The salary requirement is a central part of a UK Skilled Worker visa application, but there is no single salary figure that applies to every applicant.

For most standard Skilled Worker applications, the gross salary must be at least £41,700 per year and the applicable going rate for the occupation – whichever requirement produces the higher figure. Different salary options apply to some applicants, including new entrants, people with relevant PhD qualifications, jobs on the Immigration Salary List, certain healthcare and education roles and qualifying workers who entered the route under earlier rules.

If you are preparing an application or considering a new sponsored job, our Skilled Worker Visa Support page can help you organise your questions and understand your next step.

What Is the Minimum Salary for a Skilled Worker Visa?

Under the standard Skilled Worker salary option, your salary must meet both of these requirements:

  • At least £41,700 per year
  • At least the going rate for your occupation code

This means £41,700 should not be treated as a universal qualifying salary. The applicable going rate for the occupation must also be met.

For occupations in the relevant going-rate tables, the Immigration Rules also apply minimum hourly rates when calculating the going rate and any permitted percentage reduction.

For example, if:

  • Your proposed salary is £43,000
  • The going rate for your occupation is £46,000

You do not meet the standard salary option because the salary is below the going rate.

Conversely, if the going rate for the occupation is £38,000, you would still need to satisfy the £41,700 general threshold under the standard option.

What Is the Skilled Worker Going Rate?

The going rates for each occupation are published in the Immigration Rules on GOV.UK and updated periodically. Each eligible Skilled Worker occupation has a SOC 2020 occupation code and an associated going rate.

The going rate represents the salary threshold for that particular type of work. Current standard going rates for most occupations are based on median Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings data.

The amount varies significantly between occupations.

For example, a senior management occupation can have a substantially higher going rate than the general £41,700 threshold, while another eligible occupation can have a going rate below £41,700.

Applicants therefore need to identify the correct occupation code before assessing whether the proposed salary is sufficient.

Which Is More Important – £41,700 or the Going Rate?

Neither replaces the other.

Under the standard salary option, you must meet both.

The relevant minimum is therefore effectively whichever produces the higher salary requirement:

  • The £41,700 general threshold
  • The full going rate for your occupation

A job paying more than £41,700 can still fail the salary requirement if it does not meet the relevant going rate.

How Do You Find Your Occupation Code?

Your employer must identify the SOC 2020 occupation code that accurately reflects the job you will perform.

Occupation codes are based on the actual role and duties, not simply the job title.

This matters because the occupation code affects:

  • Whether the job is eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship
  • Whether it is classified as higher skilled or medium skilled
  • The applicable going rate
  • Whether PhD points can be used
  • Whether the job appears on the Immigration Salary List or another relevant list
  • Whether special healthcare or education salary rules apply

An employer should not select a different occupation code simply because it has a lower salary requirement.

Are Going Rates Based on a 37.5-Hour Week?

Yes, for most occupations in the main Skilled Worker salary tables.

The going rates in the current Appendix Skilled Occupations are based on a 37.5-hour working week. Where sponsored weekly hours differ from 37.5, the going rate is adjusted proportionately – upward for more hours and downward for fewer.

For example, the calculation for an ordinary occupation is:

Published going rate × weekly contracted hours ÷ 37.5

This means an applicant contracted to work 40 hours can have a higher required going-rate salary than someone in the same occupation working 37.5 hours.

Different calculation provisions apply to healthcare and education occupations whose going rates are based on national pay scales.

Can You Qualify on a Part-Time Salary?

Working part-time does not automatically prevent Skilled Worker sponsorship.

However, the general annual salary threshold is not simply reduced because someone works fewer hours.

The occupation going rate can be pro-rated according to working hours, but the relevant general salary threshold under the salary option being used must still be satisfied.

This can make some lower-hours roles difficult to sponsor even if the hourly rate is sufficient.

Is There a Minimum Hourly Rate?

There is not a single universal Skilled Worker minimum hourly rate that applies to every occupation.

However, the Immigration Rules specify underlying hourly rates for the calculation of going rates in the relevant occupation tables. The going-rate tables also contain minimum hourly-rate rules that affect how the going rate and permitted reductions are calculated.

For example, the current Table 1 rates are subject to a minimum underlying rate of £17.13 per hour.

These hourly calculations are particularly relevant where a going rate is being adjusted for working hours or where a permitted percentage reduction applies.

Applicants should therefore assess the applicable annual salary threshold, occupation-specific going rate, contracted working hours and relevant hourly calculation together.

Can You Get a Skilled Worker Visa for Less Than £41,700?

Yes, if you qualify under one of the permitted alternative salary options.

Current rules contain lower thresholds for certain applicants, including:

  • New entrants
  • Applicants with a relevant PhD
  • Applicants with a relevant STEM PhD
  • Jobs on the Immigration Salary List
  • Specified healthcare and education occupations
  • Some qualifying workers who entered the Skilled Worker route under the rules in force before 4 April 2024
  • Specified transitional cases

These are defined salary options. An applicant cannot simply accept a salary below £41,700 and ask the Home Office to overlook the shortfall.

What Is the New Entrant Salary Requirement?

A qualifying new entrant can be paid at least:

  • £33,400 per year
  • 70% of the standard going rate for the occupation

Both requirements must be met, together with the other new entrant requirements.

Relevant categories include certain applicants who:

  • Are under 26 on the application date
  • Currently hold, or recently held, qualifying Student permission
  • Currently hold, or recently held, Graduate permission
  • Are working towards a recognised professional qualification
  • Are working towards full registration or chartered status
  • Hold a qualifying postdoctoral position

Does Being Under 26 Automatically Mean You Can Be Paid £33,400?

Being under 26 is one way of satisfying the new entrant characteristic, but £33,400 is not automatically sufficient.

The salary must also meet the applicable 70% going-rate requirement.

For example, if 70% of the going rate for the occupation is £38,000, a salary of £33,400 would not meet the new entrant salary requirement.

Both parts of the salary test must be satisfied.

How Long Can You Use the New Entrant Salary Discount?

The new entrant provisions are time-limited.

Granting the application must not result in the applicant having more than four years in total of combined permission as a Skilled Worker, Graduate and/or Tier 2 Migrant. The four years do not have to be continuous.

An applicant therefore cannot rely on the new entrant salary reduction indefinitely.

This is important when an employer offers a starting salary on the assumption that the worker will remain eligible for the reduced threshold throughout several visa extensions.

What Is the Salary Requirement if You Have a PhD?

A relevant PhD can allow an applicant to qualify with a lower salary where the occupation is eligible for PhD points.

For a relevant non-STEM PhD, the current requirement is at least:

  • £37,500 per year
  • 90% of the standard going rate

The PhD must be relevant to the sponsored job.

An overseas doctorate must also meet the applicable equivalency requirements.

What If You Have a STEM PhD?

A relevant PhD in science, technology, engineering or mathematics can provide a larger going-rate reduction.

The salary must be at least:

  • £33,400 per year
  • 80% of the standard going rate

Again, both thresholds must be met.

A STEM doctorate that has no relevant connection with the sponsored role does not provide the salary reduction simply because the applicant holds the qualification.

Can Postdoctoral Workers Be Paid Less?

Certain postdoctoral positions in science and higher education qualify under the new entrant provisions.

For qualifying occupations, the salary can be based on:

  • At least £33,400 per year
  • At least 70% of the standard going rate

Specified postdoctoral occupation codes include roles covering areas such as chemical science, biological science, biochemistry, physical science, social and humanities science, research and higher education teaching.

The four-year time restriction connected with the relevant new entrant provisions also applies.

What If Your Job Is on the Immigration Salary List?

A job on the Immigration Salary List can qualify for a lower general salary threshold.

Under the current rules, an applicant using this salary option must be paid at least:

  • £33,400 per year
  • The full going rate for the occupation

The Immigration Salary List does not mean that an employer can automatically pay 80% of the normal going rate.

This is an important distinction. The lower £33,400 general threshold applies, but the full applicable going rate must still be satisfied under this option.

Some Immigration Salary List entries also apply only in specified parts of the UK, so the location of the job can matter.

Are Healthcare and Education Salary Rules Different?

Yes.

Specified healthcare and education occupations follow national pay scale going rates based on band or grade, subject to a separate Skilled Worker salary option.

For these listed roles, the salary must be at least:

  • £25,000 per year
  • The applicable going rate for the job

For relevant healthcare and education roles, the going rate is based on the appropriate national pay scale, such as NHS or education pay scales, rather than the ordinary ASHE going-rate table.

The national pay scale requirement applies whether the qualifying job is in the public or private sector.

Does Every Healthcare Job Have the £25,000 Threshold?

No.

The separate £25,000 national pay-scale salary option applies to specified occupations listed in the relevant healthcare and education tables.

Other healthcare roles can fall under different Skilled Worker salary tables and options.

The occupation code should therefore be checked before assuming that a job qualifies for the healthcare salary provisions.

Are There Special Salary Rules for Nurses Working Towards Registration?

Yes.

The Immigration Rules contain a specific temporary provision for certain nurses who are:

  • Working towards Nursing and Midwifery Council registration
  • Returning to practice through an approved programme

Where the detailed requirements are met, the salary can temporarily fall below the ordinary £25,000 threshold for up to eight months, subject to the specified Agenda for Change Band 3 requirement and registration conditions.

This is a defined exception and does not create a general ability for healthcare employers to sponsor workers below the relevant salary requirement.

What If You First Entered the Skilled Worker Route Before 4 April 2024?

Lower transitional salary provisions remain available to some existing Skilled Workers.

They apply where:

  • The applicant was granted permission as a Skilled Worker under the Immigration Rules in force before 4 April 2024
  • The worker has continuously held qualifying Skilled Worker permission since then

For a standard extension or update under this transitional option, the worker must currently be paid at least the higher of:

  • £31,300 per year
  • The applicable lower going rate for the occupation

These transitional salary arrangements are currently available only for qualifying applications made before 4 April 2030.

Can Pre-April 2024 Skilled Workers Also Use Salary Discounts?

Yes, where they meet the relevant transitional requirements.

Current transitional salary options include:

  • At least £28,200 per year and 90% of the applicable lower going rate for a relevant non-STEM PhD
  • At least £25,000 per year and 80% of the applicable lower going rate for a relevant STEM PhD
  • At least £25,000 per year plus the applicable going rate for qualifying Immigration Salary List employment
  • At least £25,000 per year and 70% of the applicable lower going rate for a qualifying new entrant

The applicant must satisfy both salary requirements applicable to the relevant option, as well as the other eligibility conditions.

The older thresholds are not simply available to anyone who happened to be living or working in the UK before April 2024.

What Salary Actually Counts Towards the Requirement?

The Immigration Rules specify what can be treated as salary.

Salary includes:

  • Guaranteed basic gross pay before income tax
  • Other guaranteed payments that are treated in the same way as basic gross pay for tax, pension and National Insurance purposes

Not every payment appearing in an employment package can be counted.

Do Bonuses Count Towards the Skilled Worker Salary?

No.

The current Rules exclude additional pay such as:

  • Bonus pay
  • Overtime pay
  • Shift pay

This applies even where the additional payment is guaranteed.

An employer should therefore not calculate Skilled Worker eligibility by adding an expected annual bonus to a basic salary that is below the required threshold.

Do Allowances Count?

Generally, allowances do not count towards the Skilled Worker salary requirement. However, limited transitional provisions allow certain allowances to be counted for qualifying workers who were previously granted permission as Tier 2 (General) migrants and have continuously held Skilled Worker permission.

The Immigration Rules exclude items such as:

  • Accommodation allowances
  • Cost-of-living allowances
  • Company cars
  • Health insurance
  • School or university fees
  • Food
  • Equity shares
  • One-off joining payments
  • Payments covering immigration costs

The salary assessment should therefore focus on the qualifying guaranteed gross pay rather than the total advertised value of the employee’s benefits package.

Can Overtime Push You Over the Salary Threshold?

Overtime pay is excluded from the Skilled Worker salary calculation.

For workers sponsored for more than 48 hours each week, the Rules generally count salary attributable only to the first 48 hours per week towards the general salary thresholds. The going-rate calculation is subject to separate rules.

For example, an employer cannot normally make a role meet the annual salary threshold simply by requiring a worker to work an unusually high number of hours.

What If Your Working Hours Change From Week to Week?

The Rules contain specific calculations for regular working patterns where hours vary from week to week.

Work above 48 hours in some weeks can be considered where the worker’s average over the relevant regular cycle does not exceed 48 hours per week. The cycle used for this calculation cannot exceed 17 weeks.

This is a genuine exception to the ordinary 48-hour calculation rather than a general ability to count unlimited overtime.

Does a Salary Sacrifice Arrangement Affect the Calculation?

The current Rules require certain payments made by a worker to their sponsor or a related organisation to be deducted when salary is assessed.

However, not every deduction is treated in the same way. Certain payments made by the worker to the sponsor or a related organisation must be deducted from the salary used for immigration purposes.

An exception can apply where the payment is not related to business costs, immigration costs or investment and instead relates to an additional benefit that the worker genuinely chooses to take, such as a qualifying salary sacrifice arrangement.

Can Your Employer Reduce Your Salary After Your Visa Is Granted?

A Skilled Worker’s sponsored job must continue to comply with the relevant immigration requirements.

Some salary changes can be permitted without a new visa application, but an employer cannot simply reduce a worker’s salary below the level required for their sponsored employment and assume the existing visa remains unaffected.

Sponsors also have reporting obligations when relevant employment circumstances change.

If your employer proposes a significant reduction in your salary or working hours, you should check how the change affects your specific Skilled Worker permission before agreeing to it.

What Happens If You Change Employer?

A change of employer requires a new Skilled Worker application.

Your new employer must assign a new Certificate of Sponsorship, and the salary for the new role must satisfy the Skilled Worker rules that apply to your new application.

You cannot assume that a salary accepted for your previous visa remains sufficient for a new sponsored job.

This is particularly important if:

  • The occupation code changes
  • The going rate is different
  • You previously relied on new entrant status
  • You are approaching the end of a transitional period
  • The new job falls under a different salary table

For more detail, see What Happens to Your Skilled Worker Visa If You Change Employer?

Does a High Salary Make Any Job Eligible for a Skilled Worker Visa?

No.

Salary is only one part of Skilled Worker eligibility.

The job must also:

  • Be sponsored by an approved employer
  • Fall within an eligible occupation
  • Meet the applicable skill-level provisions
  • Be a genuine role
  • Satisfy the other requirements of the Skilled Worker route

An employer cannot turn an ineligible occupation into an eligible Skilled Worker job simply by increasing the salary.

Do Medium-Skilled Jobs Have Different Rules?

Current Skilled Worker rules distinguish between occupations classified at the higher-skilled level and occupations classified as medium skilled.

Following the July 2025 changes, medium-skilled occupations are subject to additional eligibility restrictions. Certain medium-skilled occupations may remain eligible where they are included on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List, or where transitional provisions apply. The eligibility rules are separate from the salary requirements.

Meeting the salary threshold alone therefore does not establish that a medium-skilled job is eligible for sponsorship.

Applicants should check both the occupation’s eligibility and its salary requirements.

Does the Salary Requirement Change for Indefinite Leave to Remain?

Salary remains relevant when a Skilled Worker applies for settlement.

Under the standard current settlement provision, the applicant must be paid at least:

  • £41,700 per year
  • The full applicable going rate

Different settlement thresholds apply to some applicants, including qualifying transitional workers, Immigration Salary List workers and certain healthcare or education occupations.

Importantly, the reduced 70%, 80% and 90% going-rate columns used for some entry or extension applications do not apply in the same way to standard Skilled Worker settlement.

Applicants approaching ILR should therefore check the settlement salary requirement separately rather than assuming that the salary used for their latest visa extension will automatically be sufficient.

Example 1: Standard Skilled Worker Salary

Suppose an applicant is offered:

  • Salary: £45,000
  • Occupation going rate: £43,000

The salary exceeds both £41,700 and the going rate.

The salary requirement under the standard option is therefore met, assuming the calculations and other requirements of the route are also satisfied.

Example 2: Salary Above £41,700 but Below the Going Rate

Suppose an applicant is offered:

  • Salary: £44,000
  • Occupation going rate: £48,000

The salary exceeds the £41,700 general threshold but is below the full going rate.

The applicant therefore does not meet the standard salary option. They would need to establish whether another permitted salary option applies.

Example 3: Qualifying New Entrant

Suppose a qualifying new entrant is offered:

  • Salary: £35,000
  • 70% going rate: £34,000

The salary exceeds both the £33,400 new entrant threshold and the relevant 70% going rate.

The salary element of the new entrant option is therefore met, provided the applicant satisfies the other new entrant requirements.

Example 4: New Entrant Salary Too Low for the Going Rate

Suppose a qualifying new entrant is offered:

  • Salary: £35,000
  • 70% going rate: £39,000

Although the salary exceeds £33,400, it does not reach 70% of the occupation’s going rate.

The salary requirement is therefore not met under the new entrant option.

Common Skilled Worker Salary Mistakes

Problems can arise where applicants or employers:

  • Treat £41,700 as the only salary threshold
  • Fail to check the occupation’s going rate
  • Choose an inaccurate occupation code because it has a lower going rate
  • Forget to adjust the going rate for contracted working hours
  • Assume part-time work reduces the general annual threshold
  • Include bonuses, overtime or allowances as qualifying salary
  • Assume an Immigration Salary List job can automatically be paid 80% of the going rate
  • Rely on new entrant status without checking the four-year limit
  • Assume holding any PhD creates a salary reduction
  • Use a STEM PhD that is unrelated to the sponsored job
  • Apply ordinary salary rules to a healthcare or education occupation with national pay scales
  • Assume pre-April 2024 transitional provisions apply without continuous Skilled Worker permission
  • Assume the salary requirement for a visa extension is identical to the requirement for settlement

Checking the applicable salary option before the Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned can help identify problems before an immigration application is made.

Visit our Skilled Worker Visa Support page to organise your questions and understand your next step.