SOC Codes and Going Rates Explained: A Sponsor's Guide to Getting Skilled Worker Salaries Right
Key Takeaways
- Every sponsored role must pass two tests: it must be at the right skill level and it must meet the right salary. The four-digit SOC occupation code you choose determines both, which makes it the single most consequential entry on a Certificate of Sponsorship.
- The standard salary requirement is the higher of £41,700 a year or the going rate for the occupation code. Meeting one but not the other is not enough.
- Since 22 July 2025 the general skill threshold has been RQF level 6, broadly degree level. Roles listed as medium skilled are only eligible through the Immigration Salary List, the Temporary Shortage List, or limited transitional arrangements.
- Lower salary rates exist but are tightly defined. Most discounted routes require at least £33,400, or £37,500 for a non-STEM PhD, and each has its own percentage of the going rate.
- A common and costly misunderstanding: being on the Immigration Salary List lowers the general threshold to £33,400, but you must still pay the standard going rate for the occupation code.
- Workers sponsored in medium skilled roles on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List on or after 22 July 2025 generally cannot bring dependants, which materially affects recruitment conversations.
- Salary is no longer tested as an annual average. The going rate must be met for every hour worked in each pay period, and the required annual salary is checked over a rolling three-month, 12-week or 17-week window depending on how you pay.
- Meeting the immigration salary rules is not enough on its own. The National Minimum Wage applies as a separate legal duty, it is an hourly rate rather than an annual one, and it rises every 1 April, so sponsored pay may need increasing even though nothing on the Certificate of Sponsorship has changed.
- Getting this wrong is expensive and hard to undo. WPC HR's compliance software holds each worker's occupation code and salary alongside their contract and payroll so mismatches surface immediately, and our Sponsor Licence Compliance Audit checks your existing roles against current requirements.
Introduction
Ask most HR teams what causes a Skilled Worker refusal and they will say paperwork. In practice, the two things that most often sink an application, or surface as a breach months later, are the occupation code and the salary. They are also linked, because the code you select sets the going rate you must pay and determines whether the role qualifies at all.
This has become considerably harder since July 2025, when the general skill threshold rose to degree level and a large number of medium skilled occupations dropped out of general eligibility. Add the April 2026 rule requiring the salary to be met in every pay period, and a role that looked comfortably compliant two years ago may not be today.
This guide explains how the system actually works: what SOC codes are, how to choose the right one, what the skill level test now requires, how going rates interact with the general threshold, which discounts exist and who qualifies, and the mistakes that most often cause refusals and compliance findings. Because the figures and lists change, we have linked the live GOV.UK tables throughout, and you should always check those before assigning a certificate. Our group's guide to Skilled Worker eligible occupations and codes is a useful companion piece.
The Two Tests Every Sponsored Role Must Pass
Before assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship, the role must satisfy both of the following. Failing either is fatal to the application.
| Test | What It Requires |
|---|---|
| Skill level | The occupation must be eligible for the route. Since 22 July 2025 the general threshold is RQF level 6, broadly degree level. Occupations classed as medium skilled qualify only through the Immigration Salary List, the Temporary Shortage List, or specific transitional arrangements. |
| Salary | The worker must be paid at least the higher of the general threshold, currently £41,700 a year, or the going rate for the occupation code. Reduced rates apply only in defined circumstances. |
Both tests hang off the occupation code, which is why code selection deserves far more care than it usually receives. GOV.UK sets out the requirements on its Skilled Worker visa: your job page.
What a SOC Occupation Code Actually Is
SOC stands for Standard Occupational Classification. It is the Office for National Statistics system for categorising jobs, and the Home Office uses the four-digit codes from the 2020 edition to run the Skilled Worker route. Each code covers a group of related roles with a common skill level and a published going rate.
Two things follow from that. First, the code is not a label you choose for convenience; it is a statement about what the job genuinely involves. Second, because the going rate is attached to the code, selecting a different code changes the salary you are legally required to pay. This is precisely why the Home Office treats code manipulation as a serious matter rather than an administrative slip.
It is also worth understanding that job titles and SOC codes do not map neatly. Two businesses can use the same job title for very different roles, and the same role can be described a dozen ways across an industry. The code must reflect the actual duties, not the title on the contract or the advert.
How to Choose the Right SOC Code
A defensible code selection follows a repeatable process. Document it, because if the choice is ever questioned you will need to show your reasoning.
- Start from the duties, not the title. Write down what the person will actually do day to day, the decisions they will make, who they report to and who reports to them.
- Use the official lookup tool. GOV.UK directs employers to the CASCOT occupation coding tool to identify a code from the job description. Search the duties rather than the exact job title.
- Read the full code description. Check the tasks listed under the code and the related job titles. Similar-sounding roles can sit under very different codes, and GOV.UK gives the construction sector as an example: bricklayers, roofers and carpenters are eligible, while construction labourers are not.
- Check the code is eligible. Look it up in the table of eligible occupations and confirm whether it is classed as higher skilled or medium skilled.
- Check the going rate. Find the published rate in the going rates table and compare it against what you intend to pay.
- Sense-check against the hierarchy. Does the seniority implied by the code match where the role sits in your organisation? A code implying managerial responsibility for a role with none invites scrutiny.
- Record your reasoning. Keep a short note of why this code was chosen, along with the job description. This becomes part of your evidence if the role is later reviewed.
If two codes look plausible, do not simply take the one with the lower going rate. The Immigration Rules address this directly: the sponsor must choose an appropriate code, and a decision maker must not have reasonable grounds to believe a less appropriate code was chosen because the most appropriate one is not eligible, has a higher going rate than the proposed salary, is not on the Immigration Salary List, or is not eligible for PhD points. In assessing that, the decision maker can consider whether there is a genuine need for the job as described, whether the worker has the skills and qualifications to do it, and the sponsor's compliance history, including whether it pays its sponsored workers properly. Choose the code that most accurately describes the work, and take advice where the fit is genuinely unclear.
The Skill Level Test After July 2025
This is the change that reshaped the route. From 22 July 2025 the general skill threshold moved to RQF level 6, broadly equivalent to a bachelor's degree, for new grants. A substantial number of occupations that had been eligible at the previous, lower threshold ceased to qualify under the general rules.
GOV.UK now presents this in the eligible occupations table as two categories:
- Higher skilled. If your occupation code is listed as higher skilled, the role is eligible for the route on skill grounds.
- Medium skilled. If your code is listed as medium skilled, the role is only eligible if it appears on the Immigration Salary List, appears on the Temporary Shortage List, or falls within a specific exception such as prison officers (code 3314) extending or switching. A worker extending their visa may also qualify if they received their first Certificate of Sponsorship before 22 July 2025.
For HR teams, the practical consequence is that you cannot rely on what was eligible when you last recruited. Check the current position for each code every time, particularly for roles you have sponsored routinely in the past.
The Immigration Salary List and the Temporary Shortage List
These two lists are the main routes by which a medium skilled occupation can still be sponsored, and they work differently from one another.
The Immigration Salary List (ISL)
The ISL is a list of skilled jobs with lower salary requirements. If the role is on it, the general threshold drops to £33,400. Here is the point that catches sponsors out repeatedly: you must still pay at least the standard going rate for the occupation code. The ISL reduces the general threshold, not the going rate. Check the Immigration Salary List, and note that some entries apply only in particular parts of the UK, so confirm the position for the nation where the work will be done.
The Temporary Shortage List (TSL)
The TSL provides time-limited access for selected medium skilled occupations that would otherwise fall below the RQF 6 threshold. GOV.UK confirms that where a medium skilled job is on the list, an application can be made for entry clearance, to switch into the route, or to extend permission. The list is genuinely time-limited: under the Immigration Rules an occupation only qualifies through the TSL where the application uses a Certificate of Sponsorship issued before 31 December 2026. If you are planning recruitment in one of these occupations, that date should be in your workforce planning now. Always check the current Temporary Shortage List, and our group has covered the background in its analysis of the Temporary Shortage List and the MAC's recommendations.
The dependants restriction
One consequence deserves specific attention in recruitment. Workers sponsored in medium skilled roles on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List on or after 22 July 2025 are generally not permitted to bring a partner or children as dependants, subject to limited transitional protection for those who held Skilled Worker permission before that date. This has a real effect on candidate attraction and retention, and it is far better raised early than discovered at application stage.
How Going Rates Work
A going rate is the published minimum salary attached to a specific occupation code. Each code has its own annual figure, set out in the going rates table. The rule is simply stated: you pay the higher of the general threshold and the going rate.
GOV.UK gives a clear worked example. If the salary offered is £42,000 but the going rate for the occupation is £45,000, the usual salary requirement is not met, even though £42,000 exceeds the general threshold of £41,700. The going rate wins because it is the higher of the two.
Going rates in the main occupation tables are based on a 37.5-hour week and are pro-rated to the worker's actual pattern. The calculation is the published going rate multiplied by the weekly hours your sponsorship states, divided by 37.5. Where a reduced rate of 70%, 80% or 90% applies, that percentage is applied to the pro-rated figure. Health and education codes are pro-rated as set out in their own tables. Part-time roles are a frequent source of miscalculation, so work the figure through rather than estimating.
There is also a cap worth knowing. Where a worker is sponsored for more than 48 hours a week, only the salary for the first 48 hours counts towards the salary thresholds. A worker on 60 hours a week at £15 an hour is therefore treated as earning £37,440 a year rather than £46,800. Different averaging applies to irregular patterns with unpaid rest weeks. Note also that the going rate tables are updated periodically, so a rate you used last year may no longer be current.
When a Lower Salary Is Permitted
Reduced rates exist, but they are narrowly defined and each carries its own conditions. The table below summarises the main routes as set out on the GOV.UK page on when you can be paid less.
| Basis for a lower rate | Percentage of going rate | Minimum salary |
|---|---|---|
| Under 26, studying, a recent graduate, or in professional training (including working towards a recognised qualification in a regulated profession, or towards full registration or chartered status) | 70% | £33,400 |
| STEM PhD relevant to the job | 80% | £33,400 |
| Non-STEM PhD relevant to the job | 90% | £37,500 |
| Postdoctoral position in eligible science or higher education roles (codes 2111, 2112, 2113, 2114, 2115, 2119, 2162 and 2311) | 70% | £33,400 |
| Job on the Immigration Salary List | Standard going rate still applies in full | £33,400 |
Two conditions are easy to miss. First, for the under-26 and postdoctoral routes, the worker's total stay in the UK cannot exceed four years, including time already spent on a Graduate visa. Second, a PhD discount requires the qualification to be genuinely relevant to the job, confirmed by the employer, with overseas qualifications verified through Ecctis as equivalent to a UK PhD. Our group covers the detail in its guide to new entrant salary rules and eligibility.
Healthcare and Education: Different Rules
Certain healthcare and education occupations do not use the standard going rates at all. Instead, the going rate is based on the relevant national pay scale. This affects many NHS and teaching roles, and it means you cannot simply read a figure from the general table.
Care roles carry additional requirements. Where you are sponsoring a care worker (code 6135) or senior care worker (code 6136) with a working location in England, your organisation must be registered with the Care Quality Commission. Just as importantly, these two codes are now restricted to applications for permission to stay, so they cannot generally be used to recruit from overseas. The worker must either have been legally working for you in one of those codes for at least the three months ending on the date the certificate was issued, with the application made before 22 July 2028, or already hold Skilled Worker permission in those codes. Care providers planning international recruitment should take advice before committing. Full detail on the pay scale approach is on the GOV.UK page for healthcare and education jobs.
What Counts Towards the Salary
The salary that matters for immigration purposes is not the same as the total value of the package. Only guaranteed basic gross pay counts towards the threshold and the going rate.
| Counts towards salary | Does not count towards salary |
|---|---|
| Guaranteed basic gross pay, before income tax and including the worker's own pension and National Insurance contributions. | Pay that cannot be guaranteed because the hours fluctuate. |
| Shift pay, overtime and bonuses, whether or not they are guaranteed. | |
| Allowances of any kind, including accommodation and cost of living allowances. | |
| Other guaranteed payments treated exactly the same as basic gross pay for tax, pension and National Insurance purposes. | Employer pension and employer National Insurance contributions. |
| Benefits in kind, such as health insurance, equity shares, school fees, a company car or food. | |
| One-off payments such as a golden hello, and payments covering immigration costs or business expenses. |
Allowances catch people out most often. On the Skilled Worker route allowances do not count towards the salary at all, even where they are guaranteed, so a package built on a modest basic plus a generous accommodation or cost of living allowance can fall well short. A narrow transitional exception exists for some former Tier 2 (General) migrants applying to stay with the same sponsor before 1 December 2026, but it should not be assumed.
Deductions deserve equal care. Money the worker pays back to you, including deductions from salary, loan repayments and investments, is subtracted from the salary the Home Office recognises, averaged across the period of sponsorship. Payments recovering business costs or immigration costs are treated this way. Genuine optional benefits that the worker can choose whether to take up, such as a salary sacrifice arrangement, are not subtracted.
The National Minimum Wage Applies as Well
Immigration salary rules are not the only floor. The National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage apply to sponsored workers exactly as they do to everyone else, and GOV.UK is explicit that the employer must make sure the job pays at least the minimum wage and follows UK rules on weekly working hours, failing which the application will be refused. Sponsors also have a general duty to comply with UK law, so a minimum wage failure is a licence issue as well as an employment one.
The two systems work differently, which is where mistakes creep in. Immigration thresholds are annual figures; the minimum wage is an hourly rate tested on the hours actually worked. A salary can therefore clear the going rate and still breach the minimum wage if the hours are long. That risk is sharpened by the 48-hour cap described earlier, because immigration only counts the first 48 hours a week towards the threshold while the minimum wage applies to every hour genuinely worked. Deductions and long shifts are the usual culprits.
The rates change on 1 April each year, which is the practical trap. An uplift can be required even though nothing on the Certificate of Sponsorship has changed, so this needs to be a diarised annual review rather than something checked once at offer. The current rates are below, and you should confirm them against the live National Minimum Wage rates before relying on them.
| From April 2026 | Hourly rate |
|---|---|
| Aged 21 and over (National Living Wage) | £12.71 |
| Aged 18 to 20 | £10.85 |
| Under 18 | £8.00 |
| Apprentice | £8.00 |
Because minimum wage compliance has its own detailed rules on working time, accommodation offsets and permitted deductions, we cover it separately. Our group's complete employer's guide to the UK minimum wage sets out the wider obligations and costs.
The Pay Period Rule
The rules now test salary across the life of the sponsorship rather than accepting an annual average, and this was tightened with effect from April 2026. Workers must be paid at least monthly, or as their contract specifies, and two separate requirements apply.
First, the salary paid in each pay period must equal or exceed the going rate for every hour worked in that period. Second, the required annual salary is tested over a rolling window. Where the worker is paid monthly or less frequently, pay over any three-month period must be at least a quarter of the required annual salary. Where pay is more frequent, pay over any 12-week period must be at least 12/52 of it. For uneven working patterns, where the sponsor has confirmed the pattern, the test is applied over any 17-week period.
The practical implications fall squarely on payroll rather than recruitment. A month containing unpaid leave, reduced hours, an unpaid strike day or a payroll correction can breach the hourly going rate test immediately, and can also drag the rolling window below the required level. Roles sitting close to the threshold have very little tolerance.
The fix is procedural: check the salary against the requirement before each payroll run is finalised, rather than reviewing annually in arrears. Our group's guide to the pay period rules sets out the position in more detail, and we cover the wider reporting consequences in our sponsor duties checklist.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
| Mistake | How to Avoid It |
|---|---|
| Choosing a code by job title | Map the actual duties to the code description, and read the tasks listed under the code before deciding. |
| Choosing the code with the lowest going rate | Select the code that genuinely describes the work. Choosing for cost is treated as evidence the vacancy is not genuine. |
| Meeting the general threshold but not the going rate | Always compare both figures and pay the higher. £42,000 does not satisfy a £45,000 going rate. |
| Assuming the ISL reduces the going rate | It reduces the general threshold to £33,400 only. The standard going rate still applies in full. |
| Using last year's rate or list | Going rates and the eligibility lists are updated. Check the live tables before every assignment. |
| Applying a discount without meeting the conditions | Each reduced rate has defined criteria, minimum salaries and, in some cases, a four-year cap on total stay. |
| Miscalculating part-time salaries | Going rates are full-time equivalent figures. Pro-rate carefully against actual hours. |
| Reviewing salary annually | Since April 2026 the requirement applies in every pay period. Check before each payroll run. |
| Letting the role drift from the code | If duties change materially, the code may no longer fit, which can require a report or a new certificate. |
| Forgetting the minimum wage uplift each April | The minimum wage rises every 1 April and applies to sponsored workers too. Diarise an annual review, as an uplift can be needed even though the certificate has not changed. |
A Pre-Assignment Checklist
Work through this before assigning any Certificate of Sponsorship. It takes minutes and prevents the errors that cost months.
- The job description is written and reflects the duties the person will actually perform.
- The occupation code has been selected from the duties, using the official lookup tool, and the reasoning is recorded.
- The code has been confirmed as eligible in the current table, and you know whether it is higher or medium skilled.
- If medium skilled, you have confirmed it is on the ISL or TSL, or that a specific exception applies.
- The current going rate has been checked in the live table, not from a saved copy.
- The salary offered meets the higher of the general threshold and the going rate, calculated on guaranteed basic pay only.
- Any reduced rate has been checked against its specific conditions and minimum salary.
- Part-time hours have been pro-rated correctly against the full-time equivalent rate.
- Deductions and repayment clauses have been reviewed so they do not reduce the recognised salary.
- Where dependants are restricted, the candidate has been told before they accept the role.
- Payroll knows the required amount and will check it in every pay period.
- The certificate details, contract and payroll all state the same job title, code, salary, hours and location.
How Can WPC HR Help?
Occupation codes and going rates cause problems not because the rules are unknowable, but because the details drift apart over time. A salary is set correctly at offer, then a pay period dips below the line. A role evolves and no longer matches the code on the certificate. A rate is updated and nobody notices. WPC HR's HR compliance software holds each sponsored worker's occupation code, certificate details, contract and payroll together, so a mismatch between what you promised and what you are paying is visible immediately rather than at an audit. It tracks salary against the required level, alerts you before deadlines and expiries, and keeps the evidence an officer would ask to see. If you would like a specialist to review the codes and salaries you are already sponsoring against current requirements, our Sponsor Licence Compliance Audit examines your whole sponsored workforce and gives you a prioritised plan for anything that needs correcting. For advice on a specific role or application, our group's Skilled Worker visa service can help.
📞 Call us: 020 8087 2343
📅 Book a free compliance audit: wpchr.co.uk/sponsor-licence-compliance-audit
🔗 See the platform: wpchr.co.uk/hr-compliance-software-features
Conclusion
Occupation codes and going rates are where sponsorship stops being administrative and becomes a matter of judgement. The code must genuinely describe the work, the salary must clear both the general threshold and the going rate, any discount must be properly earned, and the whole arrangement must still hold true in every pay period long after the certificate is assigned.
The route has also become less forgiving of habit. A code that was eligible in 2024 may be medium skilled today, a rate you used last year may have moved, and a package that averaged out acceptably may now fail in a single month. Build the checks into your process rather than your memory: select the code from the duties, verify against the live tables every time, record your reasoning, and reconcile payroll against the requirement before each run. Where you would rather have a system keep those details aligned and flag them when they drift, that is exactly what WPC HR is built to do.
Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| SOC code | The four-digit Standard Occupational Classification code describing a role. It sets the skill level and the going rate. |
| Going rate | The published minimum annual salary attached to a specific occupation code. |
| General threshold | The baseline Skilled Worker salary requirement, currently £41,700 a year, applied alongside the going rate. |
| RQF level 6 | The general skill threshold for the route since 22 July 2025, broadly equivalent to bachelor's degree level. |
| Higher skilled | An occupation classed as meeting the general skill threshold and therefore eligible on skill grounds. |
| Medium skilled | An occupation below the general threshold, eligible only via the ISL, the TSL or a specific exception. |
| Immigration Salary List (ISL) | A list of jobs with a lower general salary threshold of £33,400. The standard going rate still applies. |
| Temporary Shortage List (TSL) | A time-limited list giving selected medium skilled occupations access to the route. |
| New entrant | A worker qualifying for a reduced rate on grounds such as being under 26, studying, a recent graduate or in professional training. |
| Pay period rule | The requirement that the going rate is met for every hour worked in each pay period, with the annual salary tested over a rolling three-month, 12-week or 17-week window rather than averaged across the year. |
| Pro-rating | Adjusting the published going rate to the worker's hours. Main-table rates are based on a 37.5-hour week and scaled by weekly hours divided by 37.5. |
| National Minimum Wage / National Living Wage | The statutory hourly pay floor that applies to sponsored workers alongside the immigration salary rules. Rates change every 1 April. |
| CASCOT | The occupation coding tool GOV.UK directs employers to when identifying a SOC code from a job description. |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
A SOC code is the four-digit Standard Occupational Classification code describing a job. It matters because it determines both whether the role is eligible for the Skilled Worker route on skill grounds and the going rate you must pay. Choosing the wrong code can make an otherwise valid role ineligible, or leave you paying below the required salary.
The standard requirement is the higher of £41,700 a year or the going rate for the occupation code. Lower rates apply in defined circumstances, generally with a floor of £33,400, or £37,500 for a non-STEM PhD discount. Some healthcare and education roles use national pay scales instead of the standard going rates.
No, and this is one of the most common misunderstandings. Being on the Immigration Salary List reduces the general salary threshold to £33,400, but you must still pay at least the standard going rate for the occupation code. Always check both figures.
Not necessarily. Since 22 July 2025 the general skill threshold has been RQF level 6, and many occupations previously eligible are now classed as medium skilled. Those qualify only through the Immigration Salary List, the Temporary Shortage List or a specific exception. Check the current eligible occupations table for each code before you recruit.
Generally no. Workers sponsored in medium skilled roles on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List on or after 22 July 2025 are not usually permitted to bring a partner or children as dependants, though limited transitional protection can apply to those who already held Skilled Worker permission. Raise this with candidates early, as it affects their decision.
Yes. The minimum wage is a separate legal duty and applies to sponsored workers like anyone else. GOV.UK states that the employer must ensure the job pays at least the minimum wage and follows UK working hours rules, and that the application will be refused otherwise. Because immigration thresholds are annual and the minimum wage is hourly, a salary can satisfy the going rate and still breach the minimum wage where hours are long. Remember also that the rates rise every 1 April, so an uplift may be needed even though the Certificate of Sponsorship is unchanged.
Salary is no longer assessed as an annual average. The going rate must be met for every hour worked in each pay period, and the required annual salary is tested over a rolling window, being any three-month period where you pay monthly or less often, any 12-week period where you pay more frequently, or any 17-week period for confirmed uneven working patterns. A single shortfall can therefore put you in breach even if annual pay looks comfortable. Unpaid leave, reduced hours and payroll corrections are the usual causes.
