Last reviewed: 20 May 2026
UK Spouse or Partner Visa applicants can use pension income to meet the minimum income requirement. Category E is the route under Appendix FM-SE for meeting the financial requirement from pension income. It covers state, occupational, and private pensions that are in payment, and is often used by older sponsors or alongside other income. The pension must have become payable at least 28 days before the date of application, and the gross annual amount is counted. This guide explains which pensions qualify, how the income is assessed, and the evidence required.
What is Category E for UK Partner Visa applicants?
Category E is the category for pension income under Appendix FM-SE. It is set out in Appendix FM-SE of the Immigration Rules and applies to pension income received by the applicant, their partner, or both.
The minimum income requirement is £29,000 gross per year for new applicants.
Those who applied before 11 April 2024 must demonstrate a lower threshold of £18,600 plus £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for each additional child.
Pension income is one of the more straightforward categories to evidence, because a pension in payment produces a regular, documented amount.
Which pensions qualify under Category E?
A range of pensions qualify, provided they are in payment rather than held as an untapped fund. The qualifying pensions include the UK basic State Pension and additional or second State Pension, occupational and workplace pensions, personal and private pensions, and overseas pensions.
A pension pot that has not yet been drawn does not count, because the income test looks at money actually being received. An applicant or sponsor with a sizeable but untouched pension fund would need to have started drawing it, and to satisfy the timing rule below, before it can be used.
How is pension income assessed and what is the 28-day rule?
Pension income is assessed on the gross annual amount, and the pension must have become payable at least 28 days before the date of application. This means the pension needs to have come into payment, and to have been a source of income for at least 28 days before the application is submitted, for it to be relied upon. The gross annual figure, before tax, is the amount counted toward the requirement.
Worked example: sponsor drawing a pension
| Input | Figure |
| Sponsor’s gross annual pension (in payment) | £45,000 |
| Pension first became payable | 36 months before applying |
| Threshold (new applicant) | £29,000 |
Result: Category E is met. The £45,000 gross annual pension exceeds £29,000 and became payable more than 28 days before the application.
To confirm whether a pension can be relied on and when it can first be used, contact our friendly team on 0208 757 5751 or use our contact form.
What evidence is required for Category E?
Category E requires evidence from the pension provider and evidence that the pension is being received. The specified evidence is official documentation from the pension provider, or other evidence of the pension, confirming the entitlement and the gross annual amount, together with personal bank statements covering the 12 months before the application showing the pension being paid into the account of the applicant, their partner, or both.
For a State Pension, this is typically a letter from the Pension Service or the Department for Work and Pensions confirming the entitlement. For an occupational or private pension, it is the provider’s documentation confirming the annual amount. In each case, the bank statements should show the pension being received, reconciling with the amount relied on.
Can pension income be combined with other income?
Pension income can be combined with most other permitted sources, which makes Category E flexible. It can be combined with salaried or non-salaried employment income under Categories A and B, with non-employment income under Category C, and with cash savings under Category D. This allows a sponsor with a modest pension to make up the balance from employment, rental, or savings.
Where pension income is combined with cash savings, the holding rules and shortfall calculation in our guide to the UK Spouse Visa cash savings requirement apply. Pension income can also be combined with employment income under Category A or Category B and with non-employment income, and the rules on combining sources are covered in our guide to the UK Spouse Visa financial requirement.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Pension income qualifies under Category E, provided the pension is in payment and became payable at least 28 days before the date of application. The gross annual amount is counted. State, occupational, private, and overseas pensions all qualify, and pension income can be combined with other sources.
No. A pension pot that has not been drawn does not count under Category E, because the test looks at income actually being received. The pension must have come into payment and met the 28-day timing rule before it can be relied upon. An undrawn fund might instead be relevant only once it is in payment.
The pension must have become a source of income at least 28 days before the date of application. In practice, this means the pension needs to have started being paid, and to have been payable for at least 28 days, before the application is submitted. A pension that came into payment only days before the application would not yet satisfy this rule.
Yes. Pension income can be combined with salaried or non-salaried employment income, non-employment income, and cash savings to reach the threshold. Each source must meet its own evidence rules for the relevant period. This makes Category E useful for a sponsor with a part-pension and other income.
How Whytecroft Ford can help
Pension income is one of the easier ways to meet the financial requirement, but the timing rule and the distinction between a pension in payment and an undrawn pot catch some applicants out, particularly where a sponsor has recently retired or is about to.
Whytecroft Ford advises partner and spouse visa applicants relying on pension income, including which pensions qualify, when a recently drawn pension can first be used, and how to combine pension income with employment, rental, or savings. For an older sponsor or a couple relying on retirement income, the firm confirms the timing and evidence are right before the application is made. To discuss a Category E application with an experienced immigration adviser, call 0208 757 5751 or use our contact form.
The full set of categories is on the UK Spouse Visa hub, and the requirement at the extension stage is covered in our UK Spouse Visa extension guidance.
Written and reviewed by Whytecroft Ford’s immigration team, authorised and regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority, registration number F201900075. All guidance is researched against primary sources, including the Immigration Rules and Home Office guidance at GOV.UK. Reviewed every six months, or sooner following a relevant rule change. Last reviewed: 20 May 2026.
