The going rate is the annual salary the Home Office sets for each occupation code that is eligible for the Skilled Worker visa. A sponsored job must usually pay at least the going rate for its code, and at least the general salary minimum, whichever is higher. The rates are listed in a table on GOV.UK.
Key points
- Every eligible occupation code has its own going rate, listed in a table on GOV.UK with a standard rate column and a lower rate column.
- Going rates are based on a 37.5-hour week and are pro-rated for other working patterns.
- A job must pay the higher of the going rate and £41,700, unless a lower-threshold case applies, such as a 70%, 80% or 90% discount.
- Healthcare and education jobs use national pay scales instead of the table.
- The worker must be paid at least the going rate for every hour worked in each pay period.
How the going rate works
The going rate is a yearly salary figure that the Home Office attaches to each occupation code that is eligible for the Skilled Worker visa. Jobs usually need to pay at least the going rate to be eligible, but can sometimes pay less.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes
To find the rate, the applicant first needs the job’s 4-digit occupation code. If the applicant has a job offer, the employer can supply it. Otherwise the CASCOT occupation coding tool can be used, although not every job title is in it.[2]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your job The code is then looked up in the going rates table on GOV.UK. The table is sorted by occupation code and shows the standard going rate and a lower going rate.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes
The minimum salary for a job is whichever is higher of £41,700 a year and the going rate for the job’s code. See salary threshold.[2]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your job
Standard rate, lower rate and pro-rating
The table has two rate columns. The standard rate is read by workers who qualify because their first certificate was after 4 April 2024. The lower rate applies to workers applying for a Health and Care Worker visa in certain occupations, and to workers who got their certificate for their first Skilled Worker visa before 4 April 2024 and have continually held one or more Skilled Worker visas since then.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes
| Occupation code | Job type | Standard going rate | Lower going rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1111 | Chief executives and senior officials | £88,100 | £60,000 |
| 2134 | Programmers and software development professionals | £54,700 | £40,000 |
| 2421 | Chartered and certified accountants | £49,200 | £36,900 |
The table figures are annual salaries based on a 37.5-hour working week. They must be pro-rated for other working patterns, based on the weekly hours stated by the employer.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes The Immigration Rules give the sum: the going rate multiplied by the weekly working hours stated by the sponsor, divided by 37.5. Where a case requires 70%, 80% or 90% of the going rate, that result is then multiplied by 0.7, 0.8 or 0.9.[3]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker
Healthcare and education jobs where the going rate is based on national pay scales follow different rules. The pay scales are set by the relevant independent body, for example the NHS.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes
How the going rate is applied in practice
The salary the worker is paid in each pay period must equal or exceed the going rate for every hour worked in that period. The Rules also set a check over longer windows. Where pay is monthly or less often, the pay over any three-month period must be at least a quarter of the required annual salary.[3]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker The Rules count only guaranteed basic gross pay as salary. Bonuses, overtime and allowances are left out.[3]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker
Example
Joy is a software developer, occupation code 2134, sponsored for a job with 37.5 weekly hours. The standard going rate for the code is £54,700, which the table also gives as £28.05 an hour. Her employer offers £50,000. That is below the standard going rate, so the job does not meet the usual requirement unless one of the exceptions in the Rules applies. The table shows a lower going rate of £40,000 for the code, but the lower rate is only for the workers described above.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes
What people get wrong
The going rate is not a single number for all jobs and it is not the same as the general £41,700 figure. The required salary is the higher of the two for the job’s occupation code.
A second mistake is to use the full-time rate for part-time work. The table is based on a 37.5-hour week and must be pro-rated by the hours stated by the sponsor.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes A third is to use an out-of-date table. The GOV.UK table page shows the date it was last updated, which at the time of checking was 22 July 2025, so check it before relying on a figure.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes
The bottom line
The going rate is the job-specific salary benchmark for the Skilled Worker route. Find the occupation code, read the right column of the GOV.UK table, pro-rate for hours and compare with £41,700. The higher figure is the minimum unless a lower-threshold case applies. Always check the table on GOV.UK at the time of the application.
Common questions
First find your job's 4-digit occupation code, for example with the CASCOT tool. Then look up that code in the Skilled Worker going rates table on GOV.UK. The table is sorted by occupation code and shows the standard and lower rates.
Most workers use the standard rate. The lower rate applies, for example, to some Health and Care Worker occupations and to workers who got their first certificate before 4 April 2024 and have held Skilled Worker visas continuously since.
No. The table rates are based on a 37.5-hour week. The required rate is pro-rated to the weekly hours the sponsor states, by multiplying the going rate by the weekly hours and dividing by 37.5.
Sometimes. The Immigration Rules allow 70%, 80% or 90% of the going rate in set cases, such as new entrants and some PhD holders, as long as a minimum figure is also met. Each case has its own conditions.
Sources
We cite the Immigration Rules, legislation and GOV.UK guidance directly. Rules change, so each source shows the date we last checked it.
- Home Office. Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. Skilled Worker visa: Your job. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩