H-1B Wage Level Calculator
Determine prevailing wage level for H-1B visa petitions.
About this calculator
The U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system for H-1B petitions assigns every occupation and geographic area four wage levels — Level 1 (entry), Level 2 (qualified), Level 3 (experienced), and Level 4 (fully competent) — each with its own published wage floor, and an employer's Labor Condition Application must offer at least the floor for whichever level matches the position. This calculator determines which level a given offered salary clears by comparing it against the four level thresholds you enter, starting from the top: if the offer meets or exceeds the Level 4 wage it's classified Level 4, otherwise it checks Level 3, then Level 2, and anything below the Level 2 wage falls to Level 1. Whichever level the offer clears becomes the applicable prevailing wage for the compliance check, and the calculator reports whether the offered salary meets or falls short of that specific level's wage, along with the dollar and percentage gap either way.
The four level wages themselves — which this calculator takes as inputs rather than looking up — come from the DOL's FLAG Wage Search tool (flag.dol.gov) or a Prevailing Wage Determination for the specific SOC occupation code, geographic area, and (for OES-based determinations) the actual level assigned by the employer's own experience/education/supervision analysis of the role, not from this tool. This calculator does not estimate H-1B lottery odds: USCIS's cap-subject H-1B registration is selected entirely at random per unique beneficiary, with no wage weighting. A Department of Homeland Security rule proposed in January 2021 would have replaced that random selection with a wage-based ranking, but it was repeatedly delayed and formally rescinded before it ever took effect, so no version of the current selection process gives a higher-paying offer any registration advantage.
Legal Disclaimer
This calculator provides general estimates only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws, regulations, and court procedures vary significantly by jurisdiction. Consult a licensed attorney in your area for advice specific to your situation.
Inputs
Results
Determined Wage Level
2
Meets Prevailing Wage
Meets Requirement
Figures current as of 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration — Foreign Labor Certification, OFLC Wage Search (FLAG)
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the Offered Salary for the H-1B position.
- Input DOL Prevailing Wage levels 1–4 from the FLAG Wage Search tool or LCA disclosure data.
- Review Determined Wage Level — Level 1 is entry, Level 4 is fully competent for the SOC code.
- Check Meets Requirement — the offered salary must equal or exceed the applicable prevailing wage.
- If the salary doesn't meet the prevailing wage, USCIS will deny the H-1B petition.
- Use prevailing wage data from the DOL's FLAG Wage Search tool for your specific SOC code, geographic area, and experience level.
How the result changes with Offered Salary
| Offered Salary | Determined Wage Level | Meets Prevailing Wage |
|---|---|---|
| $47,500.00 | 1 | Below Requirement |
| $71,250.00 | 1 | Meets Requirement |
| $142,500.00 | 4 | Meets Requirement |
| $237,500.00 | 4 | Meets Requirement |
What each input means
- Offered Salary
- Annual salary being offered to the H-1B worker.
- Level 1 Prevailing Wage
- DOL Level 1 (entry) prevailing wage for the position.
- Level 2 Prevailing Wage
- DOL Level 2 (qualified) prevailing wage.
- Level 3 Prevailing Wage
- DOL Level 3 (experienced) prevailing wage.
- Level 4 Prevailing Wage
- DOL Level 4 (fully competent) prevailing wage.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters5 parametersOffered Salary = 95000, Level 1 Prevailing Wage = 65000, Level 2 Prevailing Wage = 82000, Level 3 Prevailing Wage = 100000, Level 4 Prevailing Wage = 120000 = 5 input(s) provided
- Calculate Determined Wage LevelDetermined Wage Level2 = 2
- Calculate Meets Prevailing WageMeets Prevailing WageMeets Requirement = Meets Requirement
- Calculate Applicable Prevailing WageApplicable Prevailing Wage82000 = $82,000
- Calculate Above Prevailing WageAbove Prevailing Wage13000 = $13,000
Figures and sources
- DOL four-tier prevailing wage methodology for H-1B/PERM (OES-based wage levels) (2026) — U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration — Foreign Labor Certification, OFLC Wage Search (FLAG)
Engine last updated . Checked against 4 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
What determines which of the four wage levels applies to my position?
The DOL assigns wage levels based on the position's actual requirements for experience, education, special skills, and supervisory duties, following the O*NET-based OES wage survey methodology — not simply by job title. This calculator doesn't perform that classification; it assumes you already know (or have obtained from a Prevailing Wage Determination) the four level wages for your specific SOC code and geographic area, and only compares your offered salary against them.
What happens if my offered salary doesn't meet the prevailing wage?
USCIS can deny the H-1B petition, or an approved petition can be challenged later, if the Labor Condition Application attests to a wage the employer isn't actually paying. Employers typically need to either raise the offered salary to at least the applicable level's wage or reassess whether the position genuinely qualifies for a lower wage level before filing.
Why does raising the offered salary sometimes jump the wage level rather than just increasing the surplus?
Because wage levels are defined by threshold crossings, not a continuous scale: as soon as an offered salary meets or exceeds the next level's wage, the applicable prevailing wage for compliance purposes becomes that HIGHER level's wage, not the level you started at. Crossing a threshold can change which number your salary is being compared against, not just how far above your original comparison point you are.
Does the Level 1 prevailing wage ever affect which level my offer is assigned?
No. Level 1 is only used as the applicable prevailing wage figure once an offer already falls below the Level 2 wage — the level assignment itself works down from Level 4, so the Level 1 number never enters into deciding whether an offer qualifies for Level 2, 3, or 4. It only matters for entry-level offers that don't clear the Level 2 threshold.
Where do I get the actual Level 1-4 wage figures for my position?
The DOL's FLAG Wage Search tool (flag.dol.gov/wage-data/wage-search) publishes OES-based prevailing wage data searchable by SOC occupation code and geographic area, or an employer can request a formal Prevailing Wage Determination from the National Prevailing Wage Center. This replaced the Foreign Labor Certification Data Center (flcdatacenter.com), discontinued in 2024. Wage data updates periodically, so figures should be pulled fresh for each filing rather than reused from a prior year.
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