SOC Code for H-1B: How Your Occupation Code Sets Your Wage Level, With the FY2026 LCA Data

The same salary can land at Level II under one occupation code and Level III under another, and the weighted H-1B lottery counts that difference.

Part of our guide to H-1B wage levels.

The SOC code for H-1B is the six-digit Standard Occupational Classification code your employer writes on your Labor Condition Application (LCA). It tells the Department of Labor (DOL) what occupation you are being hired into, and that code, combined with your worksite's metro area, decides the prevailing wage at each of the four wage levels. Your offered salary is then measured against that ladder. The result is your LCA wage level, and since 2026-02-27 that level also sets how many times your registration is entered in the H-1B lottery.

If you are on F-1 OPT or STEM OPT and weighing your first sponsored offer, the code matters as much as the salary: the same number can be Level II under one SOC code and Level III under another.

Status line, as of October 2026: wage-weighted H-1B selection is in effect. The DOL prevailing-wage rule that would raise every wage level is proposed, not final. EO 14431, which asks agencies to weigh employer layoffs, is in effect as a directive with no implementing guidance. Details are in the table below.

What a SOC code for H-1B actually is

The Standard Occupational Classification system is maintained by the federal statistical agencies (the BLS SOC page is the reference). Every occupation in the US economy gets a code. The format is major group, minor group, broad occupation and detailed occupation, for example:

• 15-1252 Software Developers
• 15-2051 Data Scientists
• 17-2072 Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
• 29-1122 Occupational Therapists

DOL takes the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, which reports pay by SOC code and area, and turns it into four prevailing-wage levels. The O*NET database (onetonline.org) adds task lists and "job zones" describing the usual education and experience for each occupation, which matter when your employer decides the level.

Your job title does not decide the code. "Software Engineer II", "Member of Technical Staff" and "Platform Developer" can all map to 15-1252 if the duties are the same.

How your SOC code sets your LCA wage level

Here is the chain, in order:

1. The employer describes the job: duties, required degree, required years of experience, special skills, any supervision.
2. The employer (usually through immigration counsel) matches those duties to a SOC code.
3. The worksite fixes the area. Prevailing wages are published per SOC code per metro area, so the same code pays differently in different cities.
4. The four wage levels for that code and area come from OEWS data. Today, Level I sits at roughly the 17th percentile of local pay for the occupation and Level IV at roughly the 67th, with Levels II and III in between.
5. The employer assigns a level based on the job's requirements. Requirements above the norm for the occupation, such as extra years of experience or supervisory duties, push the level up.
6. The offered wage must at least equal the prevailing wage for that level. The employer can pay more.

For the lottery, there is a second, separate question: which is the highest level your offered wage meets or exceeds for that SOC code and area? That is the level that goes on a cap-subject registration under the weighted selection rule. If you will work at more than one location, the rule uses the lowest level among them.

For the full mechanics of the four levels, see our guide to DOL prevailing wage levels for H-1B in 2026. For what the LCA itself certifies, read what an LCA is and why every H-1B needs one.

Why the same salary lands at different levels

Each occupation has its own local pay distribution, so each SOC code has its own ladder. Where local pay runs lower, your salary climbs further up; where it runs higher, the same salary sits lower. Compare 15-1211 Computer Systems Analysts and 15-1252 Software Developers for one area and you will see it.

This is not a loophole. The code has to describe the real job, and a mismatch invites a request for evidence on the specialty-occupation question.

The status board: rules that touch your wage level (as of October 2026)

Old rule, new rule, what to do differently

The weighted lottery's effect is visible in the government's own numbers. Proclamation 11069 reports that the top two wage levels made up about 46.3% of FY2027 selections, while Level I made up 17.8%. For the mechanics of how entries are counted, read how the wage-weighted H-1B lottery works.

The H-1B visa occupation list: what the FY2026 LCA data shows

There is no official "H-1B visa occupation list" of approved jobs. Any occupation can qualify if it is a specialty occupation, one that normally requires at least a bachelor's degree in a specific specialty. What DOL does publish is which SOC codes employers file LCAs for. The OFLC FY2026 Q3 LCA selected statistics cover the fiscal year through Q3:

Three things to take from it:

• Positions are not people. One LCA can cover several positions and is filed before any petition, so certified positions far exceed actual H-1B workers.
• Software developers dominate, with nearly three in ten certified positions.
• Healthcare shows up strongly. Occupational and physical therapists together are close to a tenth of positions, and both also need state licensure, a separate gate from the SOC code.

For pay context, USCIS data reported by NFAP put H-1B workers in computer occupations at an average of $136,000 and a median of $125,000 in FY2024. That is a program-wide figure, not a prevailing wage; your level is set by your code and metro.

Common SOC codes for OPT and STEM OPT roles

The role-to-code mapping is a typical pattern, not a rule. Your employer's counsel maps your actual duties.

How to check your own SOC code and wage level

You can do this before you sign:

1. Ask how the role will be classified. A reasonable question to HR is "which SOC code and wage level do you expect to use for the LCA?" Once certified, the LCA also sits in the employer's public access file.
2. Read the O*NET description for that code. Check that the tasks look like the job you interviewed for.
3. Identify the worksite metro area. For remote or hybrid roles, the area of intended employment is where you will actually work, and multiple worksites can mean multiple LCAs.
4. Look up the four levels for that code and area on DOL's Foreign Labor Application Gateway, which hosts the OEWS-based wage search.
5. Find the highest level your offered salary meets. That is the level a cap-subject registration would carry.
6. Compare the job's stated requirements with the level. A posting that requires several years of experience but is filed at Level I is worth asking about.
7. Take questions to the employer's immigration attorney. The code, level and wage are the employer's legal attestations, not yours.

You can also see how a company classified similar roles in its public LCA disclosure data. Our guide to searching LCA filings for H-1B jobs walks through it, and reverse-engineering the wage level from a job description shows how to read the requirements side.

Common mistakes

• Treating your job title as your SOC code. Titles vary by company; the code follows the duties.
• Comparing your salary against the wrong ladder. A Level III conclusion based on a neighbouring code or a different metro is meaningless.
• Pushing an employer to change the code for lottery odds. The code must match the real job. A mismatch is a petition risk, not a strategy.
• Treating the proposed DOL rule as law. As of October 2026 it is proposed. Today's percentiles still apply.
• Reading LCA positions as visa counts. 830,710 certified positions does not mean 830,710 H-1B workers.
• Forgetting that wage data refreshes. DOL updates OEWS-based prevailing wages each July, so a level checked in spring may shift by the time a petition is filed.

Frequently asked questions

What is a SOC code for H-1B

A SOC code is the Standard Occupational Classification code, a six-digit federal label such as 15-1252 for software developers. Your employer puts it on the Labor Condition Application, and DOL uses it with your worksite location to set the prevailing wage at each of the four wage levels.

Who chooses the SOC code on my LCA

Your employer and its immigration counsel choose it, based on the job's actual duties and requirements. You cannot pick it, and it should never be picked for lottery odds or a lower wage. USCIS reviews the petition against the real duties.

Can the same salary be a different wage level under a different SOC code

Yes. Each SOC code has its own four-level wage ladder in each metro, so one salary can clear Level III for one occupation and only Level II for another. The code matters as much as the number on your offer letter.

Does the wage level on my LCA affect the H-1B lottery

Yes, for cap-subject registrations. Under the wage-weighted selection rule, in effect since 2026-02-27 and used for FY2027, Level IV is entered four times, Level III three times, Level II twice and Level I once. The level comes from your offered wage measured against your SOC code and area.

Will the proposed DOL prevailing wage rule change my wage level

Not yet. The DOL rule (RIN 1205-AC30) is proposed, not final, as of October 2026. If finalized it would raise the percentile behind every level, so a salary that clears Level III today could fall to a lower level. Watch dol.gov and ask your employer's immigration attorney how a final rule would affect your case.

Sources

• DOL OFLC, LCA Selected Statistics, FY2026 Q3
• DOL Office of Foreign Labor Certification, program and disclosure data
• USCIS, H-1B Specialty Occupations
• Federal Register, weighted selection final rule (effective 2026-02-27)
• Federal Register, DOL prevailing-wage NPRM, RIN 1205-AC30 (proposed)
• BLS, Standard Occupational Classification

This guide explains how the system works. It is not legal advice. The SOC code, wage level and wage on your LCA are your employer's attestations, so decisions about them belong with the employer's licensed immigration attorney. Questions about your OPT or STEM OPT status go to your DSO.

If you want help targeting roles and employers where your occupation and pay line up with sponsorship, talk to F1Jobs.