Is this salary enough for a Skilled Worker visa?

For most Skilled Worker jobs the salary has to be at least £41,700 a year or the going rate for the job's occupation code, whichever is higher. A new entrant can be paid 70% of the going rate, as long as the salary is at least £33,400.

Last reviewed 6 October 2026. Going rates from Appendix Skilled Occupations, updated 11 November 2025.

Check a salary

The employer chooses the occupation code and the Home Office decides the application.

General information, not immigration advice. Rules change: always check gov.uk.

How the salary check works

Find the occupation code for the job. The employer chooses it, and it should match the work you will actually do.
Look up the going rate for that code in Appendix Skilled Occupations.
If you are not a new entrant, the salary has to be at least £41,700 or the going rate, whichever is higher.
If you count as a new entrant, the salary has to be at least the new-entrant rate for the code (the appendix's 70% figure) or £33,400, whichever is higher.
Codes paid on national pay scales, such as NHS and teaching jobs, use the pay scale for the job instead of one figure, and the salary has to be at least £25,000 a year.
If the job is on the Immigration Salary List and the certificate of sponsorship is issued before the list's removal date, the salary has to be at least £33,400 or the going rate, whichever is higher. The check shows this as a separate figure for the codes on the list.
Some codes are only open to some applicants (Table 1a and the Temporary Shortage List). For those, the check shows the restriction and the published rates, but no result, unless the code is on the Immigration Salary List, where it shows the list figure.

Going rates are yearly figures for a 37.5-hour working week, and are pro-rated for other hours. Other ways to be paid less, such as a relevant PhD, are not part of this check: when you can be paid less, on gov.uk.

Worked example: code 2134

Code 2134 is Programmers and software development professionals. Here is the working with the published figures. Threshold is the general threshold, or the new-entrant floor for a new entrant. Rate is the going rate for the code, or its new-entrant rate. The published figure is the higher of the two.

Salary check for code 2134, Appendix Skilled Occupations, updated 11 November 2025
Step	Not a new entrant	New entrant
Threshold	£41,700	£33,400
Rate for the code	£54,700	£38,300
Published figure	£54,700	£38,300

So for code 2134 the published figure is £54,700 if you are not a new entrant, and £38,300 if you are. A salary of £38,300 meets the new-entrant figure but not the other one.

Check a salary for code 2134

Questions about the salary rules

What does the checker compare my salary against?

The published figures for the occupation code you pick: £41,700 or the going rate, whichever is higher, and for a new entrant the new-entrant rate or £33,400, whichever is higher. For a code on the Immigration Salary List it also shows that figure. The Skilled Worker salary thresholds guide explains each rule.

Why does the occupation code matter?

Each code has its own going rate, so the same salary can be enough for one code and not for another. Some codes are paid on national pay scales and some are only open to some applicants. The new-entrant salary guide explains the lower rate for new entrants.

Who chooses the occupation code?

The employer chooses the code for the job, and it should match the work you will do. If you have a job offer, you can ask the employer which code they will use. The Home Office decides the application.

Is this immigration advice?

No. General information only. For advice, talk to a regulated immigration adviser.

Sources