UK Immigration · Skilled Worker Visa
Working out a Skilled Worker visa salary isn’t one number — it’s a small calculation. You need to clear two separate tests at once (a fixed annual threshold and an occupation-specific “going rate”), and which figures apply depends on your age, qualifications, occupation code, and working hours. This guide walks through the current UK Skilled Worker salary list, shows you exactly how to calculate a compliant salary step by step, and covers the under-26/new entrant and Immigration Salary List discounts in plain English.
For most new Skilled Worker applications, the minimum salary is £41,700 a year or the job’s specific going rate — whichever is higher. Lower thresholds (from £33,400) apply if you’re a new entrant under 26, hold a relevant PhD, or your job is on the Immigration Salary List — but each has its own conditions that must be evidenced, not just claimed.
What Is the Minimum Salary for a Skilled Worker Visa in 2026?
Two separate numbers matter for every Skilled Worker application:
- The general salary threshold — a fixed cash floor (£41,700 for most standard applications).
- The going rate — the specific salary benchmark set for your occupation code in Appendix Skilled Occupations, based on Office for National Statistics pay data.
Whichever of these two figures is higher becomes your actual minimum salary. A £45,000 offer will not qualify if the going rate for that SOC code is £48,000; equally, meeting the going rate exactly will not help if it falls under £41,700 and no discount applies.
Skilled Worker Salary List: The Salary Options at a Glance
| Salary option | Cash floor | % of going rate required | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | £41,700 | 100% | Most new Skilled Worker applicants |
| New entrant (incl. under 26) | £33,400 | 70% | Applicants meeting one of the defined new entrant conditions (see below), capped at 4 years total |
| Postdoctoral role | £33,400 (via 70% test) | 70% | 8 named science/research/education SOC codes only, capped at 4 years total |
| STEM PhD | £33,400 | 80% | Relevant STEM doctorate, job on the PhD-eligible occupation list |
| Non-STEM PhD | £37,500 | 90% | Relevant non-STEM doctorate, job on the PhD-eligible occupation list |
| Immigration Salary List | £33,400 | 100% of the standard going rate | The 25 ISL-listed occupations only (see our Shortage Occupation List guide) |
| Temporary Shortage List | Fixed per SOC code (own “standard”/”lower” rate) | n/a — uses its own fixed rate | The 51 TSL-listed medium-skilled occupations only |
| Transitional (pre-4 April 2024 CoS) | Varies (from £25,000) | Varies | Workers continuously sponsored since before 4 April 2024, on extension or switching |
You can only use one salary option per application — options cannot be combined or stacked. Occupation-specific going rates for every SOC code are published on the official GOV.UK going rates table — always check the current figure for your exact code before relying on any number here.
How to Calculate Your Sponsored Worker Salary
- Identify your correct SOC 2020 occupation code using the duties actually performed, not the job title.
- Confirm the role is eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship in Appendix Skilled Occupations.
- Find the published going rate for that code — this is normally based on a 37.5-hour working week.
- Identify which salary option applies to you (standard, new entrant, PhD, ISL, TSL, or transitional) and confirm you genuinely meet its conditions.
- Adjust the going rate for your actual sponsored hours using the formula below.
- Compare the adjusted going rate against the relevant cash floor for your salary option — you must meet both.
- Check that only qualifying pay is being counted (see “What Counts as Salary” below).
The pro-rating formula
Most going rates are published on a 37.5-hour week basis. If your sponsored hours differ, the going rate must be adjusted:
The general £41,700 cash threshold is not pro-rated for full-time roles in the same way — it is a fixed annual floor. Reducing your hours lowers the pro-rated going rate but does not lower the separate cash threshold, so a part-time role can pass one test and still fail the other.
Only pay attributable to the first 48 hours a week can normally count towards the general cash threshold. The going rate, by contrast, must reflect all sponsored weekly hours, including any above 48. You cannot make a low hourly rate compliant simply by sponsoring more hours.
What Counts as Salary?
| Usually counts | Usually does not count |
|---|---|
| Guaranteed basic gross pay | Overtime pay, even if guaranteed |
| Gross pay before employee pension deductions | Bonus and shift premium pay |
| Another payment treated identically to basic pay for tax/NI/pension purposes | Accommodation and cost-of-living allowances |
| Employer pension and NI contributions | |
| Benefits in kind (car, private medical insurance, equity) | |
| Visa fees, Immigration Health Surcharge, or other immigration costs paid on your behalf | |
| One-off joining payments or “golden hellos” |
Certain deductions must also be subtracted from your headline salary when assessing compliance — for example, repayments to your employer for loans connected with business or immigration costs. This mainly affects sponsors’ compliance duties, but it matters to applicants too: a £42,000 salary with a £3,000-a-year loan repayment to the employer may only count as £39,000 for immigration purposes.
↑ Back to topMinimum Salary for Skilled Worker Visa UK Under 26
You can be paid at the new entrant rate (70% of the going rate, minimum £33,400) if your salary is at least £33,400 and one of the following applies:
- You’re under 26 on the date you apply
- You’re currently in the UK on a Student visa studying at bachelor’s degree level or above (or have been in the last 2 years, with a Student or visit visa as your most recent visa)
- You’re currently in the UK on a Graduate visa (or have been in the last 2 years, with a Graduate or visit visa as your most recent visa)
- You’ll be working towards a recognised qualification in a UK regulated profession
- You’ll be working towards full registration or chartered status in the sponsored job
“New entrant” is a defined immigration status, not a general description of someone early in their career. Being young or inexperienced does not by itself qualify you — one of the five specific conditions above must be met and evidenced. Total time spent under new entrant provisions (including time on a Graduate visa) cannot exceed 4 years.
Skilled Worker Visa New Entrant: Full Rules
The “new entrant salary threshold” and the “under 26” threshold are the same thing — under 26 is simply one of five routes into new entrant status. Once you qualify, you can be paid 70% of the going rate, provided your salary is at least £33,400 a year. Once your 4-year new entrant allowance is used up, you must move to the standard £41,700/100%-of-going-rate threshold (or another applicable option) for any further extension.
PhD and Postdoctoral Salary Discounts
If your job qualifies for a PhD salary discount and you hold a relevant doctorate:
- STEM PhD: 80% of the standard going rate, minimum £33,400 a year
- Non-STEM PhD: 90% of the standard going rate, minimum £37,500 a year
You’ll need a UK PhD, or an overseas doctorate confirmed as equivalent via Ecctis, and your employer must confirm the PhD is relevant to the sponsored role. Separately, postdoctoral roles in eight specific SOC codes (chemical, biological, physical and social scientists; biochemists and biomedical scientists; other researchers; and higher education teaching professionals) can use the 70% new entrant-style rate, also capped at 4 years total.
Immigration Salary List: Current Salary Rule
This is one of the most commonly misunderstood rules. Being ISL-listed does not mean a 20% discount on everything, as it did under the old Shortage Occupation List. It only lowers the £41,700 general floor to £33,400 — the occupation-specific going rate must still be paid in full. See our full Immigration Salary List and Temporary Shortage List guide for the complete current occupation tables.
Salary Threshold for Skilled Worker Visa: Extensions and Transitional Cases
If your first Certificate of Sponsorship was issued before 4 April 2024 and you’ve held continuous Skilled Worker (or predecessor Tier 2) permission since then, transitional salary rules may apply when you extend or switch — these can sit below the current £41,700/£33,400 figures, depending on the specific option used at the time your original permission was granted. Transitional rules are complex and case-specific; always check your exact position against the current Immigration Rules or with a regulated adviser before assuming an older, lower threshold still applies.
Skilled Worker Salary in India: What Indian Applicants Need to Know
A few points specifically useful for applicants coming from India:
- The salary must be quoted in GBP on the Certificate of Sponsorship and assessed against the GBP thresholds above — not against Indian salary norms or a converted INR figure.
- Visa fees are charged in INR at an exchange rate the Home Office sets and updates periodically, which can differ from the market rate — check the current INR fee figures directly via VFS Global or GOV.UK rather than relying on an older conversion.
- Common confusion: comparing a UK sponsored salary directly to an equivalent Indian domestic salary is misleading, since the UK threshold is a fixed regulatory floor, not a market benchmark — a role can be well-paid by Indian standards and still fail the UK going-rate test, or vice versa.
- Recent graduates from Indian universities moving via a UK Student or Graduate visa may qualify for the new entrant salary rate (£33,400, 70% of going rate) — check the five qualifying conditions above carefully.
- Verify the sponsor is genuinely licensed using the official GOV.UK register before accepting any salary figure quoted by a recruiter, as fraudulent job offers with inflated or fictional “shortage list” discounts are a recurring problem reported by Indian applicants.
Common Mistakes in Sponsored Worker Salary Calculations
| Mistake | Why it causes problems |
|---|---|
| Treating the published going rate as fixed regardless of hours | Going rates must be pro-rated to the actual sponsored weekly hours |
| Assuming new entrant status applies just because someone is young | One of five specific defined conditions must be met and evidenced |
| Counting bonuses, overtime or allowances as salary | Only guaranteed basic gross pay generally qualifies |
| Assuming ISL listing discounts the going rate | ISL only discounts the general £41,700 threshold to £33,400 — the going rate still applies in full |
| Counting salary above 48 hours/week towards the general threshold | Only pay for the first 48 hours a week normally counts towards the cash floor test |
| Assuming a discount used at the last visa stage still applies at settlement | Settlement salary requirements are generally assessed separately and at the full threshold |
Frequently Asked Questions
£41,700 a year, or the occupation’s specific going rate, whichever is higher, for most standard applications. Lower thresholds from £33,400 apply for new entrants, PhD holders, and Immigration Salary List roles under their own conditions.
If you qualify as a new entrant because you’re under 26 (or meet one of the other four new entrant conditions), you can be paid 70% of the going rate, provided your salary is at least £33,400 a year, for up to 4 years total.
The general threshold is £41,700. This is one of two tests — you must also meet the going rate for your specific occupation code, and pay whichever figure is higher.
£33,400 a year and at least 70% of the job’s going rate. It applies only to applicants who meet one of five defined new entrant conditions, and can only be used for a maximum of 4 years in total.
£33,400 a year minimum, and you must still meet the full standard going rate for your occupation code. The ISL discounts the general threshold only.
Identify your SOC code, find the published going rate (usually based on a 37.5-hour week), adjust it to your actual sponsored hours using: published rate ÷ 37.5 × your weekly hours, then compare the result against the cash floor for your salary option. You must meet both figures.
Generally no. Only guaranteed basic gross pay counts. Bonuses, overtime, allowances and benefits in kind cannot normally be used to meet the salary requirement, even if guaranteed in your contract.
No. The same GBP thresholds and going rates apply to applicants of every nationality, including Indian nationals. There is no separate, lower salary threshold based on where you are applying from.
No. Only one salary option can be used per application — you cannot stack a new entrant, PhD, ISL or TSL discount with another.
The occupational going rate can be pro-rated down for part-time hours, but the separate general cash threshold is not reduced in the same way. A part-time role can meet the pro-rated going rate and still fail the overall salary requirement.
80% of the going rate (minimum £33,400) for a relevant STEM PhD, or 90% of the going rate (minimum £37,500) for a relevant non-STEM PhD, provided the job is on the eligible occupation list for this discount.
Generally no. New entrant, PhD, and ISL/TSL discounts are assessed for the Skilled Worker grant itself; settlement salary requirements are typically assessed separately and at the full applicable threshold. Always check the current settlement rules before applying.
Sources / Official References
- GOV.UK — Skilled Worker visa: When you can be paid less
- GOV.UK — Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker
- GOV.UK — Skilled Worker visa going rates for eligible occupations
- GOV.UK — Immigration Rules Appendix Immigration Salary List
- GOV.UK — Jobs that qualify for a PhD salary discount
- GOV.UK — Eligible salary if you’re under 26, studying, training, or in a postdoctoral role
Last checked against live GOV.UK pages: August 2026. Salary thresholds and going rates change with little notice — always confirm the current figures directly on GOV.UK before applying or sponsoring.
Before You Rely on Any Salary Figure
Salary thresholds, going rates, and the Immigration Salary List can all change with little notice. Before accepting a job offer or assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship, check the live GOV.UK figures for your specific occupation code.