Cash savings are one of the routes to meeting the financial requirement on the UK Spouse Visa, used either on their own or to top up income that falls short of £29,000. As of May 2026, meeting the requirement through savings alone takes £88,500, held for six continuous months before the application. The figure is fixed by a formula in Appendix FM-SE, and the savings must be held in cash and freely available. This guide sets out the calculation, the holding rules, and how savings combine with income.
How much in cash savings do you need for a UK Spouse Visa in 2026?
The cash savings figure needed to meet the financial requirement on savings alone is £88,500, current as of May 2026. The amount is set by the formula in Appendix FM-SE of the Immigration Rules: £16,000 plus 2.5 times the income shortfall. With no qualifying income, the shortfall is the full £29,000, so the calculation is £16,000 plus £72,500, giving £88,500. The first £16,000 of any savings is disregarded and never counts toward the requirement.
Savings formula £16,000 + (2.5 × annual income shortfall) Savings-only application: £16,000 + (2.5 × £29,000) = £88,500
How much can savings reduce the income you need?
Savings reduce the income required on a sliding scale, because every £2.50 of savings above £16,000 replaces £1 of annual income. The more qualifying income a sponsor evidences, the less they need to hold in savings. The table below shows how much annual income different savings levels replace, and the income still required alongside them.
| Total savings held | Annual income these savings replace | Remaining annual income still required |
| £88,500 | £29,000 | £0 |
| £75,000 | £23,600 | £5,400 |
| £60,000 | £17,600 | £11,400 |
| £45,000 | £11,600 | £17,400 |
| £33,000 | £6,800 | £22,200 |
| £25,000 | £3,600 | £25,400 |
| £17,500 | £600 | £28,400 |
To confirm the exact savings figure for your income level before the holding period begins, contact our friendly team on 0208 757 5751 or use our contact form.
How long must the savings be held?
Cash savings must be held for at least six continuous months immediately before the date of application. The funds must be under the control of the applicant, the sponsor, or both throughout that period, and must remain at or above the required level for the whole six months. A single day on which the balance drops below the required figure will normally break the qualifying period and require the six months to start again.
The savings can move between accounts during the period, provided the total held does not fall below the required level and the funds remain cash savings. Where a lump sum has entered an account within the six months, the source of that money must be evidenced, for example proceeds from the sale of property or investments.
What counts as cash savings?
Cash savings means money held in cash in a bank or building society account that can be withdrawn immediately or at the end of a fixed term. This includes current accounts, instant-access savings accounts, and fixed-term deposits where the funds can be withdrawn, even if a penalty applies. The savings must be the personal funds of the applicant, the sponsor, or both, and held in a regulated financial institution.
Money held as stocks, shares, bonds, trust funds, or in a stocks-and-shares ISA does not count as cash savings while it remains invested. Pension funds that cannot yet be drawn, business assets, and money belonging to a third party do not count either. Where funds come from the sale of property or investments, paragraph 11A(c) of Appendix FM-SE requires that the money is held in cash in the relevant account at the date of application, supported by evidence of the sale and the transfer. Applicants relying on assets that have not been converted to cash may be refused.
Can savings in a foreign bank account be used?
Savings held in a foreign bank account can be used, converted to sterling (GBP) at the closing spot exchange rate on the date of application. The conversion uses a recognised currency converter, and the application should show the rate applied. Any bank statement not in English must be accompanied by a certified translation, in line with the specified-evidence rules in Appendix FM-SE.
Because exchange rates move, savings held abroad should sit comfortably above the required figure to absorb any fall in the rate between the start of the six-month period and the application date. Where currency conversion is central to meeting the requirement, our team can advise on your situation; call 0208 757 5751 or use our contact form to discuss.
Can savings be combined with income?
Savings can be combined with most income sources to reach £29,000, with one important exception. Salaried and non-salaried employment income, pension income, and non-employment income can all be topped up with cash savings. Self-employment income under Category F or G, however, cannot be combined with cash savings under Appendix FM-SE. Furthermore, savings cannot be combined with the first part of category B income.
A worked example shows a combined application.
Worked example: combining salary and savings
| Input | Figure |
| Sponsor’s gross annual salary (Category A) | £24,000 |
| Income shortfall against £29,000 | £5,000 |
| Savings required: £16,000 + (2.5 × £5,000) | £28,500 |
Result: the requirement is met where the sponsor evidences £24,000 of qualifying salaried income for the specified period and holds £28,500 in cash savings for six continuous months.
The full set of income categories and how they are evidenced is covered in our guide to the UK Spouse Visa financial requirement, and the relationship and English language requirements that sit alongside the financial test are covered across the UK Spouse Visa hub.
What happens if the savings evidence is wrong?
An application can be refused where the savings are real but the evidence does not meet the specified-evidence rules, which is a frequent cause of avoidable refusals. The balance dropping below the required figure for a single day, a missing source-of-funds explanation for a recent lump sum, or an uncertified foreign statement can each lead to a refusal even where the money is plainly available. The application fee is not refunded on a refusal, which makes getting the evidence right the first time the priority.
Frequently asked questions
Meeting the financial requirement on savings alone takes £88,500, held for six continuous months. The figure is £16,000 plus 2.5 times the £29,000 income requirement. Where the couple also has qualifying income, the savings needed are lower.
A stocks-and-shares ISA does not count as cash savings while the money remains invested. The holdings must be sold and the proceeds held as cash in a qualifying account, with the sale and transfer evidenced. A cash ISA, by contrast, is treated as cash savings.
Savings must belong to the applicant, the sponsor, or both, so a parent’s savings do not count unless they have been gifted and transferred into a qualifying account and then held for the full six-month period. A loan does not count as cash savings. Evidence of the transfer and the six-month holding is required.
A balance that falls below the required figure on any single day during the six months will normally break the qualifying period. The six-month holding period then has to start again from the point the balance is restored. This is one of the most common avoidable savings refusals.
Cryptocurrency does not count as cash savings while held as a digital asset. As with shares, it would need to be sold and the proceeds held as cash in a qualifying account, with the sale and transfer evidenced and the six-month holding period met on the cash balance.
How Whytecroft Ford can help
The savings route looks simple as a single number, but the refusals it generates almost always come from the strict evidential standards within the rules rather than the amount. A balance that dipped for a day, a recent transfer with no documented source, or a foreign statement without a certified translation can each undo savings that are genuinely available.
Whytecroft Ford advises applicants who are meeting the financial requirement through savings, in full or in combination with income, including the timing of the six-month period, the source-of-funds evidence for lump sums, and the currency buffer for funds held abroad.
For an applicant under deadline pressure, the firm’s role is to confirm the amount and the holding period are correct before the clock starts. To discuss the savings route for your UK Partner Visa application with an experienced immigration adviser, call 0208 757 5751 or use our contact form.
Sources
- Family visa financial requirements, GOV.UK
- Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE, GOV.UK
- Immigration Rules Appendix FM, GOV.UK
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.
