Simple Salary / Visa tools / Skilled Worker visa salary checker
Skilled Worker visa salary checker
Does a job offer pay enough for a Skilled Worker visa? Enter the salary, the hours and (if you know it) the going rate for the job code, and this shows the three tests the Home Office applies and the lowest salary that would pass all of them.
What is the Skilled Worker visa salary threshold?
For most applicants the job must pay at least £41,700 a year and £17.13 an hour, and at least the going rate for the occupation code. Whichever of the three is highest is the figure that matters. The general threshold has applied since 22 July 2025 (it was £38,700 before).
What counts as salary?
Guaranteed basic gross pay only. Overtime, bonuses, commission, shift allowances, benefits in kind, one-off payments and the employer's pension contributions are left out, even when they are guaranteed. Your own pension and National Insurance deductions are part of your gross pay, so they count.
What if I work more than 48 hours a week?
Only pay for the first 48 hours counts towards the general threshold. Someone on £12.50 an hour for 60 hours earns £39,000, but only £31,200 of it counts, so the job fails the £41,700 test. The going rate, on the other hand, is scaled to all the hours on the certificate: a £45,000 going rate becomes £48,000 on a 40-hour week.
Who can be paid less than £41,700?
New entrants (under 26, recent graduates or in professional training) can be paid 70% of the going rate with a floor of £33,400; a relevant STEM PhD allows 80% with the same floor; a relevant PhD in another subject allows 90% with a floor of £37,500; a job on the Immigration Salary List has a floor of £33,400 but the full going rate still applies. New entrants and postdoctoral researchers using the discount can stay on the route for at most four years.
I was first sponsored before 4 April 2024. Do the old thresholds still apply?
If you have stayed on the Skilled Worker route since then and are extending or changing employer, the lower figures still apply until 4 April 2030: £31,300 a year and £12.82 an hour for a standard applicant, or £25,000 for a new entrant or an Immigration Salary List job. Tick the box above to use them.
Does this tell me whether an employer can sponsor me?
No. The employer must hold a sponsor licence for the Worker route, which you can check in seconds with the sponsor licence check . Salary is one of several requirements; the job must also be an eligible occupation code and the employer must pay at least the National Minimum Wage.
Figures checked against gov.uk on 19 October 2026.
Sources
Please note
Information only, not immigration advice. The Home Office decides each application on the full rules, which include the occupation code, the sponsor's licence and transitional arrangements not covered here. Immigration advice in the UK may only be given by regulated advisers.