Does My Offer Meet the Skilled Worker £41,700 Salary Threshold?
⚠️ Disclaimer: For general information only — not tax, financial, legal, or medical advice. Figures may be outdated or incorrect; tax rules change frequently. Verify important decisions with the CRA/IRS or a qualified professional (for health topics, a licensed healthcare provider). You use this information at your own risk.
The short answer
No — not necessarily. £41,700 is only one of two salary tests. Your salary must also meet or beat the "going rate" for your specific occupation code, and the higher of the two applies. A £45,000 offer for a SOC 2134 programmer (going rate £54,700) fails, even though it's above £41,700.
The two-test rule
Every Skilled Worker salary must clear both hurdles:
- The general threshold: £41,700 per year.
- The occupation going rate: the minimum salary listed for your occupation code in the official salary tables.
Your actual salary must be at least the higher of the two. The £41,700 figure is a floor, not a guarantee.
What is the "going rate"?
Every eligible occupation has a four-digit SOC code, and each code has a going rate — roughly the 25th-percentile UK earnings for that job. The code on your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) decides which going rate applies to you. Pick the wrong code and the wrong rate gets applied.
The SOC 2134 example, step by step
SOC 2134 is "Programmers and software development professionals". Its going rate is £54,700.
- Your offer: £45,000
- Test 1 (£41,700): £45,000 ≥ £41,700 ✓
- Test 2 (going rate £54,700): £45,000 < £54,700 ✗
- Result: refused. The minimum for this code is max(£41,700, £54,700) = £54,700.
This is the single most common salary refusal: the offer clears the headline number but misses the going rate nobody told the applicant about.
The new entrant exception
"New entrants" get a lower bar: £33,400 or 70% of the going rate, whichever is higher.
For SOC 2134: 70% × £54,700 = £38,290, which is above £33,400 — so a new entrant programmer needs at least £38,290.
You generally qualify as a new entrant if you're under 26, a recent UK graduate, or in certain early-career categories — check the official guidance for the full list, because getting this wrong means using the wrong threshold.
How to check your own numbers in five minutes
- Find the four-digit SOC code on your Certificate of Sponsorship (or ask your sponsor — it must match the actual job duties).
- Look up that code in the GOV.UK "going rates" table and note the figure.
- Take the higher of £41,700 and the going rate — that's your personal minimum.
- Compare against your guaranteed gross salary (not bonuses, not overtime, not accommodation allowances).
- If you're claiming new entrant status, confirm you actually meet the criteria first — using the reduced threshold without qualifying is an automatic refusal.
Mistakes that get applications refused
- Only checking £41,700. The going rate is the test that actually bites.
- Wrong occupation code on the CoS. A code that's "close enough" can carry a much higher going rate.
- Allowances that don't count. Only guaranteed gross salary counts toward the threshold — check what your employer has included.
- Pro-rating errors. Part-time salaries must still meet the full threshold; you can't scale it down.
Frequently asked questions
My salary is £42,000 and the going rate is £41,000 — do I pass?
Yes. You need the higher of the two: max(£41,700, £41,000) = £41,700, and £42,000 clears it.
Can my employer just pick a lower-paid occupation code?
No — the code must genuinely match the job duties. A mismatched code is a refusal ground and can cause sponsor licence problems for the employer.
Does the threshold change if I'm already in the UK?
The same two tests apply to extensions. But note: people granted Skilled Worker visas before the April 2024 rule change are on transitional thresholds — check which rules your grant falls under.
Where do I find my occupation's going rate?
In the official "going rates" tables linked from the Skilled Worker visa guidance on GOV.UK — search your four-digit SOC code.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: your job (salary rules): https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/your-job
- GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa overview: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa
← Previous
Self-Employed in the UK: After Maxing the £20,000 ISA Allowance, ISA or Pension?
Next →
Spouse Visa: My Income Is Below £29,000 — Can Savings Make Up the Gap?
('Disclaimer — please read. This article is for general information and educational purposes only. It is not tax, accounting, legal, financial, immigration, medical, dental, or health advice, and reading it does not create a professional or client relationship between you and Llandora. Tax and immigration rules change frequently and differ by country, province/state, and personal circumstances; figures, thresholds, and examples in this article may be outdated, incomplete, or incorrect, and may not apply to your situation. Always verify current rules with the official sources (CRA, IRS, IRCC, USCIS) and consult a licensed professional before making any decision. Content about health, medical, or dental topics is general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment — always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions about a medical condition. Llandora makes no warranty of any kind — express or implied — about the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or timeliness of this content. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Llandora disclaims all liability for any loss, damage, cost, or expense arising from errors or omissions in this article or from any action taken or not taken in reliance on it, whether direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential. You rely on this article entirely at your own risk.', 'Disclaimer — please read. This article is for general information and educational purposes only. It is not tax, accounting, legal, financial, immigration, medical, dental, or health advice, and reading it does not create a professional or client relationship between you and Llandora. Tax and immigration rules change frequently and differ by country, province/state, and personal circumstances; figures, thresholds, and examples in this article may be outdated, incomplete, or incorrect, and may not apply to your situation. Always verify current rules with the official sources (CRA, IRS, IRCC, USCIS) and consult a licensed professional before making any decision. Content about health, medical, or dental topics is general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment — always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions about a medical condition. Llandora makes no warranty of any kind — express or implied — about the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or timeliness of this content. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Llandora disclaims all liability for any loss, damage, cost, or expense arising from errors or omissions in this article or from any action taken or not taken in reliance on it, whether direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential. You rely on this article entirely at your own risk.', "Avertissement — à lire attentivement. Cet article est fourni à titre informatif et pédagogique uniquement. Il ne constitue pas un conseil fiscal, comptable, juridique, financier, en immigration, médical, dentaire ou en santé, et sa lecture ne crée aucune relation professionnelle ou client entre vous et Llandora. Les règles fiscales et d'immigration changent fréquemment et varient selon le pays, la province/l'État et la situation personnelle ; les chiffres, seuils et exemples de cet article peuvent être obsolètes, incomplets ou inexacts, et peuvent ne pas s'appliquer à votre situation. Vérifiez toujours les règles en vigueur auprès des sources officielles (CRA, IRS, IRCC, USCIS) et consultez un professionnel agréé avant de prendre toute décision. Les contenus relatifs à la santé, à la médecine ou aux soins dentaires sont fournis à titre informatif uniquement et ne remplacent pas un avis médical professionnel, un diagnostic ou un traitement — consultez toujours un professionnel de la santé qualifié pour toute question d'ordre médical. Llandora n'offre aucune garantie, expresse ou implicite, quant à l'exactitude, l'exhaustivité, la fiabilité ou l'actualité de ce contenu. Dans toute la mesure permise par la loi, Llandora décline toute responsabilité pour toute perte, tout dommage, tout coût ou toute dépense découlant d'erreurs ou d'omissions dans cet article ou de toute action entreprise ou non entreprise sur la foi de son contenu, qu'ils soient directs, indirects, accessoires ou consécutifs. Vous vous fiez à cet article entièrement à vos propres risques.", 'Aviso legal — léalo con atención. Este artículo es solo para fines informativos y educativos. No constituye asesoramiento fiscal, contable, legal, financiero, migratorio, médico, dental ni de salud, y su lectura no crea una relación profesional o de cliente entre usted y Llandora. Las reglas fiscales y migratorias cambian con frecuencia y varían según el país, la provincia/estado y las circunstancias personales; las cifras, umbrales y ejemplos de este artículo pueden estar desactualizados, incompletos o ser incorrectos, y pueden no aplicarse a su situación. Verifique siempre las reglas vigentes con las fuentes oficiales (CRA, IRS, IRCC, USCIS) y consulte a un profesional autorizado antes de tomar cualquier decisión. El contenido sobre temas de salud, médicos o dentales es solo información general y no sustituye el consejo, diagnóstico o tratamiento médico profesional: consulte siempre a un profesional de la salud calificado ante cualquier duda médica. Llandora no ofrece ninguna garantía, expresa o implícita, sobre la exactitud, integridad, fiabilidad u oportunidad de este contenido. En la máxima medida permitida por la ley, Llandora rechaza toda responsabilidad por cualquier pérdida, daño, costo o gasto derivado de errores u omisiones en este artículo o de cualquier acción realizada o no realizada basándose en él, ya sean directos, indirectos, incidentales o consecuentes. Usted confía en este artículo enteramente bajo su propio riesgo.')