H-1B Fee Calculator 2026: Every USCIS Fee Itemised
Pick the petition type and employer size. Get an itemised 2026 total with who pays each fee, premium processing, and the disputed $100K rule as a separate line.
Your itemised H-1B cost
| Fee component | Amount | Paid by |
|---|
2026 H-1B Fee Table Used by This Calculator
This H-1B fee calculator adds every USCIS charge that can attach to an H-1B petition in 2026, using the figures verified on October 6, 2026. The baseline comes from the USCIS fee rule that took effect April 1, 2024 (Form G-1055 fee schedule), plus the premium processing increase of March 1, 2026 and the 2025 proclamation. Short answer for budgeting: a new cap-subject petition costs a large employer $3,595 in mandatory fees and a small employer $2,225, before any premium or $100,000 supplement. For timelines to go with these costs see our H-1B processing time 2026 guide, and for the lottery odds behind cap cases try the H-1B lottery calculator.
| Fee | 2026 amount | When it applies | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic registration | $215 per beneficiary | Cap-subject petitions only, if selected in the lottery | USCIS H-1B registration rule (2024 fee rule) |
| Form I-129 base fee (H-1B) | $780 standard; $460 small employers and nonprofits | Every H-1B petition | USCIS Form G-1055 fee schedule, April 1, 2024 |
| ACWIA training fee | $750 (25 or fewer FTE); $1,500 (26+ FTE) | Initial, first same-employer extension, change of employer; exempt: later extensions, amendments, qualifying nonprofits | INA 214(c)(9); USCIS H and L filing fees page |
| Fraud prevention and detection | $500 | Initial petitions and change-of-employer petitions only | H-1B Visa Reform Act of 2004 |
| Asylum Program Fee | $600 standard; $300 small employers; $0 nonprofits | Every H-1B petition | USCIS 2024 fee rule |
| Premium processing (optional) | $2,965 (was $2,805 before March 1, 2026) | Any petition, on request; 15-business-day target | USCIS alert; Federal Register January 12, 2026 |
| Public Law 114-113 fee | $4,000 (H-1B; $4,500 is the L-1 equivalent) | Initial and change-of-employer petitions at 50+ staff firms that are over 50% H-1B/L-1 | Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 |
| $100,000 proclamation supplement | $100,000 one-time (collection status disputed) | Certain new petitions for workers abroad; verify with counsel | Presidential Proclamation September 2025; extension September 2026 |
Small employer for the reduced $460 I-129 and $300 Asylum Program Fee means 25 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees — the same 25-FTE line that splits the $750 and $1,500 ACWIA tiers. Nonprofit means a qualifying institution of higher education, affiliated nonprofit research organisation or government research organisation.
Who Pays What: Employer vs Beneficiary
US immigration law is strict here: nearly the whole H-1B bill belongs to the sponsoring employer, and passing statutory employer fees to the worker is prohibited. On top of that, Department of Labor rules forbid any cost-shifting — including attorney fees the worker is asked to absorb — that would drop the worker's effective pay below the required wage for the role and area. Check the offered salary against the prevailing wage with our H-1B wage checker before signing anything. The one exception is premium processing, which the beneficiary may pay voluntarily when it serves only their own interest.
| Fee | Who pays | Can the worker pay it? |
|---|---|---|
| $215 registration | Employer | No — the prospective petitioner pays |
| I-129 base ($780 / $460) | Employer | No |
| ACWIA ($750 / $1,500) | Employer | No — passing it on is explicitly prohibited |
| Fraud fee ($500) | Employer | No |
| Asylum Program Fee ($600 / $300 / $0) | Employer | No |
| Public Law 114-113 ($4,000) | Employer | No |
| $100,000 supplement | Employer (petitioner) | No — stated as a petitioner obligation |
| Premium processing ($2,965) | Employer or beneficiary | Yes, only if voluntary and solely for the worker's benefit |
How the Calculator Applies Each Fee
Choose the petition type first, because three fees switch on and off with it. The $215 registration is added only for a cap-subject petition where you confirm the beneficiary was selected. The $500 fraud fee attaches to new petitions — cap, cap-exempt and transfers — but never to extensions or amendments. The ACWIA training fee attaches to new petitions, first same-employer extensions and transfers, but drops off for second-or-later extensions, amendment-only filings and qualifying nonprofits. The $4,000 Public Law 114-113 fee attaches to new and transfer petitions only when you tick the 50/50 box, and the $100,000 supplement attaches to new petitions only when you tick its box. The I-129 base and the Asylum Program Fee apply to every petition and simply scale with the employer size you select. Comparing routes? See L-1 vs H-1B for where the L-1 $4,500 equivalent and different base fees change the maths, or price a whole move with the visa calculator.
Worked Totals to Check Your Result Against
Large employer, new cap petition, premium processing, no $100,000 supplement: $215 + $780 + $1,500 + $500 + $600 + $2,965 = $6,560. Small employer, same filing, no premium: $215 + $460 + $750 + $500 + $300 = $2,225. Large-employer transfer without premium: $780 + $1,500 + $500 + $600 = $3,380. Small-employer second extension: $460 + $300 = $760 — no registration, no ACWIA, no fraud fee. Nonprofit cap-exempt new petition: $460 + $500 = $960. Large-employer cap case with premium, the $4,000 law fee and the $100,000 supplement: $215 + $780 + $1,500 + $500 + $600 + $2,965 + $4,000 + $100,000 = $110,560. If your result differs from these by more than your toggles explain, recheck the petition type and employer size before relying on it — and read the full rules in our H-1B visa guide.
H-1B Fee FAQs
How much does an H-1B petition cost an employer in 2026?
A new cap-subject H-1B petition costs a large employer (26+ staff) $3,595 in mandatory USCIS fees before premium processing: $215 registration, $780 I-129 base, $1,500 ACWIA, $500 fraud and $600 Asylum Program Fee. A small employer (25 or fewer staff) pays $2,225 for the same filing. Optional premium processing adds $2,965.
What is the $215 H-1B registration fee and who pays it?
The $215 electronic registration fee is paid per beneficiary by the prospective employer (or its attorney) when submitting a cap-subject registration during the annual H-1B lottery window. It is non-refundable, applies only to cap-subject cases, and is never charged for cap-exempt, extension, amendment or transfer petitions.
What are the ACWIA fee thresholds: $750 vs $1,500?
Employers with 25 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees pay a $750 ACWIA training fee; employers with 26 or more pay $1,500. The fee is due on initial petitions, the first extension with the same employer, and change-of-employer petitions, but not on second or later extensions with the same employer or on qualifying nonprofit, university and government research petitions.
Which H-1B fees must the employer pay by law?
The employer must pay the registration fee, the I-129 base fee, the ACWIA training fee, the $500 fraud prevention fee, the Asylum Program Fee, any Public Law 114-113 fee, and any $100,000 proclamation supplement. These costs can never be passed to the worker, and Labor Department rules also bar any cost-shifting that would cut the worker's pay below the required wage.
Can the H-1B worker pay for premium processing?
Yes, but only voluntarily and solely for the worker's personal benefit, for example to get a faster decision for travel or a driver's licence. If premium processing is for the employer's benefit, such as meeting a start date, the employer must pay the $2,965. It is the only H-1B fee the beneficiary is ever allowed to cover.
Does the $500 fraud fee apply to H-1B extensions?
No. The $500 fraud prevention and detection fee applies to initial H-1B petitions, including cap-exempt filings, and to change-of-employer (transfer) petitions. Extensions and amendments with the same employer do not carry the fraud fee, so a same-employer extension is one of the cheapest H-1B filings.
What is the $4,000 Public Law 114-113 fee?
Employers with 50 or more US employees where more than half hold H-1B or L-1 status pay an extra $4,000 on initial H-1B petitions and change-of-employer petitions (the L-1 equivalent is $4,500). Most sponsors never trigger it. Tick the box in the calculator only if your company meets both the headcount and the visa-dependent tests.
What is the $100,000 H-1B fee and does it apply now?
A September 2025 Presidential Proclamation imposed a one-time $100,000 supplemental payment on certain new H-1B petitions for workers outside the United States, on top of all standard fees, with a September 2026 proclamation extending it. Court challenges were reported through 2026 and its collection status is disputed, so treat it as a separate line item and confirm with immigration counsel before budgeting or paying it.
Is H-1B premium processing $2,805 or $2,965 in 2026?
It is $2,965. USCIS raised the Form I-129 premium processing fee from $2,805 to $2,965 for requests postmarked on or after March 1, 2026, with a 15-business-day action target. Any guide still quoting $2,805 is out of date, and this calculator uses the current $2,965 figure.
How We Fact-Checked This Calculator
All figures were checked on October 6, 2026 against the USCIS H and L filing fees page and Form G-1055 fee schedule (I-129 base $780 / $460; Asylum Program Fee $600 / $300 / $0), the INA ACWIA thresholds ($750 at 25 or fewer FTE, $1,500 at 26+), the $500 fraud fee statute, the Public Law 114-113 $4,000 provision, the USCIS premium processing alert and January 12, 2026 Federal Register notice ($2,965 from March 1, 2026), the $215 registration fee, and reporting on the September 2025 proclamation and its September 2026 extension for the $100,000 supplement. USCIS and Congress can change fees at any time — always confirm the final figure on uscis.gov before paying.