Employer-sponsored salary thresholds from 1 July 2026
If you are an employer sponsoring skilled workers, or a worker on an employer-sponsored pathway, 1 July 2026 is an important date. Home Affairs says employer-sponsored income thresholds are indexed annually on 1 July in line with Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE), and the current published thresholds for nominations lodged between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026 are $76,515 for the Core Skills threshold, $141,210 for the Specialist Skills threshold, and $76,515 for the TSMIT.
Using the ABS November 2025 AWOTE data, which shows a 3.9% trend increase in full-time adult ordinary time earnings, the indexed figures for 2026–27 work out to about $79,499 for the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), $146,717 for the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT), and $79,499 for the TSMIT if it rises in line with the same indexation basis. I am calling these the expected 1 July 2026 figures, because as at 9 April 2026 I have not found a fresh Home Affairs announcement page yet publishing the 2026–27 thresholds themselves.
That produces the following working figures for planning:
CSIT: $76,515 → $79,499
SSIT: $141,210 → $146,717
TSMIT: $76,515 → $79,499
Those increases are about 3.9%, matching the ABS trend movement.
The key practical rule is that the relevant salary threshold is tied to the nomination timing. Home Affairs’ salary requirements guidance lists thresholds by the period in which the nomination application is lodged. That is why there is a real planning advantage in lodging before 1 July 2026 if the current salary is close to the threshold. A nomination lodged before the increase is assessed against the threshold in force at the time of lodgement.
The thresholds affect the main employer-sponsored pathways as follows. For the subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa, the Core Skills stream is tied to the CSIT and the Specialist Skills stream is tied to the SSIT. For the subclass 186 ENS visa, Home Affairs says skilled visa income thresholds apply and are indexed annually on 1 July. For the subclass 494 SESR visa, Home Affairs’ salary guidance continues to refer to the TSMIT, which was aligned with the CSIT at $76,515 for 2025–26.
One point worth explaining clearly is terminology. Home Affairs said when the Skills in Demand framework commenced that the CSIT replaced the old TSMIT for the SID program, but the TSMIT still continues to appear in the framework for some pathways and instruments, especially subclass 494 and legacy references. So in practice, many employers and advisers still use “TSMIT” as shorthand even where “CSIT” is now the current SID term.
As at 9 April 2026, the safest wording is that businesses have a genuine three-month planning window before the likely 1 July increase. Employers should review any borderline salaries now, because a nomination that comfortably meets today’s threshold may fall short after indexation.
