What is the going rate for a Skilled Worker job?
The going rate is the yearly salary the Immigration Rules set for each occupation code, usually for a 37.5-hour week. A Skilled Worker job usually has to pay the higher of the going rate and £41,700.
Where the figure comes from
Each eligible SOC code has a going rate in Appendix Skilled Occupations. Most higher-skilled codes are in Table 1, the main list of higher-skilled jobs. There the going rate is the higher of the median pay for that occupation in the ONS earnings survey (ASHE) and £17.13 an hour. Some health and education jobs use national pay scales instead.
Of the 91 codes in Table 1, 65 have a going rate above £41,700, so for those jobs the going rate is the minimum. Another 30 higher-skilled codes, in Table 3, follow national pay scales, based on a 40-hour week and some only at certain pay bands. (Our count from the appendix, checked 4 November 2026.) For example, programmers and software development professionals (2134) have a going rate of £54,700.
Part-time and longer hours
The going rate is scaled to the weekly hours on your certificate of sponsorship. A programmers and software development professionals job at 30 hours a week has a going rate of £43,760. Longer hours raise it with every hour, but only pay for the first 48 hours a week counts towards it. The rules scale the going rate; they don’t describe scaling the £41,700 threshold.
The pay in each pay period also has to meet the going rate for every hour worked. (Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 14.3, 14.3B and 14.4.)
When less than the going rate is allowed
- New entrants, including people switching from a Student or Graduate visa who meet the conditions: 70% of the going rate, and at least £33,400, for up to 4 years in total, counting any time on a Graduate visa. For 2134 the appendix’s 70% column shows £38,300.
- PhD holders in a relevant job: 80% or 90%, with their own floors (salary threshold).
The reduced rates don’t apply to settlement. Appendix Skilled Occupations says only the full going rate counts for a Skilled Worker settlement application.
What it means for your job search
To compare an offer with the going rate:
- Find the job’s SOC code: ask the employer, or see the code we think fits on the job page.
- Look up its going rate, or the new-entrant rate, and scale it to the weekly hours.
- Check the guaranteed basic pay reaches that and £41,700 (or £33,400 for a new entrant). That is the test for most jobs; health and care, PhD and Immigration Salary List jobs have their own floors (salary threshold).
Most job pages on SponsorJobs show a Visa salary card that does this for the code we think fits. It’s our reading of the advert; the code your employer uses is the one that counts.
Common questions
Is the going rate the same as the salary threshold?
No. The going rate is set per occupation code. The salary threshold is the minimum for the visa: usually the higher of £41,700 and the going rate.
Do overtime or bonuses count towards the going rate?
No. Only guaranteed basic pay counts, for up to 48 hours a week. Overtime, bonuses and pay that changes with your hours don’t.
For how many jobs is the going rate above £41,700?
65 of the 91 codes in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations (our count, 4 November 2026).