Guide to the UK Spouse Visa Financial Requirement (2026)

The £29,000 Threshold: Current Position

The financial requirement for a UK spouse visa in 2026 is £29,000 gross per year.

This is a significant increase from the £18,600 threshold that applied from 2012 until April 2024. The government raised the threshold in two stages — to £29,000 in April 2024 — and had planned a further rise to £34,500. That second increase was paused in 2025 while the Home Office reviews the MAC's findings on the impact of the changes already made.

The £29,000 figure is gross income, not net. It is based on the sponsor's income at the point of application, not over an average period (with some exceptions for variable pay, explained in Category B below). There is no separate threshold for applicants with children.

Who Must Meet the Requirement?

The financial requirement must be met by the UK-based sponsor. This is the British citizen or settled person whose immigration status allows them to sponsor the application.

For applications made outside the UK (entry clearance): only the sponsor's income counts. The applicant cannot use their overseas earnings, even if they currently earn well above £29,000 in another country.

For in-country switching applications: the applicant's income from employment they are currently doing in the UK — and will continue after the visa is granted — can be included alongside the sponsor's income.

Savings held by either party can be used to top up a shortfall, subject to the savings formula explained below.

Category A: Salaried Employment

Category A applies to sponsors who are in salaried employment and have been with the same employer for at least six months before the application date.

The gross salary must be at least £29,000 per year at the time of application. The sponsor must have been employed in that role, at that salary or above, for the preceding six months.

Evidence required:

Payslips covering the six calendar months before the application date (all six, with no gaps)
Bank statements corresponding to those payslips, showing the salary credits
An employer letter confirming: full name, job title, employment start date, contract type, and current gross annual salary

The payslips and bank statements must match. If the salary appears in the bank statement at a different amount (for example, after a pension deduction), the employer letter must explain the difference.

Category B: Variable or Recent Employment

Category B applies when the sponsor has been with their current employer for fewer than six months, has recently changed jobs, or has variable income.

The Home Office looks at gross income over the 12 months before the application date, including income from previous jobs. The total income across those 12 months must equal or exceed £29,000, and the sponsor's current salaried income at the point of application must also be at or above £29,000 annually.

Variable pay — such as commission, overtime, or bonuses — counts under Category B if it was genuinely received and evidenced. It does not count under Category A.

Evidence required:

Payslips for the full 12-month period (which may span two employers)
Bank statements for the same period
Employer letters from current and, where relevant, previous employers
P60(s) for the relevant tax year if the period crosses a tax year end

Self-Employment Rules

Sole traders and partnerships

The Home Office looks at the net profit from the last full financial year. Net profit — not turnover — must be at least £29,000. Evidence required includes SA302 tax calculation and HMRC tax year overview, business accounts prepared by an accountant, and business bank statements.

Limited company directors

Where the sponsor receives a salary and dividends from their own company, both salary and declared dividends can be combined to meet the threshold. Evidence required includes company accounts, CT600 corporation tax return, SA302 and tax year overview, and dividend vouchers with business and personal bank statements.

Using Cash Savings to Top Up Income

If the sponsor's income falls below £29,000, savings can make up the difference — but only if they exceed a minimum threshold.

The savings formula:

Savings required = (Annual income shortfall × 2.5) + £16,000

Example: The sponsor earns £23,000 per year. The shortfall is £6,000. Required savings: (£6,000 × 2.5) + £16,000 = £31,000.

The savings must have been held continuously for at least six months immediately before the application date, be held in a bank or building society account, and be evidenced by six months of consecutive bank statements showing the balance throughout.

If the savings dip below the required amount at any point in the six months — even briefly — they do not qualify.

Combining Income Sources

In some circumstances, multiple sources of income can be combined to meet the £29,000 threshold:

Sponsor's salaried income + sponsor's second job income
Sponsor's employment income + pension income
Sponsor's employment income + rental income from property they own
Sponsor's employment income + applicant's UK employment income (switching applications only)
Any of the above + qualifying savings

What cannot be combined: overseas income from employment the applicant is leaving, income the sponsor has not yet received, or income that falls outside the specified categories in Appendix FM-SE.

Pension and Rental Income

Pension income — both state pension and private/occupational pension — can count towards the threshold. Evidence required includes the pension award letter and three months of bank statements showing the payments.

Rental income counts only if the property is owned by the sponsor, the income is declared to HMRC, and it is evidenced by tenancy agreements and bank statements showing rent receipts.

The Adequate Maintenance Test

When the sponsor receives one of the following benefits, the £29,000 threshold does not apply:

Carer's Allowance
Disability Living Allowance
Severe Disablement Allowance
Industrial Injury Disablement Benefit
Attendance Allowance
Personal Independence Payment
Armed Forces Independence Payment or Guaranteed Income Payment

Instead, the couple must demonstrate that the household will have enough income to meet its needs without recourse to public funds. The benchmark is income support levels, adjusted for household size. This calculation is not straightforward — seek advice before relying on this route.

Required Financial Documents

The Home Office is prescriptive about which documents it accepts and in what format. Submitting the wrong type of document can result in refusal even where income is adequate.

Category A (salaried): six consecutive payslips, personal bank statements for the same six months, employer letter (name, job title, start date, contract type, gross salary)
Category B (variable/recent): payslips and bank statements covering the full preceding 12 months, letters from current and previous employers, P60 if applicable
Self-employment: SA302 and HMRC tax year overview, accountant-prepared accounts, 12 months of business bank statements
Savings: six consecutive months of bank statements showing the full balance throughout
Pension income: pension award letter and three months of bank statements

Common Financial Mistakes That Lead to Refusal

Submitting the wrong six months of payslips. The six months must be the six immediately before the application date.
Bank statements do not match payslips. If the net amount credited to the bank differs from what the payslip shows, the difference must be explained in the employer letter.
Relying on income that does not qualify. Rental income from a property let informally without a tenancy agreement, or income from a business that has not yet filed accounts, will not be accepted.
Savings not held for six months. A lump sum moved into an account shortly before the application does not meet the six-month holding requirement.
Not using the prescribed evidence format. A letter that omits the employment start date or contract type may be treated as insufficient.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the financial requirement for a UK spouse visa in 2026?

£29,000 gross per year. This applies to the sponsor's income. The threshold was raised from £18,600 in April 2024 and further increases have been paused pending a government review.

Can the applicant's income count towards the requirement?

Only for in-country switching applications, where the applicant earns income in the UK from a job they will continue after the visa is granted. For entry clearance applications, only the sponsor's income counts.

How do savings top up a shortfall?

Savings above £16,000 held for six consecutive months can supplement income using this formula: (shortfall × 2.5) + £16,000. A sponsor earning £23,000 would need at least £31,000 in qualifying savings.

What documents do I need to prove the financial requirement?

For salaried Category A employment: six payslips, six months of bank statements, and an employer letter. For self-employment: SA302, HMRC tax year overview, business accounts, and 12 months of business bank statements. Savings require six consecutive months of statements showing the full balance throughout.

Page last reviewed: May 2026. Financial thresholds are set out in Appendix FM-SE of the Immigration Rules and are subject to change.