The UK Skilled Worker visa salary threshold rose to £41,700 from 22 July 2025, replacing the previous £38,700 figure. This 2026 guide explains the dual-test salary framework: applicants must earn at least the general cash threshold and the going rate published for their SOC 2020 occupation code — whichever produces the higher number. It covers the six salary options, the new-entrant and PhD discounts, the £17.13 hourly floor, transitional protection for pre-April 2024 cohorts, and how to calculate compliant pay correctly. The framework is set in Appendix Skilled Worker and applied via the going rates published in Appendix Skilled Occupations.
The Skilled Worker route runs a two-test pay system. The general threshold is £41,700 a year for standard applications, but every applicant must also be paid the published going rate for their SOC 2020 code. The higher of the two figures applies. Reduced cash floors of £37,500 (relevant PhD), £33,400 (STEM PhD, new entrant, or Immigration Salary List role), and £31,300 (health and education Table 2) attach to specific tradeable-points options, each with its own going-rate percentage. Only guaranteed basic gross PAYE pay counts.
UK Skilled Worker Visa Salary Threshold 2026: Complete Requirements Guide
Pay is one of the most heavily scrutinised parts of a Skilled Worker application. Salary errors — incorrect SOC coding, wrong pro-ration, counting ineligible elements like bonuses — sit alongside CoS data inconsistency as the most common refusal triggers. The Home Office uses two completely separate tests, and a candidate must clear both.
From 22 July 2025 the general threshold jumped from £38,700 to £41,700. The RQF Level 6 skill threshold moved on the same date. From 8 January 2026 first-time applicants must hold B2 English. The Immigration Salary List is scheduled to expire on 31 December 2026, and from that date the 80% going-rate discount no longer applies — ISL roles will need to clear the £33,400 cash floor against 100% of the going rate. Care worker and senior care worker overseas applications closed on 22 July 2025; transitional in-country switching continues until 22 July 2028 for those eligible for the Health and Care visa salary concession.
What Is the UK Skilled Worker Visa Salary Threshold?
The general 2026 salary threshold is £41,700 per year. Applicants must be paid the higher of this figure and the going rate published for their SOC 2020 occupation. A minimum hourly rate of £17.13 also applies for most Table 1 roles under Options A–E, calculated against a maximum 48-hour working week. Reduced cash floors of £37,500, £33,400, or £31,300 apply to specific tradeable-points options.
The dual-test mechanic is decisive. If your occupation's going rate is £45,000, you must be paid at least £45,000 — the £41,700 general threshold becomes irrelevant. Conversely, if your role's going rate sits at £26,000, you still need £41,700 because the general floor binds. The Home Office Skilled Worker job rules walk through the same logic with worked examples.
2026 Salary Thresholds at a Glance
| Salary Option | Cash Minimum | Going Rate % |
|---|---|---|
| Option A: Standard | £41,700 | 100% |
| Option B: Relevant PhD | £37,500 | 90% |
| Option C: STEM PhD | £33,400 | 80% |
| Option D: Immigration Salary List role | £33,400 | 80% |
| Option E: New Entrant | £33,400 | 70% |
| Option F: Health & Education (Table 2) | £31,300 | 100% |
Each option carries its own evidential requirements. New entrant status (Option E) requires the applicant to be under 26 on the application date, or switching from Graduate or Student visa, or in a professional training programme. PhD-based discounts (Options B and C) require a UK ENIC equivalence statement if the qualification was earned overseas, with the reference quoted on the Certificate of Sponsorship.
Going Rates and SOC 2020 Codes
The going rate is the occupation-specific salary benchmark set by the Home Office for each SOC 2020 code, drawn from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Going rates are calculated against a 37.5-hour week (Table 1) or pay-scale-driven (Table 2: NHS Agenda for Change and STPCD teacher scales). Working hours different from the reference must be pro-rated proportionally. The current rates live in the Home Office going rates publication.
Finding the Going Rate for Your Occupation
Identify the SOC 2020 code that matches the actual day-to-day duties of the role, not the job title. The sponsor must use the CASCOT occupation coding tool inside the Sponsor Management System (SMS), then locate the matching row in Appendix Skilled Worker and the published going rates table. Sponsors should retain a dated copy of the going rate published on the day the CoS is assigned — UKVI assesses against the figure in force at that date.
- Table 1 occupations: Standard going rates based on a 37.5-hour reference week
- Table 1a: Reduced rates for tradeable-points discounts (70%, 80%, 90%)
- Table 2 occupations: Health and education roles using NHS Agenda for Change and School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document
- Table 3 occupations: Medical and dental practitioners on a 40-hour reference week
- Tables 4 and 5: Transitional and special-case occupations for protected cohorts
Pro-Rating for Non-Standard Hours
When contracted hours differ from the table's reference week, the going rate is recalculated. For a Table 1 role with a published going rate of £42,000 (based on 37.5 hours) where the contract specifies 40 hours, the calculation runs £42,000 ÷ 37.5 × 40 = £44,800. The candidate must be paid at least the higher of that pro-rated going rate and the general cash floor.
Worked Example: SOC 2121 Civil Engineer
A Civil Engineer position (SOC 2121) typically carries a published going rate around £42,500 on a 37.5-hour week. Under Option A the cash floor is £41,700, so the going rate binds at £42,500. If the same applicant qualifies as a new entrant under Option E, the cash floor falls to £33,400 and the going rate test runs at 70% — that is £29,750. The applicant must therefore be paid the higher of the two — £33,400 — since the general floor outweighs the 70% rate.
Tradeable Points and Salary Discounts
Tradeable points let applicants qualify at reduced salary by trading off other characteristics: doctoral qualifications, new entrant status, ISL inclusion, or eligible health and education roles. The discounts apply to the cash floor and the going-rate percentage — but every option carries its own evidential and timing rules. The route to sponsored UK work permission reserves these reductions for genuinely qualifying applicants only.
New Entrant Discount (Option E)
Option E is the most accessible discount for early-career workers. Candidates qualify if they are under 26 on the date of application, switching from a Graduate route to Skilled Worker, switching from a Student visa, in a post-doctoral position in a listed SOC code, or in a recognised professional training programme. The cash floor is £33,400 and the going-rate test runs at 70%.
New entrant rates apply for a cumulative maximum of 4 years across the route. Any time spent on a Graduate visa counts towards that 4-year cap. After the limit expires, the worker must clear the standard Option A threshold (£41,700 and 100% of the going rate) at any future extension or settlement application. Plan the transition early — wage rises mid-employment usually need sponsor agreement and a fresh CoS if the role changes.
PhD-Based Discounts (Options B and C)
PhD discounts apply only where the doctorate is demonstrably relevant to the sponsored role and the SOC code is eligible for PhD points under Appendix Skilled Worker. UK PhDs are evidenced through a certificate or formal academic reference. Overseas PhDs must be verified through UK ENIC, with the reference number stated on the CoS. The reductions are:
- Option B (relevant PhD): £37,500 cash floor at 90% of the going rate
- Option C (STEM PhD): £33,400 cash floor at 80% of the going rate
Immigration Salary List Roles (Option D)
The Immigration Salary List (ISL) replaced the former Shortage Occupation List in April 2024 and identifies a short list of occupations where the Migration Advisory Committee has confirmed genuine labour shortage. ISL roles attract Option D: £33,400 cash floor at 80% of the going rate. The list is scheduled to expire on 31 December 2026, and from that date the 80% discount on the going rate ends — ISL transition becomes an Option A application.
How to Calculate Compliant Pay
Only guaranteed basic gross PAYE pay counts toward Skilled Worker salary tests. Bonuses, overtime, allowances, benefits-in-kind, equity, pension contributions, and one-off payments are all excluded. When testing against the general cash floor, only the first 48 contracted hours per week are recognised; when testing the going rate, all contracted hours are included. Visa-cost clawback arrangements normally have to be deducted from the headline salary unless processed through an HMRC-recognised salary sacrifice scheme. Note that visa-fee reimbursements covered by the employer — including the complete Work visa fee tables and the yearly IHS payment for adult workers — cannot be added to the salary figure for points purposes.
Salary calculation errors are among the most common refusal grounds and one of the leading causes of work-route refusals at decision stage. The Home Office applies strict rules about which components qualify, and sponsors must mirror those rules accurately on the Certificate of Sponsorship. Applicants must also clear the B2 CEFR Skilled Worker English standard at decision stage, with English evidence verified independently of salary calculations.
- Included: Guaranteed basic gross PAYE pay
- Included: Salary sacrifice amounts processed through HMRC-recognised schemes
- Included: London weighting where guaranteed and treated as basic pay for tax
- Excluded: Overtime payments, even if regular or guaranteed
- Excluded: Bonuses, commission, performance pay
- Excluded: Allowances — accommodation, relocation, living-cost
- Excluded: Benefits-in-kind — company car, private health, equity, share schemes
- Excluded: Employer pension and National Insurance contributions
- Excluded: One-off payments — signing bonuses, visa fee reimbursements
The 48-Hour Weekly Cap
When testing against the general cash floor, only the first 48 contracted hours per week are counted. So a contract showing 60 hours at £14.50 per hour produces a notional annual salary of £45,240 — but under the 48-hour cap, only £36,192 counts (48 × £14.50 × 52). That figure misses the £41,700 floor by some distance even though headline pay looks adequate. The same role tested against the going rate uses all 60 hours, which can produce a different result entirely. Sponsors must run both tests separately.
£17.13 Hourly Floor
A separate £17.13 hourly minimum applies to most Table 1 occupations under Options A–E. The hourly floor protects against unusually long working weeks that would otherwise dilute the effective hourly rate. £17.13 multiplied by 48 hours over 52 weeks produces approximately £42,756 — slightly above the £41,700 cash floor, which is why the two figures co-exist as separate tests.
Transitional Protection for Earlier Cohorts
Workers who entered the route under earlier rules carry transitional protection on salary thresholds at extension and change-of-employment stages. The protection recognises that the worker accepted employment under different rules and prevents retrospective disqualification.
- CoS assigned before 4 April 2024: Transitional general threshold of £31,300 with route-specific going-rate variants
- Pre-April 2024 health and education cohort: Threshold floors of £28,200 or £25,000 in some SOC codes
- Pre-22 July 2025 RQF 3–5 holders: Continued sponsorship at the lower skill level provided the worker remains in the same job for the same sponsor
- Expiry windows: Various transitional provisions expire between December 2026 and 2030 depending on the route
Relying on the wrong transitional category produces refusals. The route to Skilled Worker settlement in particular needs careful checking — workers approaching ILR under transitional rates must verify they still hold the qualifying cohort status at the application date. Workers moved internally by multinational employers should also cross-reference the GBM salary framework, which uses a parallel but distinct set of threshold rules.
Common Salary Refusal Triggers
Casework experience shows a tight cluster of recurring salary errors. Most can be designed out at the CoS-assignment stage with disciplined checks against the published sponsor compliance framework.
- Wrong SOC code: Selecting the closest-sounding code rather than the one matching daily duties
- Going rate stale: Using a going rate from the previous publication rather than the one in force on the CoS date
- Including bonus or allowance: Stating a headline figure that includes ineligible elements
- Pro-ration error: Failing to pro-rate the going rate for contracted hours different from 37.5
- 48-hour cap missed: Counting hours above 48 toward the general threshold
- Transitional category misuse: Claiming protection where the qualifying cohort no longer applies
- Discount with no evidence: Option B/C without UK ENIC reference, Option E without age or visa-history proof
- General cash floor is £41,700 under Option A; reduced floors run from £31,300 to £37,500
- Applicants must clear the higher of the cash floor and the SOC-specific going rate
- The going rate is published in Appendix Skilled Occupations and updated annually from ASHE data
- Only guaranteed basic gross PAYE pay counts — no bonuses, allowances, or one-off payments
- Hourly floor of £17.13 applies to most Table 1 roles under Options A–E
- New entrant rates apply for a maximum of 4 years including Graduate visa time
- Immigration Salary List expires 31 December 2026; 80% going-rate discount ends with it
- Transitional protection covers pre-4 April 2024 cohorts but expires between 2026 and 2030
For the canonical text of the rules, see Appendix Skilled Worker, the going rates publication, and the Skilled Worker job rules on gov.uk.
Frequently Asked Questions
The 2026 general minimum is £41,700 per year under Option A. Applicants must also meet the going rate published for their SOC 2020 occupation — whichever is higher applies. Reduced cash floors of £37,500, £33,400, and £31,300 attach to relevant PhD, STEM PhD, new entrant, Immigration Salary List, and health and education tradeable-points options respectively, each carrying its own going-rate percentage.
The going rate is the occupation-specific salary benchmark attached to each SOC 2020 code. For Table 1 codes it reflects median UK earnings drawn from ONS ASHE data on a 37.5-hour week. For Table 2 health and education roles it follows NHS Agenda for Change and the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document. Applicants must meet 100% of the going rate under Option A or reduced percentages (70%, 80%, 90%) under qualifying tradeable-points options.
Yes — through a tradeable-points option. New entrants (under 26 on application, Graduate or Student visa switchers, or those in professional training) qualify at £33,400 with 70% of the going rate for up to 4 years. Relevant PhD holders qualify at £37,500 with 90%, and STEM PhDs at £33,400 with 80%. Immigration Salary List roles qualify at £33,400 with 80%. Health and education Table 2 roles qualify at £31,300 with 100%.
The new entrant rate applies for a cumulative maximum of 4 years across the Skilled Worker route, including any time previously held on a Graduate visa. Once the cap is reached, the worker must clear the standard Option A threshold (£41,700 plus 100% of the going rate) at any subsequent extension or settlement application. Sponsors should plan salary uplifts ahead of the transition date.
No. Only guaranteed basic gross PAYE pay counts toward the salary tests. Bonuses, overtime (even guaranteed overtime), commission, allowances such as accommodation or relocation, benefits-in-kind including company cars and private health cover, equity, employer pension and National Insurance contributions, and one-off payments such as signing bonuses or visa fee reimbursements are all excluded. London weighting can count where guaranteed and treated as basic pay for tax purposes.
The minimum hourly rate for most Table 1 occupations under Options A–E is £17.13 per hour, calculated against a maximum 48-hour working week. If the contracted hourly rate falls below £17.13, the application fails this test regardless of how high the annual salary appears. The hourly floor sits alongside — not instead of — the general cash threshold and the going rate.
For Table 1 roles based on a 37.5-hour reference week, the going rate is recalculated proportionally: published going rate ÷ 37.5 × actual contracted weekly hours. For example, a £42,000 going rate role contracted at 40 hours becomes £44,800 minimum. The general cash floor (£41,700) is not pro-rated downward for part-time work, but for the 48-hour test only the first 48 hours per week are counted toward meeting the floor.
The Immigration Salary List is scheduled to expire on 31 December 2026. From that date the 80% going-rate discount under Option D ends — ISL roles convert to Option A and need to clear the standard £41,700 cash floor at 100% of the going rate. Some occupations may be removed earlier if the Migration Advisory Committee concludes the shortage no longer exists. Care worker and senior care worker codes have separate transitional arrangements running to 22 July 2028.
Yes. Workers who received their first Certificate of Sponsorship before 4 April 2024 carry transitional protection — at extension and change-of-employment stage the general threshold drops to £31,300. Earlier Tier 2 (General) cohorts may benefit from even lower floors (£28,200 or £25,000) in specific health and education codes. Transitional provisions expire on staggered dates between December 2026 and 2030 — verify the qualifying cohort still applies before relying on the lower rate.