 5 | $69k |
Common questions about Test Specialist H-1B pay at IBM
- How much does IBM pay a Test Specialist on an H-1B?
- IBM's median certified H-1B base salary for Test Specialist is $80k in FY2025, from 37 filings; the middle 50% of offers fall between $72k and $104k. Across all years the median is $76k.
- How many Test Specialist H-1B LCAs has IBM filed?
- IBM has 612 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Test Specialist on record (FY2016–FY2026), 2 of them in FY2026. That is 3% of its 23,826 certified filings across all titles.
- Does IBM pay Test Specialists above the market?
- IBM's all-years median of $76k is in line with the $76k median for Test Specialist across all H-1B employers (1,643 certified filings).
- Where does IBM hire H-1B Test Specialists?
- IBM's Test Specialist LCAs name worksites mostly in North Carolina, New Jersey, Texas; the top cities are Cary, NC, Atlanta, GA, Dallas, 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
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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 →