SOC Codes with Salary: How to Read the 2026 Table Without Getting It Wrong
The SOC salary table looks simple — code, job, number. But the printed going rate is only half the rule, the discount columns have hidden floors, and part-time contracts change everything. Here's how to read the table the way a caseworker does.
1. What the table actually shows
The SOC codes with salaries table lists every occupation eligible for the Skilled Worker visa with the salary figures published in the Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations. The numbers are not government wishes — they are derived from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). The main Skilled Worker table uses median earnings per occupation, which is why a software developer's going rate (£54,700) is so much higher than a retail manager's (£36,400).
Each code carries up to four figures: the full going rate (options A and D), 90% (option B — relevant PhD), 80% (option C — STEM PhD), and 70% (option E — new entrant). Crucially, gov.uk prints the discounted values with their salary floors already applied, so the 70% column never drops below £33,400.
2. The rule that catches everyone: 'higher of'
Two minimums apply simultaneously: the £41,700 general threshold and your code's going rate. You must clear whichever is higher. This produces two very different situations:
| Example | Going rate | General threshold | You must be paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOC 2134 — Software developers | £54,700 | £41,700 | £54,700 (going rate wins) |
| SOC 1150 — Retail managers | £36,400 | £41,700 | £41,700 (threshold wins) |
| SOC 2231 — Nurses | NHS pay scale | exempt | Band pay per Agenda for Change |
An offer that beats the going rate but misses £41,700 fails. An offer that beats £41,700 but misses the going rate also fails. Caseworkers check both.
3. Reading the discount columns
The 70% new-entrant column applies if you are under 26, switching from a Student or Graduate visa, or working towards a recognised professional qualification — for a maximum of 4 years including Graduate-visa time. The 90% and 80% columns need a PhD relevant to the job (STEM for 80%). Each column has its own absolute floor (£33,400 for new entrant and STEM PhD, £37,500 for other PhDs), and the printed table value already includes it. The per-code figure is on every SOC code page.
4. Hours change the numbers
Going rates assume a 37.5-hour week and gov.uk requires them to be pro-rated to your sponsored hours. A 40-hour contract needs 40/37.5 of the printed rate — for SOC 2134 that lifts £54,700 to roughly £58,350. And whatever the maths says, pay can never fall below £17.13/hour. A salary can pass the annual check and fail the hourly one.
5. Five mistakes that sink applications
- Using a SOC 2010 code from an old Certificate of Sponsorship — software is 2134 now, not 2136. Check the 2010 → 2020 mapping.
- Comparing the offer only against the going rate and forgetting the £41,700 floor (or vice versa).
- Assuming the new-entrant discount is permanent — it is capped at 4 years total.
- Reading an NHS or teaching code as if it had a going rate — those follow national pay scales instead.
- Ignoring pro-rating on contracts longer than 37.5 hours a week.
Frequently asked questions
- Where do SOC going rates come from?
- From the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). The main Skilled Worker table uses median earnings per occupation; the table used by the Scale-up route uses the 25th percentile, which is why Scale-up rates are lower.
- Is the going rate the same as the minimum salary?
- Not by itself. Your minimum is the higher of the going rate and the £41,700 general threshold (unless a discount category applies). For high-paying codes the going rate is your minimum; for lower-paying codes £41,700 is.
- Do going rates change every year?
- They change when the Home Office refreshes the Appendix Skilled Occupations from new ASHE data or a Statement of Changes — most recently updated 3 August 2026. Always check the current table rather than a cached article.