What does “Remote (US)” mean on a job posting?
“Remote (US)” means the job is remote, but only for people who live in the United States and are legally allowed to work there. You can work from home anywhere in the country (sometimes only in certain states), not from abroad. It does not mean citizens only.
Country-limited remote is the norm, not the exception: of the 21,301 remote tech jobs open on PickedJobs today, 97% limit hiring to certain countries or regions and only 3% accept applicants from anywhere.
By PickedJobs · Updated · Live figures from 62,231 open jobs, as of (method)
Remote labels, decoded
| The listing says | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Remote (US), US-based, Remote – United States | Live in the US and be authorized to work there. Anywhere in the country unless states are listed. |
| Remote in CA, NY, TX… or “select states” | The company runs payroll only in those states. Living elsewhere in the US doesn't qualify. |
| Remote – Americas, North America | Usually the US and Canada, sometimes Latin America. Check the country list. |
| Remote – EMEA, Remote – Europe | Europe, the Middle East and Africa, often limited to the countries where the company can employ people. |
| Remote, UTC−5 to UTC+1, or “4 hours overlap with ET” | A time zone limit rather than a country limit. You can apply from any country inside the window, if the company can hire there. |
| Remote, anywhere, worldwide, fully distributed | Applicants from any country, with exceptions for sanctioned countries. Often a contractor arrangement outside the company's main countries. |
| Remote (non-US), international | Hires outside the US only, typically for teams in other time zones. |
| Remote eligible, remote-friendly | The role can be remote, but the company is office-centered. Often tied to the country of a specific office. |
| Hybrid | Some days in an office each week, often two or three. You must live within commuting distance. |
Work authorization lines
- “Must be authorized to work in the US”: you need the right to work in the US already: citizenship, a green card or a valid work permit.
- “…without sponsorship now or in the future”: the employer won't file a visa for you, including a later H-1B. See which tech companies say they sponsor visas.
- “US citizens only” or “clearance required”: usually government, defense or export-controlled work where citizenship is a legal requirement.
How PickedJobs labels remote jobs
Each listing is classified as “Remote, anywhere”, “Remote, some regions”, hybrid or onsite, with the hiring regions it names. Today that splits like this:
| Label | Open tech jobs |
|---|---|
| Remote, anywhere | 728 |
| Remote, some regions | 20,573 |
| Hybrid | 17,962 |
| Onsite | 22,968 |
To see only the location-free ones, use remote jobs worldwide. Our guide to remote jobs with no location restrictions explains why there are so few.
If you live outside the US
A US-only listing won't make an exception for one candidate; the company would need a way to pay you legally in your country first. Don't get around it with a US address: misrepresenting where you work breaks tax and employment rules and is grounds for dismissal. Instead, look for US companies that hire in your country, which our guide to getting a remote US job from another country covers.
If the job is hybrid
Hybrid means you commute some days, so cost and time count. Put numbers on it with the commute cost calculator before you compare a hybrid offer with a remote one.