UK Skilled Worker Points Checker (70-Point Rule)
Free 70-point check: 50 mandatory points for job, skill level and English, plus 20 tradeable points from 2026 salary routes. Instant pass/fail.
Your 70-point tally
| Points component | Status | Points |
|---|
Tradeable points are 20 or 0 — there is no partial credit. New-entrant stay is capped at 4 years including Graduate time. Healthcare and education roles on national pay scales have separate going-rate tables. Always confirm your occupation code and going rate on GOV.UK.
How the 70-Point Rule Works
This UK points calculator checks the Skilled Worker rule exactly as caseworkers apply it: 50 mandatory points plus 20 tradeable points = 70. The mandatory 50 cannot be substituted — 20 for a job offer from a Home Office licensed sponsor with a certificate of sponsorship, 20 for skill level, and 10 for English at CEFR B1 or above. Miss any one of them and the maximum you can reach is 60, which is a fail no matter how high the salary. The remaining 20 are tradeable: salary plus attributes such as a relevant PhD, new-entrant status or a shortage-list occupation combine into a single 20-point block. For the full route guidance behind this checker, read our UK Skilled Worker visa guide, and price the win afterwards with our UK visa fee calculator or the UK visa fee 2026 guide.
Two 2025 changes still catch people out. First, since 22 July 2025 the skill threshold is graduate-level work (RQF Level 6), not the old RQF Level 3 — medium-skilled jobs only qualify on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List, as a prison officer extending or switching, or for workers already in the route before that date. Second, the salary figures below are the 2026 thresholds verified on GOV.UK: a standard floor of £41,700 or the occupation going rate (whichever is higher), reduced floors of £33,400 for new entrants, STEM PhDs, postdocs and shortage-list roles, and £37,500 for relevant non-STEM PhDs. Travelling companions should check the UK visitor checklist, and multi-country planners can use the visa calculator.
2026 Salary Thresholds Used by This Checker
Each route below scores the full 20 tradeable points or nothing — pick the route that fits you and the checker tests your salary against its floor. In every case your salary must also clear the required percentage of your occupation's going rate from the official going-rates table.
| Tradeable route (20 pts) | Salary floor | Going-rate share |
|---|---|---|
| Standard — most applicants | £41,700 | 100% |
| Relevant non-STEM PhD | £37,500 | 90% |
| Relevant STEM PhD / postdoctoral role | £33,400 | 80% |
| New entrant — under 26, recent graduate, or in training (4-year cap) | £33,400 | 70% |
| Immigration Salary List / Temporary Shortage List | £33,400 | Going rate must still be met |
Mandatory 50 Points: No Shortcuts
| Mandatory component | Points | What counts |
|---|---|---|
| Job offer from licensed sponsor | 20 | Certificate of sponsorship from a Home Office approved employer; confirmed offer required before applying |
| Job at required skill level | 20 | Eligible occupation code — RQF 6 standard since July 2025, with salary-list and transitional exceptions |
| English language at B1 | 10 | Speaking, reading, writing and understanding; proven by test, degree, or nationality exemption |
Worked Tallies (Check Your Result Against These)
Standard pass: offer (20) + skill (20) + English (10) + £45,000 on the standard route (20) = 70 — PASS. Salary fail: the same profile on £30,000 = 20 tradeable lost = 50 — FAIL, missing salary. New-entrant pass: £34,000 as a qualifying new entrant with the going-rate share met = 70 — PASS. PhD pass: £38,000 with a relevant non-STEM PhD and 90% of going rate met = 70 — PASS. Missing English: offer + skill + £50,000 standard but no English = 60 — FAIL, missing English. Note the pattern: the checker fails you on exactly what is missing, so a fail always names its fix — get the CoS, switch to an eligible code, prove B1, or raise salary into a route you qualify for.
After a pass, budget the landing: Skilled Worker fees run £819 (up to 3 years) or £1,618 (over 3 years) plus £1,035 per year of health surcharge — run the exact stack in our fee tool before you pay a penny.
Who Should Use Each Salary Route?
New graduates and under-26s should test the new-entrant route first: it has the lowest going-rate share (70%) at the £33,400 floor, though the four-year cap means you must later switch to the standard route or settle through another pathway. Researchers and academics should test the PhD routes — a relevant STEM doctorate at 80% of the going rate is often easier to evidence than a higher cash salary, but the qualification must be genuinely relevant to the sponsored role and overseas degrees need Ecctis equivalence. Applicants in care, construction trades and other listed occupations should check the Immigration Salary List and Temporary Shortage List, which keep the £33,400 floor while still requiring the occupation going rate to be met. Everyone else — the majority of developers, engineers, finance staff and managers — should assume the standard £41,700 or 100% going-rate bar applies, and negotiate the certificate of sponsorship salary accordingly before the CoS is assigned, since amending it afterwards costs time and a new fee.
UK Points Checker FAQs
How does the UK Skilled Worker 70-point rule work?
You need 50 mandatory points — 20 for a licensed-sponsor job offer with a certificate of sponsorship, 20 for a job at the required skill level, 10 for English at B1 — plus 20 tradeable points from salary and attributes such as a PhD, shortage-list job or new-entrant status. That makes 70 in total.
What is the standard minimum salary in 2026?
Usually £41,700 per year or your occupation's going rate, whichever is higher. That is the standard route to the 20 tradeable points; lower salaries can still score 20 through the new-entrant, PhD, or shortage-list routes.
What salary can a new entrant be paid?
A new entrant — typically under 26, a recent UK graduate, or someone in professional training — can score the 20 tradeable points at 70 percent of the occupation going rate, as long as the salary is at least £33,400. Total UK stay on this basis is capped at 4 years.
How does a PhD lower the salary requirement?
A relevant PhD scores the 20 tradeable points at 90 percent of the going rate with a £37,500 floor, or at 80 percent with a £33,400 floor for a relevant STEM PhD. Postdoctoral researchers in science or higher education have a similar route. The qualification must be relevant to the job.
What is the Immigration Salary List discount?
Jobs on the Immigration Salary List — and certain medium-skilled jobs on the Temporary Shortage List — can score the 20 tradeable points with a salary of at least £33,400, provided the occupation's going rate is still met. You also pay a lower application fee on this route.
Can I pass with a high salary but no English?
No. English at B1 level is worth 10 mandatory points and cannot be traded or substituted — without it your maximum is 60 and you fail. Every pass needs the job offer, the skill level, English, and one valid 20-point salary route.
Is the skill level still RQF Level 3?
No. Since 22 July 2025 the standard threshold is graduate-level work (RQF Level 6). Medium-skilled jobs only qualify on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List, as a prison officer extending or switching, or for workers already in the route before that date.
What happens if my salary is between thresholds?
A salary of £35,000, for example, fails the £41,700 standard route but passes as a new entrant, STEM PhD holder, or shortage-list applicant (all floored at £33,400) if the required going-rate percentage is met. This checker tests your salary against each route automatically.
How much does the visa cost after I pass the points?
Use our free UK visa fee calculator with IHS: Skilled Worker fees are £819 (up to 3 years) or £1,618 (over 3 years) plus £1,035 per year of Immigration Health Surcharge. Add £500 per person for priority processing where available.
Is this checker official or legal advice?
No. It is a free planning estimate based on the published GOV.UK Skilled Worker rules and 2026 salary thresholds. Occupation going rates, salary lists and transitional rules change often, so confirm your code and rate on GOV.UK before applying.
How We Fact-Checked This Checker
Thresholds were checked on October 4, 2026 against GOV.UK's Skilled Worker pages (standard £41,700 or going rate; £33,400 floor for new entrants, STEM PhDs, postdocs and salary-list roles at 70/80% of going rates; £37,500 floor for relevant non-STEM PhDs at 90%; RQF 6 skill threshold since 22 July 2025) and the published going-rates, Immigration Salary List and Temporary Shortage List tables. Confirm your occupation code and rate on GOV.UK — going rates move and lists change.