Microsoft — 77,758 certified H-1B filings (FY2016–FY2026)
- 9,106
- Filings · FY2025
- $171k
- Median base · FY2025
- Software Engineer
- Top role · 29,968 all-time
- WA
- Top state · 58,510 all-time
Microsoft filed 9,106 certified H-1B LCAs in FY2025 (down 3% from the year before), with a median base salary of $171k and the middle 50% of offers between $153k and $191k. That is 18% above the market median for the same job titles. Across all years it has 77,758 certified filings since FY2016, most often for Software Engineer in Washington.
How much does Microsoft pay H-1B workers?
Certified base salary by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $171k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
How has Microsoft's H-1B hiring changed by year?
4,446 certified filings in FY2016 → 5,107 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 5,107 | −44% | $177k |
| FY2025 | 9,106 | −3% | $171k |
| FY2024 | 9,343 | +22% | $162k |
| FY2023 | 7,677 | −33% | $163k |
| FY2022 | 11,403 | +58% | $150k |
| FY2021 | 7,210 | −8% | $143k |
| FY2020 | 7,852 | +33% | $142k |
| FY2019 | 5,890 | +9% | $140k |
| FY2018 | 5,417 | +26% | $137k |
| FY2017 | 4,307 | −3% | $132k |
| FY2016 | 4,446 | — | $127k |
Which wage levels does Microsoft file?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 44% of Microsoft's filings sit at Level III–IV. A heavy I–II skew reads as entry-level or contractor-style hiring; a heavy IV skew as senior in-house roles — and higher levels earn more lottery entries.
Share of 71,199 filings with a wage level · all years
- Level I12.4%8,842
- Level II44.0%31,329
- Level III35.2%25,062
- Level IV8.4%5,966
What jobs does Microsoft sponsor for H-1B?
The most-filed job titles across all years (DOL titles, employer pay-grade codes stripped), with base-salary percentiles. Open a title for Microsoft's pay on that role by year, wage level and worksite.
| Job title | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | 29,968 | $142k |
| Software Engineering | 12,539 | $170k |
| Senior Software Engineer | 3,271 | $155k |
| Program Manager | 1,799 | $134k |
| Data and Applied Scientist | 1,788 | $141k |
| Senior Program Manager | 1,628 | $162k |
| Product Management | 1,069 | $176k |
| Applied Sciences | 959 | $173k |
| Product Manager | 920 | $169k |
| Data Science | 808 | $164k |
Where does Microsoft hire H-1B workers?
Worksite states on the certified filings, all years. Deeper pink = more filings; hover a state for its figures.
| State | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| WA | 58,510 | $151k |
| CA | 6,917 | $174k |
| TX | 3,231 | $136k |
| GA | 2,278 | $130k |
| NC | 1,469 | $129k |
| NY | 1,014 | $164k |
| MA | 990 | $144k |
| NJ | 573 | $161k |
| OR | 342 | $157k |
| IL | 312 | $158k |
What has Microsoft filed recently?
The 50 most recent of 77,758 certified LCAs: job title, worksite, prevailing-wage level and the offered base salary.
Common questions about Microsoft's H-1B filings
- How much does Microsoft pay H-1B workers?
- Microsoft's median certified H-1B base salary is $171k (FY2025), from 9,106 filings. See the full salary distribution and percentiles above.
- How many H-1B workers does Microsoft sponsor?
- Microsoft has 77,758 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications on record (FY2016–FY2026).
- What jobs does Microsoft sponsor for H-1B?
- Microsoft's most-sponsored H-1B roles include Software Engineer, Software Engineering, Senior Software Engineer, Program Manager.
- Where does Microsoft hire H-1B workers?
- Microsoft's top H-1B worksite states are WA, CA, TX, GA.
- 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 →