The UK Spouse Visa financial requirements are one of the main eligibility tests for a partner applying to join or remain with their spouse or partner in the UK.
For most new applications under the five-year partner route, the standard Minimum Income Requirement (MIR) is currently £29,000 gross annual income. The requirement can be met through permitted employment income, self-employment income, pension income, non-employment income, cash savings or certain permitted combinations.
The rules are detailed because the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) do not look only at the amount available for a spouse visa. They also consider the income category, relevant period and specified evidence required under Appendix FM and Appendix FM-SE of the Immigration Rules.
This guide explains the current spouse visa income requirements, cash savings rules, self-employment calculations, pension income, exemptions, extension rules and financial evidence. Immigration law can change, so applicants should check the latest guidance before the date of application.
What Is the Financial Requirement for a UK Spouse Visa?
For a new UK Spouse Visa or partner application made under the standard five-year route, the minimum income threshold is £29,000 per year before tax. This threshold has applied to new partner applications since 11 April 2024.
The £29,000 figure is a gross annual income requirement, not net take-home pay. There is also no separate higher threshold simply because the couple has dependent children under the standard post-11 April 2024 rules. In other words, there is no additional minimum fixed rate for each child for applicants subject to the current £29,000 threshold.
Different rules can apply under the transitional arrangements. If the applicant first successfully applied as a partner, fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner before 11 April 2024, remains on the five-year route and is extending with the same partner, the previous £18,600 minimum income requirement can continue to apply. Child additions may apply under those transitional rules, although the total is capped at £29,000 for relevant applications made on or after 11 April 2024.
The financial requirement is only one part of overall eligibility. See our guide to the UK Spouse Visa requirements, including the relationship, accommodation, English language and suitability requirements.
How Much Income Do You Need for a UK Spouse Visa?
For applicants who do not fall within the transitional arrangements, the minimum financial requirement for a spouse or partner visa is normally £29,000 gross annual income.
The income threshold can be met through one permitted source or a combination of permitted income sources. These can include salaried employment, non-salaried employment income, self-employment, pension income, property rental income, dividend income and other qualifying non-employment income. Cash savings above £16,000 may also be used in permitted circumstances.
Whose Income Can Count?
The sponsor’s qualifying income can usually be relied on. Where an applicant is already in the UK with lawful permission to work, their permitted employment or self-employment income may also count.
For an entry clearance application made from outside the UK, the applicant’s prospective UK earnings are not normally counted in the same way.
Special rules apply where a sponsor is working overseas and returning to the UK. Depending on the circumstances, overseas employment can be relevant if the sponsor also has qualifying employment or self-employment arrangements in the UK that satisfy Appendix FM-SE.
Category A and Category B Employment Income
- Category A generally covers salaried employment or non-salaried employment where the person has worked for the same employer for at least six months before the date of application and the required level of income can be shown over the relevant period.
- Category B is commonly used where the person has been with the current employer for less than six months, has changed employers or has variable income. It normally involves two tests: the current employment must meet the required annual level and the actual gross income received during the previous 12 months must also satisfy the applicable requirement.
For non-salaried employment income, UKVI may annualise the average income received over the relevant period. Payslips, an employer letter and personal bank statements showing salary payments are central to the financial evidence.
Can You Meet the Spouse Visa Financial Requirement With Cash Savings?
Yes. Cash savings can be used to meet all or part of the spouse visa financial requirement. This cash savings category is known as Category D. Only savings above £16,000 contribute towards the standard income calculation. For an initial application or extension, the usual formula is:
Required savings = (£29,000 – qualifying annual income) × 2.5 + £16,000
If no qualifying income is being relied on, £88,500 in cash savings can meet the £29,000 requirement:
£16,000 + (£29,000 × 2.5) = £88,500
The spouse visa financial requirement savings rules are more detailed than simply showing a bank balance. The cash savings relied on must generally have been under the applicant’s, sponsor’s or their joint control for at least six months prior to the date of application.
Personal bank statements must show that the required level did not dip below the amount being relied on during that period.
Savings may be held in a current, deposit or qualifying investment account with a financial institution regulated by the appropriate authority, provided the money can be accessed immediately, with or without a withdrawal penalty.
Funds transferred from investments, stocks, shares, bonds or trust funds can also count as cash savings in certain circumstances. The underlying funds must have been owned and controlled for the relevant six-month period, and the transfer into cash must be properly evidenced.
How Much Savings Do You Need for a Spouse Visa?
The savings required for a spouse visa depend on whether you are relying entirely on cash savings or combining savings with permitted income. If there is no qualifying income, the cash savings required are £88,500.
If the applicant and sponsor have qualifying annual income of £25,000, the shortfall is £4,000. The required savings would therefore be:
£4,000 × 2.5 + £16,000 = £26,000
Cash savings above £16,000 can therefore make up an eligible shortfall. The spouse visa savings requirements also mean applicants should identify the source of the money and provide the specified bank evidence.
Category D savings can be combined with Category A income, qualifying current income under part of Category B, Category C non-employment income and Category E pension income.
However, cash savings cannot be used to satisfy the separate 12-month past-earnings test under Category B. They also cannot normally be combined with Category F or G self-employment or specified limited company income.
Can Income from Self Employment Be Used for a Spouse Visa?
Yes. The spouse visa financial requirements for self-employed sponsors allow qualifying self-employment income to be used under Categories F and G.
- Category F generally uses income from the last full financial year. For a UK sole trader, partner or franchise, the relevant self-employment financial year normally runs from 6 April to 5 April. The amount relied on is based on the person’s gross taxable profits from their share of the business rather than business turnover.
- Category G allows the average income from the last two full financial years to be used instead. The applicant should choose the income category that correctly reflects the financial evidence and satisfies the Immigration Rules.
A director or employee of a specified limited company in the UK is also assessed under specialised Category F or G rules. Evidence can include the relevant Company Tax Return (CT600), company accounts, business bank statements, payslips, dividend vouchers and personal bank statements covering the required period.
Where employment or dividend income from the specified limited company is relied on, evidence of ongoing income is also required.
Self-employment income can be combined with qualifying employment income, Category C income and pension income, but the income relied on must align with the same relevant financial year or years and remain an eligible source at the date of application.
This means employment income can be combined with Category F or G where the financial periods are properly aligned. It is not simply added using the ordinary six-month Category A calculation. Cash savings cannot normally be combined with Category F or Category G.
What Income Counts Towards the Spouse Visa Financial Requirement?
The UK Spouse Visa financial rules are commonly described through seven income categories, A to G:
| Category | Main income source |
| A | Salaried or non-salaried employment, usually with the same employer for at least six months |
| B | Salaried or non-salaried employment where Category A is not met or income is variable |
| C | Non-employment income such as rental, investment or dividend income and certain ongoing payments |
| D | Cash savings above £16,000 |
| E | UK or overseas state, occupational or private pension income |
| F | Self-employment or specified limited company income from the last full financial year |
| G | Self-employment or specified limited company income averaged over the last two full financial years |
Employment Income
Qualifying salaried income and non-salaried employment income can count before tax and National Insurance. The calculation depends on the employment history and whether the person has been with their current employer for at least six months.
Category C Non-Employment Income
Category C income can include property rental income, dividends from qualifying investments or companies outside the specified limited company rules, interest from savings, certain maintenance payments, ongoing insurance payments, structured settlement payments and ongoing royalty payments.
The income normally needs to be evidenced for the relevant period through ownership records, contracts and personal bank statements showing the actual gross income received.
Pension Income
Pension income falls under Category E and can meet the financial requirement for spouse visas. State, occupational and private pensions can qualify, including eligible UK and overseas pensions.
The pension must have become a source of income at least 28 days before the date of application. Gross annual pension income can count towards the £29,000 threshold.
Evidence should normally include official documentation from the Department for Work and Pensions, another government body, an overseas pension authority or a pension company confirming entitlement and amount, together with a personal bank statement showing receipt.
Different permitted income categories can be combined, but the combination rules matter. Applicants should not assume that every source can simply be added to every other source when meeting the financial requirement for a spouse visa.
What If You Cannot Meet the £29,000 Requirement?
Failing to reach £29,000 does not automatically mean that a person qualifies for an exemption. Spouse visa financial requirement exemptions and spouse visa financial requirements exceptions are narrow and depend on the applicant’s circumstances and the Immigration Rules.
If the sponsoring partner receives certain specified disability or carer’s benefits, the standard £29,000 minimum income requirement does not apply. Instead, the application is assessed under the adequate maintenance test, including whether the family can maintain and accommodate themselves without needing additional public funds.
Specified benefits include, among others:
- Disability Living Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
- Adult Disability Payment
- Pension Age Disability Payment
- Carer’s Allowance
- Armed Forces Independence Payment or a Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
- Certain payments including War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme
The adequate maintenance requirement still requires financial documents. UKVI considers available income, benefits, cash savings where permitted, housing costs and the needs of the household. It is not a waiver of all visa financial requirements.
Where the standard requirement is not met and no specified-benefit route applies, exceptional circumstances may still be relevant in limited cases. Appendix FM allows consideration of other credible and reliable income, financial support or funds where refusal could otherwise produce unjustifiably harsh consequences and engage Article 8 human-rights considerations.
This is fact-sensitive and should not be treated as an automatic alternative route. Applicants must also meet the relevant Spouse Visa accommodation requirements and English language requirement.
How Axis Solicitors Can Help
Spouse visa financial requirements can become complex where income is variable, the sponsor is self-employed, a limited company is involved, savings are being combined with income or transitional rules may apply.
Axis Solicitors can assess the applicable minimum income requirement, review the chosen income category, check calculations and supporting evidence, and advise on the wider UK Spouse Visa requirements.
Immigration law and Home Office guidance can change. Check the latest Immigration Rules and financial-evidence guidance before submitting an application or book a consultation with us for personalised support for your cisrcumstances.
Financial Requirement for a Spouse Visa Extension
The financial requirement for a spouse visa extension depends on when the applicant first entered the partner route and whether they are applying with the same partner.
A person who first successfully applied as a partner, fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner before 11 April 2024, remains on the five-year route and extends with the same partner may remain under the transitional £18,600 threshold, plus relevant child additions capped at £29,000 for qualifying applications.
Applicants who entered the route under the newer rules, or who are applying with a new partner, will normally need to meet the current £29,000 requirement.
Do not assume every extension is assessed at the same figure. Check the date and basis of the first successful partner application before calculating the requirement.
For the wider eligibility criteria, see our dedicated Spouse Visa extension requirements guide.
What Documents Prove the Spouse Visa Financial Requirement?
The spouse visa proof of funds and income depends on the category being used. Appendix FM-SE sets out specified evidence, so having the right amount of income is not enough if the supporting documents do not meet the rules.
For employment income, evidence commonly includes payslips, corresponding bank statements and a letter from the employer confirming the job, length of employment, type of contract, gross annual salary and period for which that salary has been paid.
For self-employment, the financial documents may include HMRC self-assessment records, SA300 or SA302 documents, business bank statements, personal bank statements covering the relevant financial year, accounts and evidence of ongoing trading.
For a specified limited company, additional company tax, registration, company-account and dividend evidence may be required.
For cash savings, applicants generally need personal bank statements showing that at least the amount of cash savings relied on has been held throughout the required six-month period, plus a declaration explaining the source of the savings.
For pension income, provide official entitlement evidence and a bank statement showing the pension payment. For rental income, dividend income or other non-employment income, provide the source-specific documents required by Appendix FM-SE.
For the wider evidence required with the application, use our Spouse Visa document checklist rather than duplicating the complete checklist here.
Common Financial Requirement Mistakes
Common problems include using the wrong income category, calculating net rather than gross income, relying on the wrong financial year, missing bank statements, unexplained deposits, using an incorrect savings calculation and submitting insufficient self-employment evidence.
Applicants can also make mistakes by combining income sources that cannot legally be combined. For example, Category B current income may be supported by Category D savings, but those savings cannot be used to satisfy the separate 12-month earnings test. Similarly, cash savings cannot normally be combined with Category F or G self-employment income.
Another risk is confusing the current £29,000 threshold with the transitional £18,600 rules. The correct threshold depends on the person’s immigration history, date of application and whether they are extending with the same partner.
Financial evidence should therefore be checked against the latest Appendix FM, Appendix FM-SE and Home Office guidance before submission.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum income for a UK Spouse Visa?
For most new five-year partner route applications, the minimum income requirement is £29,000 gross per year. Transitional rules can preserve the earlier £18,600 threshold for certain same-partner extensions.
Can I use savings instead of income for a Spouse Visa?
Yes. Cash savings can meet some or all of the financial requirement where the Category D rules are satisfied. Only savings above £16,000 contribute towards the standard calculation.
How much savings do I need for a Spouse Visa?
If relying entirely on cash savings and no qualifying income, £88,500 is required to meet the standard £29,000 income threshold. Lower savings may be sufficient when combined with eligible income.
Can self-employed income count for a Spouse Visa?
Yes. Self-employment income can be assessed under Category F using the last full financial year or Category G using the average of the last two full financial years, subject to the specified evidence in Appendix FM-SE.
Can my partner’s income count?
Yes. The sponsoring partner’s permitted income can count. The applicant’s income may also count where they are already in the UK with lawful permission to work and the relevant Appendix FM conditions are met.
Can I combine salary and savings?
Yes, in permitted cases. Category A employment income and qualifying current Category B income can be combined with Category D cash savings, but the detailed combination rules must be followed.
What happens if I do not meet the financial requirement?
The application may not meet the standard route unless an adequate maintenance provision, transitional rule or relevant exceptional-circumstances provision applies. Insufficient income alone does not create an exemption.
Does the financial requirement apply to a Spouse Visa extension?
Yes, but the applicable threshold can differ. Certain applicants who first successfully entered the partner route before 11 April 2024 and extend with the same partner may remain under transitional rules.
Do I need to prove funds for a Spouse Visa?
Yes. You must provide specified financial evidence for the income or savings being relied on. The exact documents depend on whether you use employment, self-employment, pension, non-employment income or cash savings.
