On 22 July 2025, the Skilled Worker visa salary threshold rose to £41,700 a year. That headline figure is only your starting point. Your real minimum depends on the job offered, and many refusals trace back to a salary that fell just short.
- The floor: £41,700 for most applications
- The catch: your job may demand more
- The discounts: some applicants pay less
- The proof: your sponsor confirms the figure
This guide walks you through every number you need before you apply.
Table of Contents
The £41,700 General Threshold Explained
The Skilled Worker visa salary threshold is the salary floor that the Home Office sets for most roles. It rose in two clear steps.
- 4 April 2024: floor set at £38,700 a year
- 22 July 2025: floor raised to £41,700 a year
This figure is your anchor, and every later rule in this guide adjusts it. Therefore, you cannot judge a job offer until you know how it compares. A role paying below £41,700 with no qualifying discount cannot be sponsored at all.
One further change matters here. Since 22 July 2025, only roles at degree level, known as RQF level 6, qualify for most new applications. Consequently, many lower skilled jobs that once met the Skilled Worker visa salary threshold no longer do.
Why the “Going Rate” Often Matters More
Your Skilled Worker visa salary threshold is not always £41,700. The Home Office also sets a “going rate” for each job, and you must be paid the higher of the two. Accordingly, a £41,700 offer is enough only when your going rate sits at or below it.
This single rule decides most applications. For a well-paid profession, the going rate can sit far above the general threshold. However, for a lower-paying role, the £41,700 floor takes over instead.
How Going Rate s Are Set
Going rates come from national earnings data published by the Office for National Statistics. Specifically, each rate reflects typical pay for that profession on a 37.5 hour week. Healthcare and education roles on the Skilled Worker visa application instead follow national pay scales, such as the National Health Service Agenda for Change bands.
The figures move over time. The Home Office refreshed every going rate using the latest earnings data alongside the July 2025 changes. Therefore, an old salary table can mislead you, and you should always check the current version.
Finding Your Occupation Code
Every job sits under a Standard Occupational Classification code, usually shortened to SOC code. Consequently, this code decides your going rate. To illustrate, a chief executive under one code carries a far higher rate than a production manager under another.
Ask your employer for the exact SOC code before you apply. You can then check the rate in Appendix Skilled Occupations on GOV.UK. Specifically, request the code in writing, so your evidence and your sponsor agree.
The “Higher Of” Rule
Gatekeeper: You must pay the highest applicable rate
Calculating Pay for Part Time Hours
Part-time work changes the maths, but not the standard. Specifically, the going rates assume a 37.5 hour week. If your contract is shorter, you calculate a pro-rated figure rather than the full annual rate.
The Pro Rata Method
The method is straightforward. You divide the annual going rate by 37.5, then multiply by your weekly hours. For example, a £38,000 going rate across a 30-hour week produces a minimum of £30,400.
Your actual salary must then meet or beat that pro-rated figure. However, healthcare and education roles may use different base hours, so check your sector before relying on the standard 37.5.
The £17.13 Hourly Floor
Beneath the annual figures sits a separate hourly rule. Specifically, your pay must equal or exceed £17.13 an hour for standard applications. This floor uses the same 37.5 hour week as its baseline.
A long working week cannot rescue a low salary. When testing your pay against the general threshold, only your first 48 paid hours each week count. Consequently, stretching your hours will not lift a weak offer over the line.
Check Both Figures
This rule catches applicants who look at the annual figure alone. Therefore, check your annual salary and your hourly rate against the Skilled Worker visa salary threshold. Do this before you treat any offer as compliant.
Lower Salary Thresholds and Discounts
The standard Skilled Worker visa salary threshold is £41,700, but several routes allow a lower figure. Specifically, these discounts exist for early career applicants and certain qualified specialists. Understanding them matters if your offer falls short of the standard floor.
One rule applies across all of them. You cannot stack discounts on top of each other. Specifically, you cannot claim a new entrant rate and a shortage list rate on the same application.
New Entrants Under 26
This is where the source material most often misleads people, so read carefully. As a new entrant, your floor is the higher of £33,400 a year or 70% of your going rate. The percentage alone is not the whole rule, because the £33,400 cash floor still applies underneath it.
You may qualify as a new entrant if one of these applies:
- You are under 26 when sponsorship is assigned
- You are switching from a student or graduate visa
- You are completing a period of professional training
- You are entering certain postdoctoral research roles
However, this status lasts a maximum of four years, including any time already spent on a Graduate visa. When your new entrant status ends, you must meet the full Skilled Worker visa salary threshold to extend. Therefore, treat the discount as a starting advantage, not a permanent one.
PhD and STEM PhD Holders
A relevant doctorate can also lower your floor. Specifically, a PhD relevant to your role sets your minimum at the higher of £37,500 or 90% of the going rate. A relevant STEM PhD lowers it further, to the higher of £33,400 or 80% of the going rate.
These routes need extra proof. You will usually need your doctoral certificate and, for an overseas qualification, confirmation of its UK equivalence. Accordingly, gather this evidence early because your sponsor must record it on your paperwork.
Salary Options at a Glance
Skilled Worker Visa thresholds and tradeable points
Important Note: Discounts cannot be combined.
Sub Degree Roles and the Temporary Shortage List
The move to degree level skills closed the route for many jobs, but not all. Some lower skilled roles, at RQF level 3 to 5, can still meet the Skilled Worker visa salary threshold through the Temporary Shortage List. This list is a time limited measure, not a permanent route.
The terms are stricter than the standard route. Specifically, listed roles carry a £25,000 floor, and workers on this list cannot bring dependants to the UK. The list is currently set to expire on 31 December 2026, subject to government review.
Check the Live List
Check whether your job appears on the live list before you rely on it. If it does, plan around the expiry date and the dependant restriction. Conversely, if your role sits at degree level, the standard route remains your path.
How to Prove You Meet the Threshold
Knowing your number means little without the evidence to back it. Furthermore, your main document is the Certificate of Sponsorship, often shortened to CoS. This must record your salary, your working hours, and your occupation code in full.
Discounted applicants need more. A 70% or 80% rate usually needs supporting proof, such as a PhD certificate or proof of your current visa. Accordingly, A Y & J Solicitors helps applicants match documents to the right Skilled Worker visa salary threshold route and pass Home Office scrutiny.
The £1,270 Maintenance Requirement
A separate financial test sits alongside your salary. You must show at least £1,270 in your bank account, held for 28 consecutive days before you apply. Alternatively, your employer can certify your maintenance on the Certificate of Sponsorship, which removes the need for bank statements.
This requirement is easy to overlook. However, missing it can sink an otherwise strong application. Consequently, confirm your funds or your sponsor’s certification well before you submit.
Final Words and Next Steps
The 2026 rules raise the bar for working in the UK. However, the path stays clear once you know your figures. Before you submit, run three quick checks:
- Code: confirm your SOC code with your sponsor
- Rate: apply the higher of test to your offer
- Discount: check whether a lower threshold fits
The Skilled Worker visa salary threshold you meet now also shapes your later move to settlement.
Related Reading
- UK Immigration Changes in 2025 and 2026: What Has Changed and What to Expect
- What are the New Rules for Indefinite Leave to Remain in 2026?
- Sponsor Licence Duties for UK Employers in 2026: Your Home Office Compliance Checklist
A Y & J Solicitors is SRA regulated, recognised in the Legal 500, and has handled more than 5,000 immigration cases with a 98% success rate. We guide sponsors and applicants through Skilled Worker visa salary calculations, going rates, and discounted thresholds so your application meets every requirement the first time. Contact us for a free initial consultation.
