The UK Spouse Visa financial requirement: a complete guide to the £29,000 threshold
How the minimum income requirement is calculated, which income counts, how to use cash savings, and the evidence mistakes that cause most refusals.
Abrar Fahim
The financial requirement is the single most common reason a UK spouse visa application is refused. Not because families cannot afford to support themselves — most can — but because the rules prescribe exactly which income counts, exactly which documents prove it, and exactly which period they must cover. Get the maths right and the paperwork wrong, and the application still fails.
This guide sets out how the requirement works in 2026, who has to meet it, and where applications realistically go wrong.
What the financial requirement actually is
If you are sponsoring a partner to come to or stay in the UK under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules, you must show a minimum income. Since 11 April 2024, that figure has been £29,000 a year gross.
Two features of the current threshold often surprise people:
- It is a flat rate. Under the old scheme the figure rose with each child (£18,600, plus £3,800 for a first child and £2,400 for each additional child). The £29,000 threshold does not increase for children at all.
- It is gross, not net. The Home Office looks at income before tax and deductions.
If you first applied as a partner before 11 April 2024 and you are now extending, you remain on the old scheme: £18,600, plus the per-child additions. That transitional protection is valuable, and it can be lost if you leave the route and re-apply from scratch. Before changing your application strategy, check whether you are protected — we cover this on our Further Leave to Remain as a Partner page.
Is the threshold going up again?
Planned increases to £34,500 and then £38,700 were paused in September 2024 while the Migration Advisory Committee reviewed the requirement. The MAC reported in June 2025. At the time of writing the threshold remains £29,000, but this is a live policy area and the figure has moved twice in recent years. Always confirm the current level on the date you apply.
Who has to meet it — and who does not
The requirement applies to partners of British citizens and of people settled in the UK, applying under the five-year partner route. It covers spouses, civil partners, unmarried partners and fiancé(e)s.
You do not have to meet the income threshold if the sponsor receives certain specified benefits — including Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Carer’s Allowance, Attendance Allowance and Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit. In that case an adequate maintenance test applies instead, which compares your income after housing costs against income-support levels. It is a different calculation with different evidence, and it is frequently missed by applicants who assume the £29,000 figure is universal.
There is also a route where the requirement cannot be met but refusal would breach Article 8 rights — exceptional circumstances under GEN.3.1. That is a demanding argument rather than a fallback, and where it succeeds it usually leads to the ten-year route rather than the five-year one.
The six ways to meet the requirement
Appendix FM-SE divides permitted income into categories. You can meet the threshold from one category or combine several — but not every combination is permitted, and this is where careful planning pays.
| Category | Source of income | The core rule |
|---|---|---|
| A | Salaried employment, same employer 6+ months | Annual gross salary at the current rate |
| B | Employment under 6 months, or variable income | Actual gross income over the last 12 months and the current annualised rate |
| C | Non-employment income (rent, dividends, interest) | Received in the 12 months before application |
| D | Cash savings | Held 6 months, under your control |
| E | Pension income | In payment, with 28 days’ evidence of the annual amount |
| F / G | Self-employment or director’s income | Last full financial year (F) or the average of the last two (G) |
A few practical points decide real cases:
- Category A is the safest position. Six months with the same employer, paid at a stable salary. If the sponsor is close to the six-month mark, it is often worth waiting rather than dropping into Category B.
- Category B is not a soft option. It has a two-limb test: you must show both the actual income received over the previous 12 months and an annualised current rate. Applicants who satisfy one limb and not the other are refused.
- If the applicant is overseas, their income usually does not count. Only the sponsor’s UK income can be used, unless the applicant is applying from inside the UK with permission to work.
- Self-employed sponsors carry the heaviest evidential burden — tax calculations, tax year overviews, company accounts, business bank statements and often an accountant’s confirmation. Start gathering these months early.
Using cash savings: the £88,500 figure explained
Cash savings are the second route to the threshold, and the arithmetic is fixed by the Rules:
Savings required = £16,000 + (2.5 × the income shortfall)
Rely on savings alone and the shortfall is the whole £29,000, so:
£16,000 + (2.5 × £29,000) = £88,500
The £16,000 buffer is disregarded entirely — it does no work towards the requirement. The 2.5 multiplier exists because a spouse visa is granted for two and a half years, and the savings must in principle support the family across that period.
Combining savings with income
You do not need the full £88,500 if you have some qualifying income. Reverse the formula:
Income credit = (savings − £16,000) ÷ 2.5
So £50,000 in savings produces a credit of (£50,000 − £16,000) ÷ 2.5 = £13,600, leaving £15,400 to be evidenced from income.
The rules savings must satisfy
- Held for at least six months before the date of application.
- Held by the applicant, the sponsor, or the two of you jointly.
- Held in cash with a regulated financial institution — not in shares, bonds, pensions, cryptocurrency or property equity.
- Under your control, and lawfully obtained.
- The balance must not dip below the required level at any point during the six months. A single day below the line breaks the qualifying period.
Money from the sale of a property or investments can count, but you must evidence its source and show it has since been held as cash for the required period.
Extension and settlement: the requirement does not end
The financial requirement is tested again at each stage. On the five-year partner route you apply as a partner, extend after two and a half years, and then apply for settlement — and the threshold must be met each time.
Two things change as you move along the route:
- The English language level rises — A1 at entry, A2 at extension, B1 at settlement.
- From March 2027, the English standard for settlement rises again to an A-level equivalent (B2). The Home Office announced this in March 2026 with a year’s notice, and estimates roughly 200 hours of study to move up a level. If you will apply for settlement after that date, factor the exam in now.
If you are already looking ahead to permanent status, our guide to Indefinite Leave to Remain (5 Year Route) sets out the checklist.
What a spouse visa costs in 2026
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application from outside the UK | £2,064 |
| Application from inside the UK | £1,407 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge (adult, 2 years 6 months) | £2,587.50 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge (child, 2 years 6 months) | £1,940 |
Budget for the whole five-year route rather than the first application alone: two further applications, two more surcharge payments, and the settlement fee at the end. Our pricing page sets out our own fees separately.
Where applications actually go wrong
In our experience refusals cluster around evidence, not affordability:
- Bank statements that do not match the payslips. Every payslip in the relevant period should be traceable to a credit on the statements. Cash wages, or payments from a third party, cause immediate problems.
- Documents outside the 28-day window, or bank statements with pages missing. Specified evidence must generally be dated within 28 days of the application date.
- A savings balance that dipped — often because of a routine transfer the couple had forgotten about.
- Category B evidenced as though it were Category A. One limb proved, the other not.
- Employer letters that omit required content. The letter must confirm employment, gross annual salary, length of employment, the nature of the contract, and that the payslips are authentic.
- Combinations the Rules do not permit — for example attempting to combine self-employment income under Category F with cash savings.
Most of these are curable before submission and almost none are curable afterwards. A refusal costs the fee, the delay, and — because previous refusals must be disclosed — a harder application next time.
Frequently asked questions
Can a job offer in the UK count towards the threshold? In narrow circumstances. Where the sponsor is returning to the UK with the applicant, a confirmed job offer starting within three months can be relied on, subject to strict evidence. A job offer to the applicant generally cannot be used.
Do we need £88,500 sitting in the bank for the whole application? You need it held for the six months before you apply, and it must still be there at the date of application. There is no requirement to leave it untouched afterwards.
Can we combine two jobs? Yes — multiple employments can be aggregated within Category A or B, provided each is evidenced in full.
What if we are not married? The Unmarried Partner Visa uses the same financial requirement, but adds a requirement to prove two years of cohabitation in a relationship akin to marriage. The financial maths is identical; the relationship evidence is harder.
What if we want to marry in the UK first? The UK Fiancé Visa grants six months to marry, with no right to work, after which you switch in-country to the partner route. The financial requirement applies at the fiancé stage too.
Can our children be included? Children can apply as dependants alongside the partner application. Because the threshold is now a flat £29,000, adding children no longer raises the income you must show. See our Dependent Visa page.
Getting it right first time
The financial requirement rewards preparation more than income. Couples who plan six to nine months ahead — choosing the right category, stabilising the sponsor’s employment, leaving savings untouched, and collecting documents in the correct window — pass comfortably. Couples who apply against a deadline usually discover the gap after the refusal.
If you would like a qualified solicitor to check your figures and your evidence before you submit, we offer a free 30-minute consultation. See our Spouse Visa service page, or get in touch and tell us where you stand.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information about the law of England and Wales as at August 2026. Immigration Rules, thresholds and fees change frequently, and the right approach depends on your individual circumstances. It is not legal advice and must not be relied on as though it were.
