Minimum salary for the Skilled Worker visa in 2026

The Skilled Worker salary rule has two parts: a general minimum, and a role-specific “going rate”. An application must satisfy whichever is higher.

General threshold

As of the April 2024 update, the general floor is £38,700 per year for most applicants. A small number of transitional or protected cases — workers on the route before April 2024, those in specific health and care occupations, and some new entrants — have lower floors.

Going rate

Every eligible role sits in a SOC category and carries a “going rate” — a figure derived from national pay data. If the going rate is higher than the general threshold, the higher figure applies.

For senior technology roles in London the going rate typically exceeds the general floor by a wide margin. For early-career roles in lower-paying sectors, the general floor binds.

Allowances and benefits

Only guaranteed, in-cash salary counts towards the threshold. Bonuses, tips, overtime and equity do not. London weighting, shift allowances and fixed allowances paid through PAYE usually count, but the Home Office scrutinises inclusions and any “salary sacrifice” structures are disqualifying.

New entrants

Applicants under 26, recent graduates and certain professional-body postgraduate trainees qualify as new entrants with a 20% discount for up to four years. The threshold cannot go below the going rate discount ceiling.

Shortage occupations

Where a role is on the current Immigration Salary List (previously Shortage Occupation List), discounted rates and slightly reduced requirements apply. The list itself is reviewed annually by the Migration Advisory Committee.

Where to look next

For the current year’s figures, always open gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa directly. Our directory does not publish salary data for individual sponsors — use company job pages and ONS data.

Salary interpretation matters for any real application. A regulated adviser can sanity-check the maths before you rely on it.