IBM Software Engineer salary

Based on 750 H-1B filings by IBM, fiscal years 2025–2026. Base salary only.

Also listed as: Software Developer, Software Development Engineer, SDE

Median salary$169,470
Middle 50%$141.9k–$196.3k
vs. all employers+22%comparison median $139,194
Filings750FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $105,996 and $296,026.
PercentileSalary
10th$125,724
25th$141,865
50th (median)$169,470
75th$196,280
90th$227,261

Salary by year

Median salary

$100k $145k $190k FY2020: median $127,712 (238 filings) FY2021: median $120,000 (73 filings) FY2022: median $126,995 (170 filings) FY2023: median $154,555 (228 filings) FY2024: median $169,501 (343 filings) FY2025: median $172,932 (466 filings) FY2026: median $162,053 (284 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 238 filings FY20 FY2021: 73 filings FY21 FY2022: 170 filings FY22 FY2023: 228 filings FY23 FY2024: 343 filings FY24 FY2025: 466 filings FY25 FY2026: 284 filings FY26 466
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$127,712$102,813$150,000238
FY2021$120,000$90,750$130,89473
FY2022$126,995$100,215$142,883170
FY2023$154,555$133,655$183,751228
FY2024$169,501$147,393$195,134343
FY2025$172,932$139,379$196,031466
FY2026$162,053$145,592$196,504284

By state

Texas
$168,809
California
$200,556
North Carolina
$167,114
New York
$199,504
Massachusetts
$200,851

Bar length: number of filings (Texas 176). Figure: average salary in that state.

By city

San Jose, CA$212,187 · 85 filings
Austin, TX$171,154 · 55 filings
Durham, NC$168,498 · 50 filings
Dallas, TX$160,692 · 45 filings

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Level I · Entry – 0
Level II · Qualified $144,000 315
Level III · Experienced $159,161 47
Level IV · Fully competent $181,609 388

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Questions

How much does a software engineer make at IBM?

In H-1B filings, IBM's median base salary for Software Engineer is $169,470; half of filings fall between $141,865 and $196,280. Bonus and stock are not included.

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

Yes. IBM filed 750 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 15-1252 (Software Developers), 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