Quick Answer
For a UK Skilled Worker visa, your salary must be at least £41,700 a year or the official “going rate” for your occupation, whichever is higher. Some applicants can legally be paid less: new entrants, recent graduates and under-26s can be paid 70% of the going rate with a floor of £33,400, a relevant STEM PhD allows 80% (floor £33,400), a non-STEM PhD allows 90% (floor £37,500), and jobs on the Immigration Salary List need at least £33,400 plus the full going rate. Every figure in this guide comes from GOV.UK, checked on 2 November 2026.
Related: Jobs in UK | Visa and Immigration | How to Get a Job in the UK as a Foreigner
Two tests, not one
Most people ask for “the minimum salary” as if there is a single number. There is not. GOV.UK tests your pay twice:
- The general threshold: at least £41,700 a year.
- The going rate: every occupation code has its own official annual going rate, published in the GOV.UK going rates table.
You must clear whichever of the two is higher. This is where many applications fail: a salary can pass the famous £41,700 figure and still be refused because the going rate for that occupation is higher.
GOV.UK’s own example makes the point. If your salary is £42,000 a year but the going rate for your job is £45,000, you do not meet the usual salary requirements, even though you are above £41,700.
The lesson is simple: never judge an offer against £41,700 alone. Find your 4-digit occupation code first (ask your employer, or use the official occupation coding tool GOV.UK links to), then check that code’s going rate.
The standard rule
For most new applicants sponsored by an approved UK employer:
- Salary of at least £41,700 a year, or
- The going rate for the occupation code,
whichever is higher. Your employer must also hold a Home Office sponsor licence and give you a Certificate of Sponsorship, and the job itself must be on the list of eligible occupations. Since July 2025, new applicants generally need a job classed as “higher skilled”. A “medium skilled” job can only be sponsored if it is on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, or in a small number of extension cases.
When you can be paid less: the discounted routes
If your salary is below £41,700 or below the full going rate, you may still qualify under one of the official discount routes. Each one has its own floor, and the floor always applies: even if the percentage calculation gives a lower number, you cannot be paid below it.
New entrants: 70% of the going rate, minimum £33,400. You qualify if you are under 26 on the date you apply, you are on (or were recently on) a Student visa at bachelor’s degree level or above, you are on (or were recently on) a Graduate visa, you are working towards a recognised qualification in a UK regulated profession, or you are working towards full registration or chartered status. Your total stay in the UK under these reasons cannot be more than 4 years.
Relevant STEM PhD: 80% of the going rate, minimum £33,400. Your doctorate must be relevant to the job, and the job must be one that qualifies for the PhD discount.
Relevant non-STEM PhD: 90% of the going rate, minimum £37,500. The same relevance rules apply.
Postdoctoral positions: 70% of the going rate, minimum £33,400. This applies to postdoctoral roles in certain science and higher education jobs.
Immigration Salary List: full going rate, minimum £33,400. If your job is on the Immigration Salary List, the general threshold drops to £33,400, but you must still be paid at least the full standard going rate for your occupation. You also pay a lower visa application fee. Check the list carefully: some jobs are only listed for a specific part of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland).
A worked example
Take an occupation with a going rate of £45,000:
- Standard applicant: needs £45,000 (the going rate is higher than £41,700).
- New entrant: 70% of £45,000 is £31,500, but the floor applies, so the minimum is £33,400.
- STEM PhD: 80% of £45,000 is £36,000, which is above the £33,400 floor, so £36,000 is the minimum.
- Non-STEM PhD: 90% of £45,000 is £40,500, above the £37,500 floor, so £40,500 is the minimum.
- Immigration Salary List job: the full going rate still applies, so £45,000.
Percentages are always worked out from your own occupation’s going rate, so your numbers will differ. Do the same maths with the rate for your code before you accept or reject an offer.
Health and education jobs are different
If you work in certain healthcare or education jobs, the going rate is based on national pay scales instead of the standard going rates table, and a separate set of salary rules applies. Many health workers should also check the Health and Care Worker visa, which is cheaper and does not include the immigration health surcharge. Do not judge a health or education offer against the figures in this guide alone; check the dedicated GOV.UK pages for your occupation.
How to check your own figure, step by step
- Get your 4-digit occupation code from your employer, or find it with the occupation coding tool linked from GOV.UK.
- Open the GOV.UK going rates table and note the annual going rate for your code.
- Compare it with £41,700. Your target is the higher figure.
- If you cannot reach it, check honestly whether one of the discount routes above applies to you, and apply that route’s percentage and floor.
- Re-check the figures on GOV.UK on the day you apply. Thresholds change, and the figure that matters is the one in force when your Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum salary for a UK Skilled Worker visa in 2026?
For most applicants it is £41,700 a year or the official going rate for your occupation, whichever is higher. There is no single figure that fits everyone, because every occupation code has its own going rate.
I have been offered £42,000 a year. Is that enough?
Not necessarily. GOV.UK’s own example refuses exactly this case: a £42,000 salary fails if the going rate for the job is £45,000. Check the going rate for your occupation code before relying on the £41,700 headline figure.
Who can be paid less than £41,700?
New entrants, under-26s, recent Student and Graduate visa holders and people training for a regulated profession can be paid 70% of the going rate with a minimum of £33,400. A relevant STEM PhD allows 80% (minimum £33,400), a non-STEM PhD allows 90% (minimum £37,500), some postdoctoral roles allow 70%, and Immigration Salary List jobs need at least £33,400 plus the full going rate.
My job is on the Immigration Salary List. What salary do I need?
At least £33,400 a year and at least the full standard going rate for your occupation, whichever is higher. You also pay a lower application fee, and you should confirm your job is listed for the part of the UK where you will work.
Sources and a note
All figures are from the official GOV.UK Skilled Worker visa pages (the visa overview, the salary requirements section and the “when you can be paid less” guidance), checked on 2 November 2026. Salary thresholds and lists are set by the UK government and can change; always confirm the current figures on GOV.UK before applying. This guide explains the published rules in plain language and is not immigration advice. For a decision on your own case, use the official guidance or a regulated immigration adviser.
