Core skills income threshold 2026: AUD79,423 is the floor, so what do recruiters check next?

The core skills income threshold for 2026 is AUD79,423. It applies to Core Skills stream nominations for the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) lodged on and between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, up from AUD76,515 the year before. The Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) for the same period is AUD146,576, and the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT), which still sets the floor for the subclass 494 and 187 visas, sits at the same AUD79,423 as the CSIT.

Those are the headline numbers. On a recruiter's desk, though, the threshold is only the first test a sponsored offer has to pass. Below are the three figures side by side, how they move each year, and the checks employers and candidates can run before a nomination goes in.

CSIT, SSIT and TSMIT side by side

All three figures are published on the Home Affairs salary requirements page for nominated positions. The table shows what each one is used for and how the two 482 thresholds moved on 1 July 2026.

Both 482 thresholds rose by roughly the same proportion. That is no accident: Home Affairs says skilled visa income thresholds are indexed annually, and the new figures apply from 1 July each year.

Which threshold a role is measured against

Core Skills stream and the subclass 186

In the Core Skills stream, the worker must be nominated for an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) and paid the annual market salary rate (AMSR) for that occupation, and no less than the CSIT. Both conditions apply together. Where Australian workers in the same role are paid more than AUD79,423, clearing the threshold alone is not enough.

The CSIT reaches past temporary visas too. Since 7 December 2024 it has also applied to Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) nominations, so an employer moving a worker towards permanent residence measures the offer against the same figure. Home Affairs explains the 482 rules on its Core Skills stream page.

Specialist Skills stream

The Specialist Skills stream is for occupations in ANZSCO Major Groups 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6, and the salary must meet the SSIT. At AUD146,576 this is a stream for senior and highly paid specialists, not a faster route for an ordinary skilled role. The rules sit on the Specialist Skills stream page, and Red Migration has a useful breakdown of the Specialist and Core Skills stream tests for anyone unsure which path a job takes.

Regional roles on the subclass 494

The TSMIT is the figure for subclass 494 and 187 nominations. The 494 lets holders live, work and study only in designated regional areas for 5 years, and those areas cover all of Australia except Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. A role in Perth, Adelaide or a country town can therefore be measured against the TSMIT. Our guide to designated regional areas in Australia explains how the postcode test works.

The lodgement date decides the figure

Each threshold is tied to the date the nomination application is lodged. It is not the date of the job ad, the offer letter or the worker's first day.

That matters for every offer made in the last weeks of a financial year. An offer written before 1 July 2026 at a salary between AUD76,515 and AUD79,423 met the old CSIT, but if the nomination was lodged on or after 1 July 2026, the new figure applies and the salary sits below it.

The practical habit is simple: write the expected lodgement date on the hiring plan and price the role against the threshold for that date, not today's.

The threshold is not the whole pay test

A salary that clears the CSIT can still be the wrong salary. Other floors sit underneath every offer in Australia.

The award or agreement

Most employees are covered by an award that sets the minimum wage for their industry or occupation, and award rates may be higher than the National Minimum Wage. A contract can't provide for less than the minimum entitlements in the award or the National Employment Standards. Our guide to finding the modern award that covers a role shows how to locate the right MA000 code.

Penalties and loadings

Fair Work says an employee on a salary must be paid overall at least what they would get under their award or agreement, including penalties and loadings. A chef or nurse rostered on nights and weekends can be owed more than the base figure suggests. Our explainer on penalty rates for weekend and late shifts shows how to test a salary against the roster.

How the threshold compares with the minimum wage

From 1 July 2026 the National Minimum Wage is $1004.90 per week, calculated on a 38-hour week. Over a full year that is about AUD52,255, so the CSIT sits roughly AUD27,168 above it. Divided the same way, AUD79,423 works out to about AUD1,527 a week, or around AUD40.19 an hour across 38 ordinary hours. These are rough divisions to help compare offers, not official rates.

For more on how the award, the National Employment Standards and the minimum wage fit together, see our guide to the pay floor behind every job offer in Australia.

How recruiters check a sponsored offer against the thresholds

This is the order we work through before an offer is treated as ready for a nomination. It is general information only.

1. Confirm the stream. Find the occupation on the official combined list of eligible skilled occupations, which shows whether it is on the CSOL and which body assesses it. That decides whether the CSIT, the SSIT or the TSMIT is the relevant figure.
2. Fix the lodgement date. Estimate when the nomination will actually be lodged and use the threshold for that period. If it could slip past 1 July, price against the new figure once Home Affairs publishes it.
3. Compare against the market rate. For the Core Skills stream, check the salary against the annual market salary rate for the occupation as well as the CSIT. The higher of the two is the real floor.
4. Check the award. Identify the award or agreement, then confirm the salary covers what the worker would earn under it, including penalties and loadings on the actual roster.
5. Check that nothing flows back. The employer must pay all costs of becoming a sponsor and nominating, and cannot pass them, or the Skilling Australians Fund levy, on to the worker. The Home Affairs cost of sponsoring page lists the charges.
6. Diarise 1 July. For every role still in the pipeline, re-check the salary against the new figures as soon as they are published.

Employers working through the wider process, from sponsor approval to the levy, will find the full sequence in our guide to what employers pay, prove and owe when they hire overseas workers.

What the numbers mean for candidates

For a skilled worker weighing an offer, the thresholds are a quick honesty check. A sponsored offer in the Core Skills stream that sits below AUD79,423 for a nomination lodged in this period does not meet the published rule, whatever the reason given.

Salary is not the only proof a nomination needs. Subclass 482 applicants must have at least 1 year of relevant work experience in the nominated occupation or a related field, gained within the last 5 years. A clear CV that lists duties, dates and employers for that period does a lot of the work; Build AI CV can help lay out that history so a recruiter can match it to the occupation quickly. A verified profile on Talent Tabloid is another way to show the work history behind those dates.

Shortages also shape where offers are made. Our reading of the Occupation Shortage List and the 29% of occupations in shortage explains how to aim applications. To see live sponsored roles, browse the IT and technology jobs on Talynx or skilled vacancies such as this lead electrical engineer role in Karratha.

Common mistakes with the income thresholds

• Using last year's figure. AUD76,515 was the CSIT only for nominations lodged up to 30 June 2026.
• Treating the threshold as the going rate. In the Core Skills stream the worker must also be paid the market rate for the occupation, which can be higher.
• Forgetting the award. A salary above the CSIT can still fall short of the award once penalties and loadings on the real roster are counted.
• Reading "regional" as remote. Every location outside Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane counts for the 494, so the TSMIT applies to many city roles.
• Clawing money back. It is illegal for a person to pay an employer to be sponsored, including through salary deductions, and it can lead to visa refusal or cancellation, fines or imprisonment. A salary that meets the threshold on paper but is partly repaid is not a lawful offer.
• Assuming every part of a package counts. Read the official salary requirements page for how the figure is assessed before building a package around extras.

Frequently asked questions

What is the core skills income threshold in 2026?

The CSIT is AUD79,423 for nomination applications lodged on and between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027. For nominations lodged in the previous year, up to 30 June 2026, it was AUD76,515.

Is the TSMIT the same as the CSIT?

For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, both are AUD79,423. They apply to different visas: the CSIT to the 482 Core Skills stream and subclass 186 nominations, the TSMIT to the subclass 494 and 187.

When do the thresholds change next?

Home Affairs says skilled visa income thresholds are indexed annually and the changes apply from 1 July each year. Nominations lodged from 1 July 2027 should be checked against the figure Home Affairs publishes for that year.

Does a salary above the CSIT mean a role can be sponsored?

No. The occupation must be on the Core Skills Occupation List, the salary must also meet the annual market salary rate for the occupation, and the worker must meet the visa's own requirements, such as relevant work experience. Visa outcomes are decided by the department.

Can a worker repay part of the salary to keep the sponsorship?

No. Paying an employer for sponsorship is illegal, including through salary deductions, and it can lead to visa refusal or cancellation, fines or imprisonment. The employer must also pay all sponsorship and nomination costs itself.

Key takeaways

• The CSIT is AUD79,423 and the SSIT is AUD146,576 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.
• The TSMIT for the 494 and 187 matches the CSIT this year at AUD79,423.
• The lodgement date of the nomination decides which figure applies.
• The threshold is a floor: the market rate and the award, with penalties, can set a higher one.
• Thresholds are indexed every year from 1 July, so re-check roles still in the pipeline.