Free calculator
Real take-home pay, beside your visa threshold.
What an offer actually pays after tax, and whether it clears the Skilled Worker going rate for your occupation.
Your take-home pay
£12,570 tax-free · Standard allowance
- Gross salary
- £45,000
- Income tax
- −£6,486
- National Insurance
- −£2,594
- Effective deduction rate
- 20.2%
Does it clear your visa threshold?
Skilled Worker salaries must meet both the general threshold and your occupation's going rate.
Pick your occupation to check your salary against the Skilled Worker going rate.
Going rates from the gov.uk table captured 22 July 2025. Immigration Salary List figures from gov.uk, updated 11 November 2025. Always confirm current gov.uk guidance before relying on either.
This tool provides guidance only. Always consult a licensed immigration advisor for official advice.
Two bars, and you must clear both
A Skilled Worker salary is judged against two numbers: the general threshold (£41,700 for most applicants) and the going rate for your specific occupation code — whichever is higher wins. A £45,000 offer clears the general bar but fails for an occupation whose going rate is £52,000. Discounts exist for new entrants, PhD-relevant roles and listed health, care and education occupations, each with its own threshold and going-rate percentage.
Gross for the visa, take-home for your life
The Home Office judges gross annual salary; your rent is paid from what's left after income tax, National Insurance, student loan and pension. This calculator shows both sides of the same offer, using 2025/26 rates, so you can negotiate on the number that clears the threshold and budget on the number that lands in your account.
The salary rule follows you to ILR
The threshold isn't a one-time entry gate. At settlement your salary is tested again, on the day of application, against the thresholds in force then. Pay cuts, reduced hours, or a threshold rise between now and your qualifying date can all turn five compliant years into a refusal — which is why tracking it beats assuming it. See what else ILR requires →
Questions people ask
What salary do I need for a Skilled Worker visa?
You must clear both the general threshold (£41,700 for most applicants) and your occupation's going rate — whichever is higher. Discounted thresholds and going-rate percentages exist for new entrants, PhD holders and Immigration Salary List or health-and-care roles. The calculator checks your occupation's exact numbers.
Is the threshold checked again at ILR?
Yes, and this is the trap: the salary requirement is tested on the day of your settlement application, against the thresholds in force then — not what you were hired at. A salary dip below the bar at ILR time can mean refusal after five otherwise perfect years.
Is the threshold based on gross or take-home pay?
Gross annual salary — before tax, National Insurance, pension and student loan. That's why this calculator shows both: the gross figure your visa is judged on, and the take-home figure your life runs on.
What is a 'going rate'?
Each eligible occupation code (SOC) has its own minimum annual salary set by the Home Office. Your job must meet the going rate for its occupation as well as the general threshold. Some categories — new entrants, PhD-relevant roles — qualify at a percentage of the going rate.
Do these figures change?
Yes — thresholds and going rates are revised periodically, typically alongside the April rules cycles. The calculator states the snapshot date its going-rate table uses; for a decision that hinges on a few hundred pounds, verify against gov.uk or a regulated adviser before acting.
Take-home uses 2025/26 tax rates; going-rate figures carry the snapshot date shown in the calculator. Thresholds change — verify anything decision-critical on gov.uk. Guidance in plain English, not legal advice.