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Skilled Worker salary: £41,700 and going rates

Under Appendix Skilled Worker the general salary test is at least £41,700 a year and the occupation's going rate, whichever is higher. Lower thresholds of £33,400, £37,500 or £25,000 apply to specific groups, and only guaranteed basic pay counts.

The salary requirement is where many Skilled Worker applications and sponsor decisions turn. The Rules do not set one number. They set a table of "points options", each pairing a fixed annual figure with a percentage of the going rate for the job's occupation code. Which option is available depends on the job and the person.

GOV.UK summarises the position in one sentence: the minimum salary is whichever is the highest of £41,700 per year or the going rate for the type of work. The detail sits in rule SW 4.4 and rules SW 8 to SW 14 of Appendix Skilled Worker, and in the going rate tables in Appendix Skilled Occupations. This guide explains how those fit together, what counts as salary, and how working hours change the calculation, using the versions in force on 9 October 2026. It explains the tests; it does not say which option applies to a particular job or person.

The general rule: £41,700 and the going rate

Option A in rule SW 4.4 is the standard option. The applicant's salary must equal or exceed both £41,700 per year and the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code the job is sponsored under. In practice that means the higher of the two numbers.

The going rate comes from Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations. For these degree-level occupations (the Table describes them as skilled to RQF level 6 or above), the going rate is based on the median Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data, or £17.13 per hour if that is higher. The figures in Table 1 are per year and based on a 37.5-hour week.

Three examples from the table, as read on 9 October 2026:

  • 2136 IT quality and testing professionals: going rate £41,200. This is below £41,700, so under Option A the £41,700 figure is the higher number.
  • 2137 IT network professionals: going rate £45,600. Here the going rate is higher than £41,700, so £45,600 is the number.
  • 2311 Higher education teaching professionals: going rate £52,600.

These are illustrations of how the table works, not statements about any person's job. Whether a job fits a code is for the sponsor to decide, and the Rules (SW 6.2) say the sponsor must choose an appropriate code and the decision maker may refuse if there are reasonable grounds to believe a less appropriate code was chosen.

GOV.UK adds that the minimum salary may be lower if you are extending your Skilled Worker visa, updating it because you have a new job or employer, or switching to the visa to become a prison officer. Appendix Skilled Occupations was last updated on 11 November 2025, so check it again for changes before you rely on a going rate.

The lower options: A to E, F to J and K

The table in SW 4.4 has eleven options, each worth 20 points. An applicant needs 20 points from one of them.

Options B to E (the lower rates for most jobs):

  • B: a PhD relevant to the job and salary of at least £37,500 and 90% of the going rate.
  • C: a PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job and salary of at least £33,400 and 80% of the going rate.
  • D: a job on the Immigration Salary List and salary of at least £33,400 and the going rate. The going rate here is still the Table 1 (or 1a) figure.
  • E: a new entrant at the start of their career and salary of at least £33,400 and 70% of the going rate.

Options B and C also need the occupation to be marked "eligible for PhD points" in the table, and the sponsor must give a credible explanation of how the qualification is relevant (SW 9.3, 10.3).

Who counts as a new entrant (rule SW 12.2). The applicant must meet at least one of these: under 26 on the date of application; a postdoctoral position in a listed scientific or academic occupation code; working towards a recognised UK professional qualification in a UK regulated profession; working towards full registration or chartered status; most recent permission was as a Student (with conditions on the course and timing); or most recent permission was as a Graduate. Under SW 12.3, the total combined permission as a Skilled Worker, Graduate or Tier 2 migrant cannot be more than 4 years.

Options F to J (Health and Care ASHE salary jobs): these mirror A to E with lower floors: £31,300 for option F, £28,200 for G, £25,000 for H, I and J. Under SW 4.2(b) they are open only to applicants sponsored for a "Health and Care ASHE salary job", which SW A1.1 lists as the codes 1171, 1231, 1232, 2113, 2114, 3111, 3211, 3212, 6135 and 6136 where the sponsor is a listed health or care body or provides regulated activities, or to some people who were granted permission under rules in place before 4 April 2024 and have held Skilled Worker permission continuously since. They use the lower-quartile going rates in Table 2. Our care worker guide has the details for 6135 and 6136.

Option K (national pay scales): for jobs in a listed health or education occupation, salary of at least £25,000 and the going rate set by national pay scales in Tables 3, 3a, 4 and 5 of Appendix Skilled Occupations. Examples of codes in Table 3 include 2231 midwifery nurses and 2461 social workers, whose going rates are given by pay band. Rule SW 13.2 lets some nursing applicants be paid below £25,000 for up to 8 months in two listed circumstances connected with NMC registration.

GOV.UK's page describes the same structure in plain terms: a minimum of £33,400 for those who can be paid less, £37,500 for some PhD holders, and £25,000 for healthcare and education jobs on national pay scales.

What counts as salary

Rule SW 14.1 says salary "only includes guaranteed basic gross pay (before income tax and including employee pension and national insurance contributions) and other guaranteed payments which are treated exactly the same as basic gross pay for tax, pension and national insurance purposes".

Rule SW 14.2 lists what does not count:

  • pay that cannot be guaranteed because hours fluctuate;
  • additional pay such as shift, overtime or bonus pay, whether or not guaranteed;
  • employer pension and employer national insurance contributions;
  • allowances such as accommodation or cost of living allowances;
  • in-kind benefits such as equity shares, health insurance, school fees, company cars or food;
  • one-off payments such as "golden hellos";
  • payments relating to immigration costs, such as the fee or the Immigration Health Charge; and
  • payments to cover business expenses.

Money paid back to the employer. Rule SW 14.2A says deductions from salary, repayments of loans and investments paid by the applicant to the sponsor or a related organisation are subtracted from salary and averaged over the length of the sponsorship, unless the payment is an additional benefit the applicant has a genuine choice whether to take, for example a salary sacrifice arrangement.

A transitional rule on allowances. Rule SW 14.5 contains transitional arrangements for people granted permission as Tier 2 (General) migrants who have had continuous Skilled Worker permission since. One of them allows salary to include allowances where the date of application is before 1 December 2026, subject to conditions. Whether it applies is a detailed question of history.

Hours, pay periods and part-time work

Pro-rating. Rule SW 14.4(a) says going rates in Tables 1 to 2a are based on a 37.5-hour week and are pro-rated by the number of weekly working hours stated by the sponsor divided by 37.5. For the percentage options, the pro-rated figure is then multiplied by 0.7, 0.8 or 0.9 (SW 14.4(b)). Going rates for the health and education codes in Tables 3 to 5 are pro-rated as stated in Appendix Skilled Occupations.

The 48-hour cap. For the fixed thresholds, SW 14.3 says that if the applicant is sponsored to work more than 48 hours a week, only the salary for the first 48 hours counts. The Rule's example: someone working 60 hours a week at £15 an hour has a salary of £37,440 (£15 × 48 × 52) for the test, not £46,800. Where hours vary, SW 14.3A allows work over 48 hours in some weeks to count if the average over a regular cycle of no more than 17 weeks is not above 48 hours a week.

Paid on time and in full. Rule SW 14.3B says the worker must be paid the required salary in pay periods of at least monthly frequency, and the salary paid in each period must equal or exceed the going rate for every hour worked in that period. Over any three-month period (for monthly or less frequent pay) the pay must be at least a quarter of the required annual salary; over any 12-week period for more frequent pay it must be at least 12/52. This is an ongoing duty, not only a test at application.

Minimum wage. GOV.UK says the employer must make sure the job pays at least the minimum wage and follows UK rules on weekly hours, or the application will be refused.

Worked examples (illustrative)

These show how the text applies; they are not predictions and not a view on any real job.

Example 1. A job in code 2136 pays £41,000 for a standard 37.5-hour week. Option A needs both £41,700 and the going rate of £41,200. £41,000 is below both, so Option A is not met on that salary. Whether another option, such as one for new entrants, is open depends on the person.

Example 2. A job in code 2137 pays £44,000. Option A needs £41,700 and £45,600; the going rate is the higher figure, and £44,000 falls short of it by £1,600. Option B for a relevant PhD would need £37,500 and the table's 90% figure of £41,100, so £41,100 is the higher number; Option C for a relevant STEM PhD would need £33,400 and the table's 80% figure of £36,500, so £36,500 is the higher number. Those options also need the qualification and the sponsor's explanation.

Example 3. A worker is sponsored for 60 hours a week at £15 an hour. Following the Rule's own example, only 48 hours count: £37,440 a year for the salary test. That is below £41,700 under Option A, even though the actual pay would be £46,800.

Example 4. An employer pays a £41,700 base salary but also £3,000 in guaranteed accommodation allowance. Under SW 14.2(d) the allowance is not salary. The figure for the test remains £41,700 (subject to the transitional rule in SW 14.5 for eligible people).

Example 5. A salary of £42,000 where the going rate is £45,000 does not meet Option A. GOV.UK uses this exact example: the salary is above £41,700 but below the going rate.

Keeping up with changes

The numbers here are the ones in force on 9 October 2026. Two cautions apply.

First, the going rate tables are in Appendix Skilled Occupations, which carries a last-updated date of 11 November 2025 on GOV.UK, while Appendix Skilled Worker was updated on 8 October 2026. The two are separate documents, so check both. Second, Statements of Changes can alter thresholds. GOV.UK's current Skilled Worker page and the Appendix itself are the places to confirm figures before an application or a contract.

Where a worker is already in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa, different thresholds can apply for extending or updating. GOV.UK says the minimum salary may be lower in those cases, and the transitional rules in SW 14.5 cover people whose first permission was as a Tier 2 (General) migrant. Those depend on history.

Finding a regulated adviser

The salary test interacts with the occupation code, the type of job, the person's history and the hours. If you want a regulated adviser to check a specific job offer against the Rules before you apply or accept it, GOV.UK explains how to find an immigration adviser, and only IAA-registered advisers, solicitors and other qualified persons can give immigration advice in England and Wales.

The Migratio directory lists IAA-registered advisers (with their level) and SRA-regulated solicitors, each with their regulator and registration number. Migratio is not regulated by the IAA or the SRA and does not give immigration advice. This page explains how the rules work; it does not tell you what to do in your case.

Questions people ask

What is the minimum salary for a Skilled Worker visa in 2026?

The general test is at least £41,700 a year and at least the going rate for the occupation code, whichever is higher. Lower thresholds of £33,400, £37,500 or £25,000 apply to specific groups, such as new entrants, some PhD holders, Immigration Salary List jobs and listed health and education jobs.

What is a going rate for a Skilled Worker visa?

It is the annual salary figure for an occupation code in Appendix Skilled Occupations, based on ASHE earnings data and calculated for a 37.5-hour week. Rule SW 14.4 pro-rates it to the working hours the sponsor states. Some health and education jobs use national pay scale rates instead.

Do bonuses and allowances count towards the Skilled Worker salary?

No. Rule SW 14.2 says shift, overtime and bonus pay, allowances such as accommodation, in-kind benefits, one-off payments and payments relating to immigration costs are not salary. Only guaranteed basic gross pay and other guaranteed payments treated the same for tax and pension purposes count.

Does overtime count towards the salary threshold?

No. Rule SW 14.2(b) excludes shift, overtime and bonus pay. Rule SW 14.3 also says that where someone is sponsored for more than 48 hours a week, only the salary for the first 48 hours counts towards the fixed thresholds.

Can I be paid less than £41,700 on a Skilled Worker visa?

The Rules have other options: for example £33,400 for a new entrant (with 70% of the going rate), £33,400 for an Immigration Salary List job, £37,500 or £33,400 for certain PhD holders, and £25,000 for listed health and education jobs on national pay scales. Each has its own conditions in rules SW 9 to SW 13.

Is the Skilled Worker salary pro-rated for part-time work?

The going rate is. Rule SW 14.4 multiplies the Table 1 to 2a rate by the sponsor's stated weekly hours divided by 37.5. The fixed thresholds, such as £41,700, are annual figures in the points table, so check the Rules for how they apply to part-time hours.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

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