Ahead

H-1B salaries and sponsorship, from 35 certified filings (FY2025–FY2026)

Active H-1B filer · last filed FY2026 Q3
  • Computer Systems Design and Related Services
  • Main U.S. filing address: Chicago, IL
Median base salary$146,000+19% vs. all H-1B employers
Middle 50%$121.3k–$158k
Level III (senior) share31%all employers: 21%
Median prevailing wage$112,923the required minimum for these jobs and places

At a glance

  • Mostly above the prevailing wage. 94% of filings are above the prevailing wage. Median offer $146,000, median prevailing wage $112,923.

Is your Ahead offer competitive?

Enter the base salary in your offer. We compare it with Ahead's certified filings for the same job.

10th $94.9k25th $121.3kmedian $146k75th $158k90th $185.8k

Enter a salary to see where it falls.

Percentiles from Ahead's certified H-1B filings, base salary only. Jobs with at least 10 filings.

What Ahead hires for

Bar: share of Ahead's filings. Figure: median base salary.

Show all 1 jobs
JobMedianFilings
Software Engineer$156,34414

Jobs with at least 10 filings at Ahead.

Pay by level

too fewLevel I
Entry-level · 26% of filings
too fewLevel II
Mid-level · 20% of filings
$146kLevel III
Senior · 31% of filings
too fewLevel IV
Expert · 23% of filings
Show the table

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I too few 9
Mid-level · Level II too few 7
Senior · Level III $146,000 11
Expert · Level IV too few 8

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Salary details

Median salary$146,000
Middle 50%$121.3k–$158k
vs. all employers+19%comparison median $122,699
Filings35FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $75,000 and $221,500.
PercentileSalary
10th$94,882
25th$121,300
50th (median)$146,000
75th$158,000
90th$185,800

Salary by year

Median salary

$110k $135k $160k FY2021: median $122,500 (16 filings) FY2022: median $125,000 (21 filings) FY2023: median $135,000 (21 filings) FY2024: median $142,775 (19 filings) FY2025: median $152,000 (21 filings) FY2026: median $144,000 (14 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 1 filings FY20 FY2021: 16 filings FY21 FY2022: 21 filings FY22 FY2023: 21 filings FY23 FY2024: 19 filings FY24 FY2025: 21 filings FY25 FY2026: 14 filings FY26 21
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020–––1
FY2021$122,500$90,000$141,25016
FY2022$125,000$115,000$132,00021
FY2023$135,000$120,000$140,00021
FY2024$142,775$129,000$168,72019
FY2025$152,000$130,000$157,00021
FY2026$144,000$116,900$157,50014

Pay vs. prevailing wage

Median offered salary$146,000
Median prevailing wage$112,923
Median difference+22.5%offered salary vs. prevailing wage, per filing
Filed at exactly the prevailing wage6%

Filing at exactly the prevailing wage does not mean low pay: at senior levels and in high-cost areas the prevailing wage itself is high.

Job titles at Ahead

Job titleMedianMiddle 50%Filings
Senior Technical Consultant$152,500$144.5k–$158k10

Job titles as written on the filings, with at least 10 filings. Middle 50%: 25th–75th percentile.

About Ahead

Ahead's filings list its industry as Computer Systems Design and Related Services (Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services sector, NAICS 5415). Its main U.S. filing address is in Chicago, IL and its filings in the data run from FY2020 to FY2026 Q3. In the latest two fiscal years, the most filed jobs are Software Engineer, Data Scientist and Network Administrator and the main metro areas are Chicago, IL, Dallas, TX and New York, NY. The most common wage level in those years is Level III (senior).

Questions

Does Ahead sponsor H-1B visas?

Yes. Ahead filed 35 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications in FY2025–FY2026, the latest two fiscal years. The most recent filing in the data is from FY2026 Q3. A certified LCA is a step before the H-1B petition; it is not a visa approval.

How much does Ahead pay H-1B workers?

The median base salary on Ahead's H-1B filings is $146,000; half of filings fall between $121,300 and $158,000. Bonus and stock are not included.