Software Engineering H-1B salary at Microsoft — 12,539 certified filings (FY2024–FY2026)
- 5,643
- Filings · FY2025
- $172k
- Median base · FY2025
- $154k–$191k
- Middle 50% · FY2025
- +1%
- vs market median · all years
Microsoft filed 5,643 certified H-1B LCAs for Software Engineering in FY2025, with a median base salary of $172k and the middle 50% of offers between $154k and $191k. Across all years its $170k median is in line with the $169k market median for Software Engineering. It has filed 12,539 Software Engineering LCAs since FY2024, most often in Redmond, WA.
How much does Microsoft pay a Software Engineering?
Certified base salary for Software Engineering at Microsoft by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $172k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
Does Microsoft pay Software Engineerings above the market?
Microsoft's all-years median against every employer's certified Software Engineering 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | 12,539 | $170k |
| All employers · Software Engineering | 13,132 | $169k |
How has Microsoft's Software Engineering hiring changed by year?
3,717 certified Software Engineering filings in FY2024 → 3,179 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 3,179 | −44% | $179k |
| FY2025 | 5,643 | +52% | $172k |
| FY2024 | 3,717 | — | $161k |
Which wage levels does Microsoft file for Software Engineering?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 47% of Microsoft's Software Engineering filings sit at Level III–IV. Higher levels earn more entries in the wage-weighted H-1B lottery.
Share of 11,892 Software Engineering filings with a wage level · all years
- Level I9.3%1,104
- Level II44.0%5,238
- Level III35.8%4,256
- Level IV10.9%1,294
Where does Microsoft hire H-1B Software Engineerings?
Worksite states and cities on the certified filings for this title, all years, with the median base salary at each.
| State | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 9,084 | $171k |
| California | 1,415 | $191k |
| Texas | 555 | $142k |
| Georgia | 527 | $136k |
| New York | 188 | $177k |
| North Carolina | 137 | $143k |
| Massachusetts | 124 | $160k |
| New Jersey | 109 | $172k |
| City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Redmond, WA | 8,766 | $171k |
| Mountain View, CA | 893 | $196k |
| Atlanta, GA | 485 | $135k |
| New York, NY | 160 | $178k |
| Austin, TX | 146 | $142k |
| Irving, TX | 90 | $142k |
| San Jose, CA | 89 | $179k |
| Charlotte, NC | 79 | $139k |
Also filed as
Microsoft's other sponsored titles, and the employers that file the most Software Engineering LCAs. All years.
Other titles at Microsoft
| Job title | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | 29,968 | $142k |
| 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 |
| Service Engineer | 796 | $130k |
Top Software Engineering sponsors
| Employer | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan Chase | 270 | $115k |
| Mufg Bank | 86 | $144k |
| Jpmorgan Chase Amp | 48 | $110k |
| Meta Platforms | 33 | $186k |
| Software Integrity Group | 16 | $111k |
| Synopsys | 15 | $141k |
| Equitable Financial Life Insurance | 12 | $104k |
| General Motors | 11 | $139k |
| Mufg Union Bank N A | 10 | $132k |
Common questions about Software Engineering H-1B pay at Microsoft
- How much does Microsoft pay a Software Engineering on an H-1B?
- Microsoft's median certified H-1B base salary for Software Engineering is $172k in FY2025, from 5,643 filings; the middle 50% of offers fall between $154k and $191k. Across all years the median is $170k.
- How many Software Engineering H-1B LCAs has Microsoft filed?
- Microsoft has 12,539 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Software Engineering on record (FY2024–FY2026), 3,179 of them in FY2026. That is 16% of its 77,758 certified filings across all titles.
- Does Microsoft pay Software Engineerings above the market?
- Microsoft's all-years median of $170k is in line with the $169k median for Software Engineering across all H-1B employers (13,132 certified filings).
- Where does Microsoft hire H-1B Software Engineerings?
- Microsoft's Software Engineering LCAs name worksites mostly in Washington, California, Texas; the top cities are Redmond, WA, Mountain View, CA, Atlanta, 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
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 (FY2024–FY2026). An LCA is not an approved visa; pay figures are base salary and exclude bonus and equity. Methodology →