Two compensation figures can look comparable while measuring different things. One may include an annual bonus. Another may exclude that kind of bonus. A percentile table alone will not show the mismatch.
This free worksheet helps you record the comparison before discussing it with qualified immigration counsel. It does not assess eligibility, select a legal strategy or predict approval.
Start with the source definition
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data includes commissions and production bonuses, but excludes nonproduction bonuses. Calling OEWS simply “base salary” loses that distinction. Calling it “total compensation” can also hide exclusions.
Read the OEWS FAQ and pay-term definitions. For another survey, save that provider's own methodology. Do not assume two providers define pay in the same way.
One row for each proposed comparison
Download the blank CSV worksheet
The worksheet is a blank file, not an upload form. Open it in a spreadsheet or use these fields in your existing private records:
Personal pay period and currency:
Pay component and amount, with supporting record:
Benchmark provider, release year and table:
Occupation, level and geography as defined by that source:
Benchmark's included and excluded pay components:
Personal figure used for this comparison:
Known mismatch or missing definition:
Source URL, saved filename and retrieval date:
Question for counsel and review status:
Fictional example: leave the mismatch visible
Alex has a pay record showing a base amount and a separate annual bonus. A benchmark table reports a wage percentile. Alex has not checked how that benchmark treats the bonus.
The useful entry is “bonus treatment unknown; methodology needed.” It is not a combined total labeled comparable. Once the definition is found, retain it beside the table and ask counsel how to handle any difference. Do not relabel a payment merely to make the numbers align.
Check the arithmetic separately
Record which period each number covers. If you annualize a partial-year figure or convert a currency, retain the original amount, method and date used. Label the result as a calculation. Do not silently replace the underlying pay record.
A ratio between your number and a published percentile value is not your percentile rank. Keep those labels separate. Do not invent an intermediate percentile from a table that does not provide it.
Use “unknown” as a useful result
If the provider does not explain an included component, job level or survey period, keep that gap in the row. This worksheet does not decide which source or peer group is legally appropriate. A complete row means its factual checks are documented, not that an immigration criterion is met.
Keep pay statements and employer information in authorized private storage. The blank worksheet does not need your name, government identifiers or employer-confidential material. Do not send those records through public comments or social messages.
Bring a specific question to counsel
“Does this benchmark measure the same pay components over a comparable period, and how should we address the remaining difference?” is easier to review than a screenshot labeled “high salary.” Keep the source and the unresolved question together.