SOC codes UK: what they are and how to find the right one

In brief

What a SOC code is, in one paragraph.

A SOC code is the four-digit Standard Occupational Classification code that a sponsor enters on a Certificate of Sponsorship to describe the job. It is chosen from the SOC 2020 list based on what the worker actually does, and it single-handedly decides whether the occupation is eligible for the route, what skill level the job is treated as having, and what the minimum going-rate salary is. Because so much rides on one field, choosing it correctly and keeping a record of the reasoning matters as much as any other part of the sponsorship process.

How the code is used in a real application, step by step

The order the SOC code is relied on, from job design through to a compliance visit.

Before recruitment starts, the employer should already know which SOC code the role will sit under, because that code sets the salary floor the job has to be advertised and paid at. Choosing the code after an offer has been made, once a candidate is already committed to a figure, is how salaries end up set against the wrong going rate.

When the Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned, the sponsor enters the SOC code alongside the job title, the salary and the working hours. A caseworker assessing the visa application then checks that the salary offered meets both the route’s general threshold and the going rate published for that specific code, pro-rated for the hours if the role is part time.

The code is also checked for consistency with the job title and the duties described elsewhere in the application, and inconsistency between the two is a recognised marker for further scrutiny. After the visa is granted, the code stays live on record for as long as sponsorship continues, and a compliance visit can ask to see evidence that the worker’s actual day-to-day duties still match it.

Evidence to keep on file

What a sponsor should hold against every SOC code decision it makes.

• A written job description covering the main duties and the proportion of time on each
• The candidate codes considered and why the final code fits the duties better than the alternatives
• The going rate applied and the calculation showing the salary clears it and the route threshold
• Evidence of the qualifications or experience the role requires, where relevant to skill level
• A record of any change in duties over time, and whether that change would justify a different code

Common mistakes and refusal triggers

Where SOC code errors most often surface in an application or a visit.

• Choosing a code that matches the job title rather than the actual duties performed
• Selecting a lower-paying code to make a below-market salary clear the going rate
• Copying a code from a similar-sounding role at another employer without checking the duties match
• Failing to update the code when a worker’s responsibilities change materially over time
• Using an outdated SOC 2010 code or going rate table instead of the current SOC 2020 figures

A code that cannot be defended against the duties actually performed is treated as evidence the sponsorship is not genuine, which affects the sponsor licence as well as the individual visa. Correcting an error before a decision is made, by withdrawing and reissuing the Certificate of Sponsorship, is far less costly than correcting it after a refusal or a compliance finding.

Edge cases: hybrid roles, promotions and sector-specific codes

Where a single code does not neatly fit.

Hybrid roles that genuinely combine two occupations should be coded to whichever occupation takes up the majority of the worker’s time, with the minority duties noted as supporting the same code rather than justifying a separate one. Where the split is close to even, the safer approach is usually the code with the higher going rate, since it removes the risk of understating the salary requirement.

A promotion or a significant change in responsibility during sponsorship can move a worker into a different SOC code. Where that happens, the sponsor generally needs to assign a new Certificate of Sponsorship reflecting the new code and salary, and in some cases the worker needs a new application rather than a simple internal change, so it is worth checking before confirming the promotion takes effect.

Health and care roles sit in dedicated codes with their own route, and the code choice there has a direct cost effect because the Health and Care Worker route carries a reduced fee and no immigration health surcharge. Getting the code wrong in either direction, treating a general care role as a different occupation or vice versa, affects both the visa outcome and the fees paid.

Who to contact next

Where to go depending on what you are trying to confirm.

Start with the SOC code lookup to search the full SOC 2020 list against a job description, then check the salary with our salary calculator once you have a candidate code. If the role is in health or care, compare it against the Care Worker visa page before deciding between routes, and if you need help assigning the certificate itself, see our Certificate of Sponsorship service.

What the four digits mean

A SOC code describes an occupation, not a job title.

The Standard Occupational Classification is a hierarchy. The first digit places a job in a broad major group, and each further digit narrows it, until the four-digit unit group describes a single occupation: the work done, the level of responsibility and the qualifications or experience normally needed to do it.

Because the classification is built around occupations, two employers with completely different job titles can share one code, and one employer’s single title can span two codes. That is why matching works better from a description of the duties than from the words on the contract.

What the code controls in a sponsored application

One field on the Certificate of Sponsorship, four consequences.

Eligibility

Whether the occupation is allowed on the route

Skill level

Whether the job meets the route’s skill requirement

Going rate

The salary floor published for that occupation

Route choice

Whether a health, care or discounted option applies

How to choose a code you can defend

Work from duties, then keep a record of the reasoning.

• Write out the main duties and the proportion of time spent on each
• Note the qualifications, licences or experience the role genuinely requires
• Search on the duties, not the internal job title, and shortlist two or three codes
• Open each candidate code and compare its example job titles against the shortlist
• Check the going rate for each candidate against the salary you intend to pay
• Record why you picked the code, and keep it with the job description on file

If two codes remain plausible after that, the deciding question is which one covers the majority of the work. Sponsors are expected to be able to explain the choice on a compliance visit, so the note you write now is the answer you will give later.