Does Your Salary Meet the Skilled Worker Threshold?

Check whether an offered salary clears Skilled Worker thresholds, going rates and the New Entrant, Health & Care and PhD discount routes in seconds.

Wesbridge Associates is an IAA-regulated UK immigration law firm. Our advisers support individuals, families and UK sponsors with skilled worker visas, sponsor licences, family routes, settlement (ILR), British citizenship, appeals and compliance — combining experienced legal advice with AI-powered self-service tools.

The Wesbridge Associates Skilled Worker salary calculator checks a proposed salary against the two thresholds that must both be met for a UK Skilled Worker visa: the general salary threshold for the applicant's route and category, and the SOC 2020 going rate for the specific occupation. It handles part-time pro-rating, the 48-hour weekly cap used for going-rate calculations, and reduced thresholds available under the Immigration Salary List, new-entrant, PhD, national pay scale, postdoctoral and prison officer routes.

General salary threshold vs going rate

The Skilled Worker route requires the salary to meet BOTH the general threshold for the route (from £41,700 for most new applicants, with lower figures for new entrants, PhD-relevant roles, Immigration Salary List codes, Health and Care Worker roles, national pay scale occupations and transitional-protection cases) AND the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code (the median full-time salary for the occupation). The calculator applies whichever threshold is higher, in line with the Skilled Worker salary rules in Appendix Skilled Worker of the Immigration Rules.

How the calculator works

Enter the SOC code (or search by job title), the annual gross salary, the contracted weekly hours and the applicant category (new applicant, new entrant, PhD, Immigration Salary List, Health and Care Worker, national pay scale, postdoctoral or prison officer). The tool pulls the current annual and hourly going rate for the code, applies the correct discount percentage, pro-rates by hours (capped at 48 hours per week for going-rate purposes) and returns a clear pass / borderline / fail result with the exact shortfall in pounds.

Discount routes that lower the threshold

New-entrant discount (30% off the going rate and a reduced general threshold) applies to applicants under 26, on an immediate post-study switch from the Student or Graduate route, or on a recognised UK professional training programme, for a maximum of four years. Immigration Salary List roles get a discount on the general threshold. Health and Care Worker roles use a lower general threshold and are Immigration Health Surcharge-exempt. PhD-relevant STEM roles get a 20% discount and non-STEM PhD roles a 10% discount. National pay scale, postdoctoral and prison officer discounts follow the specific GOV.UK salary tables.

How to read the results

'Pass' means both the general threshold and the going rate are met on the salary and hours entered. 'Borderline' means the salary meets the requirement but has less than 5% headroom — a small change in hours or bonus mix could tip it under. 'Fail' shows exactly which test fails (general threshold, going rate or both) and by how much, so you can renegotiate the offer or check whether a discount route applies. The calculator excludes one-off payments, allowances and benefits in kind, which the Home Office generally excludes from the guaranteed salary figure.

Frequently asked questions

Does overtime count toward the salary?

No. Only guaranteed basic gross pay counts. Overtime, bonuses, allowances, commission, tips, in-kind benefits and one-off payments are excluded from the salary figure the Home Office assesses.

What about part-time roles?

Part-time roles are allowed. The going rate is pro-rated by hours (capped at 48 hours per week for going-rate purposes only), but the general salary threshold is NOT pro-rated — the annual salary must still meet the applicable general threshold regardless of hours.

How often do the thresholds change?

The general threshold and going rates are updated by Statement of Changes, typically once or twice a year. The calculator is updated the same day new figures take effect. Rerun the check before you assign a CoS if any material rule change is imminent.

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