IBM QA Engineer salary

Based on 279 H-1B filings by IBM, fiscal years 2025–2026. Base salary only.

Also listed as: Software Tester, Test Automation Engineer

Median salary$116,999
Middle 50%$92.2k–$149k
vs. all employers+11%comparison median $105,602
Filings279FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $69,264 and $257,236.
PercentileSalary
10th$75,587
25th$92,163
50th (median)$116,999
75th$149,013
90th$182,165

Salary by year

Median salary

$60k $110k $160k FY2020: median $75,000 (140 filings) FY2021: median $75,982 (85 filings) FY2022: median $77,584 (140 filings) FY2023: median $94,182 (181 filings) FY2024: median $99,549 (250 filings) FY2025: median $103,418 (209 filings) FY2026: median $149,734 (70 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 140 filings FY20 FY2021: 85 filings FY21 FY2022: 140 filings FY22 FY2023: 181 filings FY23 FY2024: 250 filings FY24 FY2025: 209 filings FY25 FY2026: 70 filings FY26 250
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$75,000$72,738$79,560140
FY2021$75,982$73,486$76,98185
FY2022$77,584$74,215$95,666140
FY2023$94,182$81,286$103,979181
FY2024$99,549$86,903$117,830250
FY2025$103,418$87,298$131,300209
FY2026$149,734$133,238$162,71070

By state

California
$164,459
Texas
$126,307
Pennsylvania
$93,587
New Jersey
$124,910
North Carolina
$110,220

Bar length: number of filings (California 48). Figure: average salary in that state.

By city

San Jose, CA$199,063 · 29 filings
Pittsburgh, PA$72,405 · 22 filings
Dallas, TX$127,722 · 16 filings
Portland, OR$79,789 · 11 filings

Cities with at least 10 filings. Figure: median salary.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Level I · Entry – 0
Level II · Qualified $92,996 127
Level III · Experienced $109,096 66
Level IV · Fully competent $150,468 86

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Questions

How much does a qa engineer make at IBM?

In H-1B filings, IBM's median base salary for QA Engineer is $116,999; half of filings fall between $92,163 and $149,013. Bonus and stock are not included.

Does IBM sponsor H-1B visas for qa engineers?

Yes. IBM filed 279 certified Labor Condition Applications for this role in FY2025–FY2026. A filing is a step before the visa petition, not an approval.

Which job titles are included?

Filings are grouped by occupation code 15-1253 (Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers), so this page covers every job title IBM filed under that code.

Where does this data come from?

The U.S. Department of Labor's public LCA disclosure files, updated every quarter. Methodology