Software Engineering Manager H-1B salary at Microsoft — 437 certified filings (FY2016–FY2023)
- 20
- Filings · FY2023
- $221k
- Median base · FY2023
- $179k–$229k
- Middle 50% · FY2023
- −3%
- vs market median · all years
Microsoft filed 20 certified H-1B LCAs for Software Engineering Manager in FY2023 (down 87% from the year before), with a median base salary of $221k and the middle 50% of offers between $179k and $229k. Across all years its $194k median is 3% below the $200k market median for Software Engineering Manager. It has filed 437 Software Engineering Manager LCAs since FY2016, most often in Redmond, WA.
How much does Microsoft pay a Software Engineering Manager?
Certified base salary for Software Engineering Manager at Microsoft by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $221k median in FY2023. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
Does Microsoft pay Software Engineering Managers above the market?
Microsoft's all-years median against every employer's certified Software Engineering Manager LCAs — 3% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | 437 | $194k |
| All employers · Software Engineering Manager | 2,660 | $200k |
How has Microsoft's Software Engineering Manager hiring changed by year?
1 certified Software Engineering Manager filings in FY2016 → 20 in FY2023. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 20 | −87% | $221k |
| FY2022 | 157 | +67% | $199k |
| FY2021 | 94 | −12% | $195k |
| FY2020 | 107 | +91% | $191k |
| FY2019 | 56 | +5500% | $185k |
| FY2018 | 1 | 0% | $160k |
| FY2017 | 1 | 0% | $195k |
| FY2016 | 1 | — | $185k |
Which wage levels does Microsoft file for Software Engineering Manager?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 96% of Microsoft's Software Engineering Manager filings sit at Level III–IV. Higher levels earn more entries in the wage-weighted H-1B lottery.
Share of 436 Software Engineering Manager filings with a wage level · all years
- Level I1.6%7
- Level II2.1%9
- Level III25.0%109
- Level IV71.3%311
Where does Microsoft hire H-1B Software Engineering Managers?
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 | 367 | $194k |
| California | 31 | $225k |
| Georgia | 22 | $180k |
| Massachusetts | 5 | $163k |
| Texas | 5 | $181k |
| North Carolina | 3 | $185k |
| Illinois | 1 | $145k |
| New Jersey | 1 | $214k |
| City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Redmond, WA | 267 | $194k |
| Bellevue, WA | 87 | $192k |
| Atlanta, GA | 20 | $180k |
| Issaquah, WA | 13 | $194k |
| Mountain View, CA | 11 | $235k |
| Sunnyvale, CA | 10 | $220k |
| San Francisco, CA | 6 | $212k |
| Burlington, MA | 3 | $163k |
Also filed as
Microsoft's other sponsored titles, and the employers that file the most Software Engineering Manager LCAs. All years.
Other titles at Microsoft
| 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 |
Top Software Engineering Manager sponsors
| Employer | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Platforms | 596 | $261k |
| 320 | $230k | |
| 81 | $258k | |
| U.S. Bank National Association | 76 | $143k |
| Intel | 34 | $153k |
| Wayfair | 33 | $200k |
| Accenture LLP | 29 | $125k |
| Siemens Industry Software | 23 | $143k |
| Kla | 23 | $197k |
Common questions about Software Engineering Manager H-1B pay at Microsoft
- How much does Microsoft pay a Software Engineering Manager on an H-1B?
- Microsoft's median certified H-1B base salary for Software Engineering Manager is $221k in FY2023, from 20 filings; the middle 50% of offers fall between $179k and $229k. Across all years the median is $194k.
- How many Software Engineering Manager H-1B LCAs has Microsoft filed?
- Microsoft has 437 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Software Engineering Manager on record (FY2016–FY2023), 20 of them in FY2023. That is 1% of its 77,758 certified filings across all titles.
- Does Microsoft pay Software Engineering Managers above the market?
- Microsoft's all-years median of $194k is 3% below the $200k median for Software Engineering Manager across all H-1B employers (2,660 certified filings).
- Where does Microsoft hire H-1B Software Engineering Managers?
- Microsoft's Software Engineering Manager LCAs name worksites mostly in Washington, California, Georgia; the top cities are Redmond, WA, Bellevue, WA, 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.
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Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification — certified LCA disclosure data through June 2026 (FY2016–FY2023). An LCA is not an approved visa; pay figures are base salary and exclude bonus and equity. Methodology →