Skilled Worker Visa Salary Thresholds Explained

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Introduction

Understanding the skilled worker visa salary threshold is essential before you accept any sponsored job offer. Meeting one number is not enough — in most cases you must meet both a general threshold and the going rate for your specific occupation, and you are assessed on whichever is higher. This guide explains the three figures that confuse applicants most — the general threshold, the going rate, and the new entrant rate — without quoting figures that change, so you can check your own offer against the current official numbers.

The Golden Rule: You Must Meet the Higher Figure

For a Skilled Worker application, your salary is generally tested against:

1. The general salary threshold — a single minimum that applies across the route
2. The going rate — the rate for your exact occupation code (SOC code), based on official salary data

You normally need to meet both, which in practice means the higher of the two.

What this means: A job can clear the general threshold and still fail because it is below the going rate for that occupation. Always check both.

1. The General Salary Threshold

The general salary threshold published on GOV.UK applies to most Skilled Worker applicants the general salary threshold is £41,700 per year..

Important points:

• It is assessed on your guaranteed basic salary for your contracted hours — not bonuses, overtime, or allowances unless the rules specifically allow them
• Part-time roles are not simply pro-rated below the general threshold — salary is assessed under specific hourly and hours-based rules Going rates are published per year on the basis of a 37.5-hour working week and must be pro-rated to the applicant's actual contracted weekly hours — a part-time offer cannot be compared against the full-time going rate directly. The salary must also be at least £17.13 per hour whatever the occupation.
• The threshold has changed several times in recent years — never rely on a figure from an old blog post, video, or agent

2. The Going Rate for Your Occupation Code

Every eligible occupation code has its own going rate, published in the Immigration Rules and on GOV.UK The official going rate for every occupation code is in Appendix Skilled Occupations, Table 1 (median ASHE rates; checked 6 November 2026)..

The going rate depends on:

• Your exact SOC code — not your job title
• Your contracted weekly hours — going rates are listed for a standard working week and adjusted for different hours under the rules

Two people with the same job title can have different going rates if their duties place them under different SOC codes. That is why the SOC code on your Certificate of Sponsorship matters so much — check it matches your actual duties.

3. The New Entrant Rate

Some applicants can qualify at a lower salary under the new entrant provisions. This is not available to everyone.

You may be a new entrant if, for example:

• You are under a set age at application you are under 26 years old on the date you apply.
• You are switching from a Student or Graduate visa in the UK
• You are working towards full registration in a regulated profession, or hold a relevant postdoctoral role

Where the new entrant rate applies, you still need to meet a reduced general threshold and a percentage of the going rate New entrants can be paid 70% of the occupation's going rate, but the salary must still be at least £33,400 per year. Time spent under the discounted categories is capped at 4 years in total (including any Graduate visa time); after that, the full threshold and going rate apply., and the new-entrant period is time-limited — you must meet the full rate when the period ends if you extend.

Ask your sponsor to confirm in writing which salary option your CoS uses.

Other Salary Options That Can Apply

Depending on your circumstances, other options exist in the rules:

• PhD points options — a relevant PhD (and in some cases a STEM PhD) can allow a lower salary, with different thresholds If you have a PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job, you can be paid 80% of the going rate, with a floor of £33,400. With a PhD in a non-STEM subject relevant to the job, the figures are 90% of the going rate with a floor of £37,500. Postdoctoral positions in science or higher education can use the 70% new-entrant rate instead.
• Immigration Salary List — roles on this list have their own salary treatment If your job is on the Immigration Salary List, your salary must be at least £33,400 per year AND at least the full standard going rate for the occupation — the discount applies to the general threshold, not to the going rate. ISL applicants also pay a lower visa fee (£628 for up to 3 years, £1,235 for longer, outside the UK).
• Health and Care Worker route — eligible health roles have separate salary arrangements On the Health and Care Worker route the salary must usually be at least £25,000 per year, or the going rate for the occupation if that is higher; for NHS roles the going rate comes from the national pay-scales table rather than the standard Appendix Skilled Occupations table.

Do not assume any of these apply to you until your sponsor and the CoS confirm it.

What Counts Towards Salary — and What Does Not

Generally counts:

• Guaranteed basic gross pay before tax for the sponsored role

Generally does not count:

• Overtime, bonuses, commission, or performance pay that is not guaranteed
• Pension contributions, benefits in kind, or accommodation allowances (except in very specific rule-based cases)
• Pay from supplementary or second jobs

If an offer only reaches the threshold by adding overtime or bonuses, it is likely to fail.

Worked Example — Without Relying on Old Figures

1. Find your SOC code from your offer / CoS.
2. Look up the going rate for that code on the current GOV.UK table.
3. Compare it to the current general threshold.
4. Your target salary is the higher of the two (unless a specific lower option — new entrant, PhD, etc. — is confirmed for you).
5. Run it through our checker tool linked below with the current official figures.

FAQs

My salary meets the general threshold but not the going rate. Am I eligible? In most cases, no. You normally need to meet whichever is higher. Speak to your sponsor about the SOC code and salary before the CoS is assigned.

Does the threshold change after I get my visa? Thresholds in force at your application date apply to that application. Extensions and settlement have their own assessments at the time you apply for them — always check the rules current then.

Can my employer top up my salary with allowances to meet the threshold? Usually not. Only pay that the Immigration Rules count qualifies. Get the CoS salary basis confirmed and check it against GOV.UK, not an agent's assurance.

Internal Links

• Check your salary against the threshold with the salary threshold checker
• Follow the full guide to getting a sponsored job in the UK
• Understand how sponsorship and the Certificate of Sponsorship work
• Check your overall sponsorship eligibility