Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Total employer cost
$6,380
Mandatory government fees
$2,880
Optional (premium + attorney)
$3,500
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter base i-129 filing fee ($).
- 2Enter fraud prevention & detection fee ($).
- 3Enter acwia training fee ($).
- 4Enter h-1b dependent employer (25%+ h-1b workforce, smaller companies).
- 5Enter use premium processing?.
- 6Enter attorney fee ($).
- 7Read your total employer cost on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
H-1B sponsorship splits costs between employer and employee, and DOL rules require employers to cover most fees so the arrangement isn't treated as an illegal wage deduction. Standard employer-side costs include the $780 basic filing fee, $600 fraud prevention fee, ACWIA training fee ($750-$1,500 based on company size), and for larger H-1B-dependent employers, an additional $4,000 fee. Premium processing, if used for a 15-day decision, costs an extra $2,805 and can legally be paid by either party. Attorney fees for the petition typically run $2,500-$6,000. This calculator totals mandatory employer fees separately from optional premium processing and legal fees so a company can budget its real per-hire sponsorship cost, which routinely lands between $5,000 and $12,000 all-in.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Base I-129 filing fee: 780 $
- Fraud prevention & detection fee: 600 $
- ACWIA training fee: 1500 $
- H-1B dependent employer (25%+ H-1B workforce, smaller companies): No
- Use premium processing?: No
- Attorney fee: 3500 $
Results
- Total employer cost: $6,380
- Mandatory government fees: $2,880
- Optional (premium + attorney): $3,500
What each field means
Inputs
- Base I-129 filing fee ($)
- The base i-129 filing fee used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 780 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Fraud prevention & detection fee ($)
- The fraud prevention & detection fee used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 600 $ so you have a working example on load.
- ACWIA training fee ($)
- The acwia training fee used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 1500 $ so you have a working example on load.
- H-1B dependent employer (25%+ H-1B workforce, smaller companies)
- Pick the option that matches your situation — the maths changes per option. Choices: No, Yes — add $4,000 fee.
- Use premium processing?
- Pick the option that matches your situation — the maths changes per option. Choices: No, Yes — add $2,805.
- Attorney fee ($)
- The attorney fee used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 3500 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Total employer cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Mandatory government fees
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Optional (premium + attorney)
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Can the employee pay any of these fees?
Legally, the base filing fee, fraud prevention fee, and ACWIA training fee must be paid by the employer and cannot be passed to the employee, even voluntarily, per DOL wage rules. Premium processing and attorney fees can be paid by either party if agreed in advance, but most companies still cover them to stay competitive for candidates.
What is the ACWIA fee tier based on?
It's $750 for employers with 25 or fewer full-time employees and $1,500 for employers with more than 25, and it funds worker training and scholarship programs. It's charged once per petition, not per year of the visa.
Does the lottery cost anything?
Yes, a $215 electronic registration fee per registrant is charged during the March lottery period before a full petition is even filed, and it's non-refundable whether or not the registration is selected.
Why do costs vary so much between companies?
Attorney fee structures differ (flat fee vs. hourly), some companies negotiate volume discounts for filing many H-1Bs per year, and dependent employer status adds $4,000 only for companies with a high proportion of H-1B workers relative to total US workforce.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Work Visa Sponsorship Cost Calculator (H-1B). Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/work-visa-sponsorship-cost
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/work-visa-sponsorship-cost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Work Visa Sponsorship Cost Calculator (H-1B) — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Work Visa Sponsorship Cost Calculator (H-1B) — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/work-visa-sponsorship-cost) (2026).