For a standard Skilled Worker case, GOV.UK currently states £41,700 a year or the occupation going rate, whichever is higher. That is a starting point, not a universal calculator result. Different salary options, national pay scales and transitional arrangements can change the test. First identify the applicable option; then calculate using the right job, hours and counted pay.
Collect inputs before looking for a favourable threshold
Begin with the four-digit occupation code, detailed job description, contracted weekly hours, gross basic pay and proposed application date. Add the date of your first relevant Certificate of Sponsorship and your immigration history if you already hold permission. These dates can matter more than the date printed on a new contract.
Split remuneration into basic salary, guaranteed cash components, allowances, overtime, bonuses and benefits. Do not add everything together and assume the immigration rules count it. Give the employer or adviser the breakdown so they can identify the relevant treatment. Keep the employment contract and sponsorship explanation consistent.
The two comparisons people miss
A general threshold and an occupation going rate answer different questions. A salary above a general figure may still fall below the appropriate occupation rate. Likewise, a role’s headline going rate may need careful treatment when working hours differ from the basis of the official table. A part-time arrangement does not automatically reduce every applicable annual threshold in the same way.
Consider an illustrative offer of £43,000 where the correctly identified full-time going rate is £46,000. A standard comparison against only £41,700 would miss the higher requirement. The example is an explanation of the comparison, not a statement about any specific occupation.
Make exceptions explicit
Some applicants may qualify under a different salary option. Do not use a lower figure merely because you are young, a recent graduate or hold a doctorate. Write the exact option under consideration, its qualifying conditions and the evidence supporting each condition. An employer should be able to explain why that option applies to this person in this job.
For an existing worker, construct a dated immigration timeline before comparing thresholds. Include relevant CoS dates, grants, changes of employer and any gaps. A headline article about “the new salary” may omit the transitional rule that matters to you, or incorrectly imply protection continues without conditions.
Use a calculation record
The worksheet should contain a source date and page reference for the selected occupation rate. Add the hours basis, any adjustment method, the general threshold under the chosen option and the salary figure treated as countable. Put assumptions in a separate column. This allows another person to repeat the reasoning rather than accepting an unexplained answer.
If the contract says 40 hours but the sponsorship team uses 37.5, ask which is correct. If an allowance is essential to reaching a threshold, ask for a documented analysis of whether it counts. If the role changes, revisit its classification before recalculating salary.
Use a three-way review
Recruitment can confirm the intended offer. Payroll can explain the pay components and contractual hours. The sponsorship lead can explain the immigration salary option and CoS entries. A short joint review often reveals assumptions that remain hidden when each team answers a separate email.
Keep a signed-off version of the inputs and the final contract. A later pay reduction, unpaid absence or role change should trigger a fresh review, not an edited spreadsheet with no history. Record who approved the change and whether immigration reporting or a new application is required.
What this worksheet can and cannot conclude
The resource helps you assemble a transparent calculation. It does not decide which exceptional salary option legally applies, nor promise that an offer qualifies. If the correct option is uncertain, label the result “review required.” That is a useful outcome because it identifies the exact question to resolve before money or notice periods are involved.
Use current official tables on the day of review. Keep an older saved calculation for your records, but do not carry an old rate into a new application without checking its applicability. A defensible calculation is dated, reproducible and tied to the actual work.
Worked review: a salary change that needs a new calculation
Consider an illustrative analyst whose offer changes from forty hours to a shorter week during negotiation. Recruitment keeps the annual package headline, payroll supplies a different basic-pay figure and the occupation comparison was prepared using the first draft. The candidate cannot resolve this by selecting the largest number in the emails.
First, obtain one final statement of basic salary and contracted hours. Second, ask which salary option is being considered and why. Third, have the relevant going-rate comparison repeated using those inputs and the correct hours basis. Fourth, record any pay component excluded from the calculation and the reason. A second person should be able to reproduce the result from the saved sources.
The record can then distinguish a mathematical error from a legal interpretation question. If the arithmetic is clear but the proposed exception is uncertain, the next task is to review the exception’s conditions. Recalculating the same inputs many times will not answer that question.
Three useful outputs
- A final input sheet that agrees with the contract.
- A source-dated comparison showing the selected option and applicable rate.
- An exception note stating what is known, what needs interpretation and who will resolve it.
Do not attach the calculation to a generic job family and reuse it for another offer. Even similar roles can involve a different code, hours pattern or immigration history. Keep the worksheet specific to one person, one role and one proposed application.
Sources and review date
Official rules and guidance checked on 15 October 2026. Recheck the linked page before making an application or financial commitment.
This article provides general editorial information. A regulated immigration adviser can assess how the rules apply to your circumstances.
A useful next step
Use the Salary and going-rate comparison to turn this guide into a working plan. Continue with Finding a UK sponsor: a focused search plan that avoids paid promises when you are ready to organise the next part of the file.