Skilled Worker salary rules now apply to each pay period, not just the year
Published Checked by Edward Owusu
At a glance
What changed
A new rule, SW 14.3B, says a Skilled Worker has to be paid the required salary in pay periods at least monthly, or as set out in their contract. Pay in each period has to meet the going rate for every hour worked. Over any 3-month period (or 12 weeks for people paid more often than monthly), pay has to reach the matching share of the required yearly salary. The Home Office says this lets it act on underpayment without waiting for a full year of pay.
Who it affects
People on Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker visas whose application used a certificate of sponsorship issued on or after 8 April 2026, and the employers who sponsor them.
When it starts
The rule applies to applications using a certificate of sponsorship issued on or after 8 April 2026.
What it does not change
Applications using a certificate of sponsorship issued before 8 April 2026 are decided under the earlier rules. The rule does not change the salary threshold or going rate figures themselves.