How to Meet the UK Spouse Visa Financial Requirement in 2026

The UK spouse visa financial requirement is one of the most technical parts of a partner application. Meeting the required income figure is not enough by itself: the applicant must use a permitted source of income and provide the exact evidence required by the Immigration Rules.

For most new spouse and partner applications, the current minimum income requirement is £29,000 gross per year. However, the transitional £18,600 threshold may continue to apply to certain applicants who entered the partner route before 11 April 2024. Sponsors receiving specified disability or carer’s benefits are normally assessed under the adequate-maintenance rules instead.

This guide was updated on 2 August 2026 and covers straightforward applications under the five-year family route.

Spouse visa financial requirement: key figures

Requirement	Current position
Standard minimum income requirement	£29,000 gross annually
Transitional starting threshold	£18,600 gross annually
Savings disregarded before calculation	£16,000
Savings-only amount for £29,000 initial or extension application	£88,500
Savings-only amount for £18,600 initial or extension application	£62,500
Normal cash-savings holding period	Six months
Latest specified financial evidence	Normally within 28 days of applying
Specified-benefit cases	Adequate maintenance instead of £29,000

The official threshold and transitional arrangements are confirmed in the GOV.UK spouse visa financial-requirement guidance.

Which financial threshold applies?

Before gathering documents, determine which financial rule applies to the application.

The £29,000 standard requirement

The £29,000 threshold normally applies where:

• The applicant is making their first partner application on or after 11 April 2024
• The applicant is applying with a different partner
• The applicant is not protected by the transitional arrangements
• The sponsor does not receive a specified benefit that triggers adequate maintenance

There is no separate child-income addition under the standard £29,000 requirement.

The £29,000 figure normally continues to apply at later stages of the five-year route for applicants who entered under that threshold.

The transitional £18,600 requirement

The transitional rules can normally apply where:

• The applicant successfully applied as a partner, fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner before 11 April 2024
• The applicant is extending or continuing the route with the same partner
• The applicant has remained within the relevant partner-route arrangements

The basic transitional requirement is £18,600. Relevant dependent children can increase it by:

• £3,800 for the first relevant child
• £2,400 for each additional relevant child

The total transitional requirement is capped at £29,000.

Children who are British or Irish, settled, or otherwise excluded under the Rules do not normally increase the threshold. The precise transitional provisions appear in Appendix FM.

Sponsors receiving specified benefits

If the sponsor receives a qualifying disability or carer’s benefit, the couple do not normally have to demonstrate £29,000.

Instead, they must show that the family can be adequately maintained and accommodated without additional recourse to public funds. This is explained later in this guide.

What income can be used?

Permitted financial sources are divided into categories:

Category	Financial source
Category A	Employment held for at least six months
Category B	Employment held for less than six months or variable employment
Category C	Non-employment income
Category D	Cash savings
Category E	Pension income
Category F	Self-employment or specified-company income using the last full financial year
Category G	Self-employment or specified-company income averaged over the last two full financial years

More than one source can sometimes be combined, but the combination rules are restrictive. Cash savings cannot be combined with every category.

Category A: employment for at least six months

Category A is normally used where the person whose employment income is being relied upon has:

• Worked for the same employer for at least six months
• Remained employed on the application date
• Received the required level of income throughout the relevant six-month period

Employment may be salaried or non-salaried.

Salaried employment

For salaried employment, the calculation generally considers the gross annual salary paid during the six months before the application.

Where the salary changed during that period, the amount that can be relied upon may be based on the lowest annual salary level received during the six months.

For example, suppose a sponsor:

• Earned £27,000 annually during the first two months
• Received a promotion to £31,000 for the following four months
• Applies under the £29,000 requirement

The current £31,000 salary does not automatically establish £29,000 throughout the complete six-month period. Another permitted source or a later application date may be needed.

Non-salaried employment

Non-salaried employment can include work paid hourly, weekly or according to variable hours.

The usual Category A calculation is:

Gross earnings received during six months ÷ 6 × 12

For example, if a person received £15,000 during the relevant six months:

£15,000 ÷ 6 × 12 = £30,000 annualised income

The precise calculation should be checked against the employment history, payment intervals and evidence.

Category A document checklist

The required evidence normally includes:

• Payslips covering the full six-month period
• Personal bank statements covering the same period
• Bank statements showing every salary payment
• Employer letter dated and issued on headed paper
• Employment contract
• Relevant P60, if issued

The employer’s letter should confirm:

• The person’s employment
• Job title or position
• Gross annual salary
• Length of employment
• Period for which the current salary has been paid
• Whether the employment is permanent, fixed-term or agency work
• That the submitted payslips are genuine

The salary shown on each payslip should match the payment entering the relevant bank account. Expenses, bonuses, deductions, payment-date changes or combined payments should be explained.

Category B: new employment or variable income

Category B is commonly used where the person:

• Has worked for the current employer for less than six months
• Has recently changed employment
• Has variable earnings and chooses not to rely on Category A
• Has not received the required salary throughout the complete six-month period

Category B normally involves two separate tests.

Part one: current income

The person must normally demonstrate that their current gross annual salary or annualised non-salaried income meets the relevant threshold, alone or with permitted additional sources.

Part two: income received during the previous 12 months

The person must also normally demonstrate that the required amount of qualifying gross income was actually received during the 12 months before applying.

Passing the first test does not automatically mean the second test is satisfied.

Category B example

A sponsor starts a new job paying £32,000 annually two months before applying.

During the previous 12 months, the sponsor received:

• £20,000 from their previous job
• £4,000 from the current job

Total employment income received: £24,000

The sponsor satisfies the current-salary part because the new salary is £32,000. However, the sponsor does not satisfy the retrospective £29,000 part using employment income alone because only £24,000 was received during the previous 12 months.

Cash savings cannot normally be used to repair the retrospective part of the Category B calculation.

Category B documents

Depending on the history, the documents may include:

• Payslips from the current employer
• Payslips from previous employers during the 12-month period
• Corresponding bank statements
• Employer letters from each relevant employer
• Current employment contract
• Previous employment contracts
• P45 or P60 documents
• Explanation of employment gaps or changes

Where the applicant and sponsor combine their employment income, both employment sources must normally be calculated under the same applicable Category A or Category B method.

Whose employment income can be counted?

Sponsor living and working in the UK

Qualifying UK employment income from the sponsor can normally be counted.

Applicant already in the UK

The applicant’s UK employment income may normally be combined with the sponsor’s income where the applicant:

• Is lawfully in the UK
• Has permission to work
• Earned the income lawfully
• Meets the applicable specified-evidence requirements

Applicant applying from overseas

An applicant’s overseas employment income will not normally count in the same way because the applicant is not yet working lawfully in the UK.

However, the applicant’s permitted savings, pension or non-employment income may potentially count, depending on the category and evidence.

Sponsor returning from overseas

A British or settled sponsor returning to the UK can potentially rely on overseas employment income.

Under Category A, the sponsor will normally need:

• Qualifying overseas employment held for at least six months
• Evidence of the required overseas income
• A confirmed UK job offer
• A UK start date within three months of returning
• A UK salary satisfying the applicable requirement, alone or with permitted sources

Under Category B, the returning sponsor may be able to rely on income actually received during the preceding 12 months together with a qualifying UK job offer starting within three months.

A future UK job offer without the required overseas employment or earnings history may not be sufficient.

Category C: non-employment income

Permitted non-employment income can include:

• Property rental income
• Dividends from investments
• Income from stocks, shares, bonds or trust funds
• Interest from savings
• Certain maintenance payments
• Certain insurance payments
• Certain legal-settlement payments
• Qualifying academic maintenance grants or stipends

The income will generally need to have been received during the 12 months before applying and supported by the required documents.

Property rental income

Evidence may include:

• Land Registry title
• Property deeds
• Mortgage statement
• Tenancy or rental agreement
• Bank statements showing rental payments
• Evidence that the property remains owned

Dividend or investment income

Evidence may include:

• Proof of ownership
• Dividend vouchers
• Portfolio report
• Investment statements
• Bank statements showing receipt of income

Dividends from a specified family-owned company may fall under Categories F or G rather than Category C.

Maintenance payments

Evidence may include:

• Court order
• Written voluntary agreement
• Child maintenance documentation
• Bank statements showing the payments received

Category D: cash savings

Cash savings can be used:

• On their own
• With Category A employment
• With certain Category B calculations
• With permitted non-employment income
• With pension income

They cannot be combined with every source. In particular, savings cannot normally be combined with self-employment income or the retrospective part of Category B.

Cash savings formula

For an initial application or extension:

Required savings = £16,000 + (income shortfall × 2.5)

Only the portion above £16,000 contributes towards the requirement.

Worked savings examples under the £29,000 requirement

Qualifying annual income	Income shortfall	Required savings
£29,000	£0	No savings required
£27,000	£2,000	£21,000
£25,000	£4,000	£26,000
£20,000	£9,000	£38,500
£0	£29,000	£88,500

For example, where the qualifying income is £25,000:

• Required income: £29,000
• Shortfall: £4,000
• £4,000 × 2.5 = £10,000
• £10,000 + £16,000 = £26,000 required savings

Savings-only applications

To meet the standard £29,000 requirement entirely through savings at the initial or extension stage:

£16,000 + (£29,000 × 2.5) = £88,500

For a transitional £18,600 case with no relevant child addition:

£16,000 + (£18,600 × 2.5) = £62,500

Cash-savings conditions

The savings must normally:

• Be held in the applicant’s name, sponsor’s name or their joint names
• Be under their control
• Be held in an account with a regulated financial institution
• Be capable of immediate withdrawal
• Have remained at or above the amount relied upon for at least six months
• Be lawfully obtained
• Not be borrowed
• Be supported by a declaration explaining their source

The lowest balance during the qualifying period is important. A temporary fall below the required level can prevent the full amount being used.

Gifted savings

Money received as a genuine, unconditional gift may potentially be used after it becomes the applicant’s or sponsor’s own money and satisfies the relevant requirements.

Evidence may include:

• Gift declaration
• Donor’s identification
• Evidence of the transfer
• Evidence explaining the original source
• Confirmation that repayment is not required
• Six months of qualifying statements after the funds came under the applicant’s or sponsor’s control

A promise that a parent or another third party will provide money in the future is not normally sufficient.

Property-sale and investment proceeds

Special provisions may allow proceeds from property, investments, shares, bonds or trust funds to qualify even when converted into cash during the six months before applying.

The applicant must normally show that the underlying asset:

• Was owned and controlled for the relevant period
• Had the necessary value
• Was sold or liquidated
• Produced the funds now held as cash
• Meets the specified documentary requirements

Cash savings at the ILR stage

At the indefinite-leave-to-remain stage, the calculation is different. The complete amount above £16,000 can normally be applied to the income shortfall without dividing it by 2.5.

Therefore, under a £29,000 threshold, a savings-only ILR calculation would normally require £45,000:

£16,000 + £29,000 = £45,000

The applicable threshold, route history and settlement evidence must still be checked before applying.

Detailed savings calculations and examples are contained in the Home Office’s family migration financial-requirement guidance.

Category E: pension income

Qualifying income can come from:

• UK State Pension
• Foreign State pension
• Occupational pension
• Private pension
• Certain Armed Forces pension payments

Evidence normally includes:

• Official pension-entitlement documentation
• Confirmation of the gross pension amount
• Documents from the pension provider or relevant government authority
• At least one bank statement showing receipt of the pension
• Evidence of any withdrawal affecting the continuing pension income

The pension must normally have become a source of income at least 28 days before the application.

Categories F and G: self-employment

Self-employment income is not normally assessed using only the most recent six months.

Category F

Category F normally uses income from the last full financial year.

Category G

Category G normally uses the average income from the last two full financial years.

The business or self-employment must normally remain ongoing on the application date.

Sole trader, partnership or franchise evidence

The required documents can include:

• Self Assessment tax return
• SA302 or HMRC statement of account
• Evidence of tax payable, paid or outstanding
• Unique Taxpayer Reference
• Proof of HMRC registration
• Business bank statements
• Personal bank statements showing income received
• Audited accounts, where required
• Unaudited accounts and accountant’s certificate, where applicable
• VAT registration and returns, where applicable
• Evidence of continuing trading

An SA302 by itself will not normally satisfy the complete specified-evidence requirements.

Directors of specified limited companies

A person who is a director, employee or shareholder of a specified family-owned company may need to rely on Categories F or G rather than ordinary Category A employment.

The evidence can include:

• CT600 Company Tax Return
• HMRC filing confirmation
• Companies House registration evidence
• Company accounts
• Accountant’s certificate
• Corporate bank statements
• PAYE registration evidence
• Payslips and P60
• Personal bank statements showing salary payments
• Dividend vouchers
• Bank statements showing dividend payments
• Evidence of ongoing company trading

The company’s full financial year—not simply the director’s latest six payslips—will normally be central to the assessment.

Combining self-employment and savings

Self-employment or specified-company income cannot normally be combined with Category D cash savings.

Permitted employment, pension or non-employment income may sometimes be combined, but the relevant income normally needs to fall within the same applicable financial year.

Specified benefits and adequate maintenance

A sponsor receiving a specified benefit is normally exempt from the £29,000 minimum-income threshold.

Specified benefits include certain forms of:

• Personal Independence Payment
• Disability Living Allowance
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Carer Support Payment
• Adult Disability Payment
• Child Disability Payment
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
• Armed Forces or war-pension payments
• Police Injury Pension

The full current list is provided on the GOV.UK partner financial-requirement page.

Adequate-maintenance calculation

The Home Office normally applies:

A − B ≥ C

Where:

• A is the family’s weekly net income after tax and National Insurance
• B is weekly housing costs, including rent or mortgage and Council Tax
• C is the Income Support amount an equivalent British family could receive

The applicable benefit rates must be those in force when the application is decided. Old examples should not be copied without updating the figures.

Adequate-maintenance evidence

Documents may include:

• Current benefit-entitlement letter
• Bank statements showing benefit payments
• Payslips and employment evidence
• Pension evidence
• Evidence of permitted additional income
• Tenancy agreement or mortgage statement
• Council Tax bill
• Evidence of all housing costs
• Details of everyone in the household
• Written adequate-maintenance calculation

The Home Office’s calculation method is explained in its adequate maintenance and accommodation guidance.

Combining different financial sources

Some common permitted combinations include:

• Category A employment plus cash savings
• Category A employment plus pension
• Category A employment plus qualifying non-employment income
• Pension plus cash savings
• Non-employment income plus cash savings
• Applicant’s and sponsor’s UK employment income where both can lawfully work

Important restrictions include:

• Applicant and sponsor employment should not be split between Category A and Category B
• Cash savings cannot repair the retrospective part of Category B
• Self-employment income cannot normally be combined with cash savings
• Company-director income may fall under Categories F or G
• Overseas applicant employment cannot normally be counted
• Future third-party support is not normally accepted
• Borrowed money cannot normally be presented as savings

Always identify the categories before calculating the total.

The 28-day evidence rule

Where specified evidence covers a period ending with the application date, the most recently dated part must generally be dated no earlier than 28 days before the online application date.

Check the dates of:

• Final payslip
• Final bank statement
• Employer letter
• Pension evidence
• Benefit evidence
• Online application submission

For example, a bank statement dated 1 June may be too old for an application submitted at the end of July.

The application date is generally the date the online application is submitted and paid for, not the biometric appointment date.

Bank-statement requirements

Bank statements should:

• Cover the complete specified period
• Show the account holder’s name
• Show the account number
• Identify the financial institution
• Show all relevant transactions
• Clearly show salary or income payments
• Include every page
• Come from a regulated and verifiable institution
• Meet the Appendix FM-SE format requirements

Do not rely only on cropped mobile-banking screenshots.

Where electronic statements are used, check whether they require bank authentication, official stamping or an accompanying bank letter under the applicable version of the Rules.

The detailed format and evidence rules are set out in Appendix FM-SE.

Foreign income and savings

Foreign income or savings must be converted into pounds sterling using the exchange-rate method specified in the Immigration Rules.

The current general rule uses the OANDA spot exchange rate on the application date, subject to limited exceptions for particular currencies. See Appendix Finance.

Applicants relying on foreign funds should leave a reasonable margin above the required amount because exchange rates can change before submission.

Foreign documents that are not in English or Welsh must be accompanied by compliant certified translations.

Maternity, paternity, adoption or sick leave

Special provisions can apply where a person:

• Is receiving maternity, paternity, adoption or sick pay
• Received such pay during the six months before applying
• Took unpaid family or sick leave
• Returned to work recently after qualifying leave

In suitable cases, the relevant date and employment-income period may be assessed by reference to when the leave began rather than only the application date.

Evidence can include:

• Payslips
• Bank statements
• Employer letter confirming the leave
• Start and end dates of leave
• Contractual or statutory-pay evidence
• Evidence of return to work

Do not automatically use Category B solely because the sponsor recently returned from maternity or another qualifying form of leave.

Common reasons the financial requirement is not met

Frequent mistakes include:

• Using £18,600 where £29,000 applies
• Using the £29,000 rule where adequate maintenance applies
• Choosing the wrong income category
• Counting a current salary without checking previous earnings
• Providing incomplete payslip or bank-statement periods
• Employer letters missing mandatory information
• Salary payments not matching bank statements
• Treating company-director income as ordinary Category A employment
• Relying on cash savings held for less than six months
• Allowing savings to fall below the required amount
• Counting borrowed money as savings
• Failing to declare the source of savings
• Mixing Categories A and B
• Combining savings with self-employment
• Using the applicant’s overseas employment income
• Applying outside the 28-day evidence window
• Submitting uncertified foreign-language documents
• Using the wrong exchange rate
• Assuming the Home Office will request missing documents

Step-by-step financial preparation

Step 1: identify the correct threshold

Determine whether the application falls under:

• The £29,000 standard requirement
• Transitional £18,600 arrangements
• A higher transitional child-adjusted amount
• Adequate maintenance

Step 2: list every potential financial source

Record:

• Employment
• Self-employment
• Company-director income
• Cash savings
• Pension
• Rental income
• Dividends
• Benefits

Step 3: assign the correct category

Do not collect documents before deciding whether the source falls under Category A, B, C, D, E, F or G.

Step 4: calculate the qualifying amount

Use the calculation required by the category—not simply the salary stated in an employment contract.

Step 5: choose the application date

Work backwards from the intended submission date to ensure:

• The complete evidence period is covered
• The six-month savings period has completed
• The relevant financial year is available
• The latest documents satisfy the 28-day requirement

Step 6: collect specified evidence

Prepare all mandatory evidence, not merely documents that appear helpful.

Step 7: reconcile the documents

Compare:

• Payslips against bank credits
• Employer letter against contract
• Tax returns against accounts
• Dividend vouchers against bank deposits
• Savings declaration against account history
• Application answers against financial documents

Step 8: conduct a final review before payment

Once the online application is paid, the application date is fixed. Review the financial pack before submission rather than relying on later corrections.

Government fees and the financial requirement

The minimum income requirement is separate from the application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge.

As at 2 August 2026, the principal government costs for a typical adult spouse application are:

Application	Application fee	Typical IHS	Total
Outside UK, 2 years 9 months	£2,064	£3,105	£5,169
Inside UK, 2 years 6 months	£1,407	£2,587.50	£3,994.50

These amounts do not include English testing, TB testing, translations, biometric appointment upgrades, priority services or professional fees.

Current charges are published on the official GOV.UK family visa page.

Processing times

A straightforward partner application will usually be decided within:

• 12 weeks when applying from outside the UK
• 8 weeks when applying inside the UK and meeting the financial and English requirements

Eligible applicants may be offered a faster service for an additional fee, but availability and decision times are not guaranteed.

See the current GOV.UK partner visa processing information.

Frequently asked questions

Is the £29,000 requirement gross or net?

The standard minimum income requirement generally uses qualifying gross income before tax and National Insurance. Adequate maintenance uses net weekly income after tax and National Insurance.

Can both partners’ salaries be combined?

Yes, where both incomes qualify. An applicant applying inside the UK can normally rely on their income if they have lawful permission to work. An overseas applicant’s foreign employment income will not normally count.

Can two jobs be combined?

Potentially, yes. Both jobs must satisfy the relevant category and evidence requirements. If applicant and sponsor employment is combined, both normally need to be calculated under the same Category A or Category B approach.

Can overtime, bonuses or commission count?

They may count where they were genuinely received and are evidenced through payslips, bank statements and the employer letter. The applicable calculation depends on whether the employment is salaried or non-salaried and the category used.

Does a £30,000 job offer meet the requirement?

Not automatically. A person starting a new job may also need to meet Category B’s retrospective income test. A returning overseas sponsor must satisfy the specific returning-sponsor requirements.

Can parents provide financial support?

A promise of future financial support from parents or another third party will not normally satisfy the requirement. A genuine gift may potentially become qualifying cash savings after it meets the ownership, control, source and holding-period requirements.

Can savings be held in a current account?

Yes, provided the account meets the regulatory and accessibility requirements and the funds can be withdrawn immediately.

Can cryptocurrency be used as savings?

Cryptocurrency itself is not normally qualifying cash savings. If lawfully owned assets are converted into cash, the applicant must consider the six-month ownership and evidential requirements carefully.

What happens if the income is below £29,000?

Cash savings or another permitted source may sometimes cover the shortfall. If the Rules cannot be met, the case may involve exceptional-circumstances or human-rights considerations requiring higher-level advice.

Does meeting £29,000 guarantee approval?

No. The applicant must also satisfy the relationship, immigration-status, accommodation, English-language, suitability and documentary requirements.

Financial-evidence review from JISL

James Immigration Solutions Ltd can assist with straightforward spouse and partner applications under the five-year family route.

Subject to an initial assessment, our service can include:

• Identifying the applicable financial threshold
• Selecting the correct financial category
• Calculating qualifying income
• Calculating required cash savings
• Reviewing payslips and bank statements
• Checking employer letters
• Reviewing self-employment evidence
• Reviewing specified-company documents
• Preparing an adequate-maintenance calculation
• Identifying missing or inconsistent evidence
• Application preparation guidance
• Supporting-statement assistance
• Final document-pack review

The exact work included, documents required from the client, exclusions, professional fee and known third-party costs are confirmed in writing before instructions are accepted.

A written professional-fee quotation is provided after the initial assessment.

Scope of our regulated service

James Immigration Solutions Ltd is authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1.

We assist with suitable, straightforward five-year family-route applications based on clear facts and documentary evidence.

We do not accept appeals, judicial reviews or matters involving complex human-rights submissions, serious overstaying, deception allegations, credibility disputes or document-genuineness disputes. Matters outside our authorised scope are referred to an appropriately authorised adviser or solicitor.

Request an initial assessment

James Immigration Solutions Ltd
Company No. 15056317
IAA organisation reference: F202538614

Adviser: Fahad Zohaib Asghar
IAA adviser number: 061760

Phone/WhatsApp: +44 7944 222484
Email: admin@jisl.co.uk
Website: www.jisl.co.uk

Registered office:
Building No. 167-169, 5th Floor
Great Portland Street
London, England
W1W 5PF

This article provides general information and does not replace advice based on individual circumstances. Immigration Rules, fees and Home Office guidance can change. No adviser can guarantee that an application will be approved.