Last reviewed: 20 May 2026
Category A under Appendix FM-SE of the Immigration Rules is the route for meeting the UK Spouse or Partner Visa financial requirement from employment income where the person has worked for the same employer for at least six months. It is one of the more straightforward categories to demonstrate income and applies to most of those is stable employment. The income assessed is the gross annual salary, which must meet the minimum income requirement of £29,000 for most new applicants. This guide explains when Category A applies, how the income is calculated, and the evidential requirements.
What is Category A Employment Income?
Category A is the category for employment income where the sponsor, or the applicant working in the UK, has been with the same employer for at least six months before the date of application. It is set out in Appendix FM-SE of the UK Immigration Rules. It covers both salaried and non-salaried employment, provided the six-month employment condition is met.
The income relied on must meet the minimum income requirement, currently £29,000 gross per year for new applicants who applied on or after 11 April 2024. Applicants who first applied before that date and are extending with the same partner are assessed against the transitional threshold of £18,600, plus £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for each additional child.
Who can use Category A?
Category A applies where the income comes from employment that has been held continuously with the same employer for the six months before the application. For a salaried employee, the gross annual salary is the figure assessed, and it must have met the threshold throughout the six-month period. For a non-salaried employee, such as someone paid hourly with variable hours but working for the same employer for six months or more, the income is the annualised average of the gross income received in those six months.
Where a sponsor has not been with the same employer for six months, or the income varies between employers, Category B applies instead. Where the income comes from a limited company in which the sponsor or their family hold shares, Category F or G applies rather than Category A.
How is Employment income calculated under Category A?
The figure assessed is the gross annual salary that has been held throughout the six-month period, not a recent or projected figure. For a salaried role, this is the lowest level of annual salary received during the six months, so a recent pay rise cannot be relied on unless it had been in place for the full six months. For a non-salaried role, the income is calculated by averaging the gross income over the six months and annualising it.
Worked example: salaried sponsor, two years with employer
| Input | Figure |
| Sponsor’s gross annual salary | £35,000 |
| Time with current employer | 8 months |
| Six months of payslips supplied | Yes |
Result: Category A is met. The £35,000 salary exceeds the £29,000 minimum income requirement and has been held for more than six months at the current employer.
To confirm whether your employment income qualifies under Category A before you apply for your UK Spouse Visa, contact our friendly team on 0208 757 5751 or use our contact form.
What evidence is required for Category A?
Category A requires employment evidence covering the full six-month period, presented so the figures reconcile across documents. The specified evidence is:
- Payslips covering the six months immediately before the application, showing the gross income relied on
- Personal bank statements for the same six-month period, showing the salary payments that match the payslips
- A letter from the employer confirming the employment, the gross annual salary, the type of employment, the length of employment, and that the payslips are authentic
- The employment contract, where available
The payslips, bank statements, and employer letter must align. A discrepancy between the salary on the payslips and the amounts credited to the bank account is one of the most common reasons a Category A application is questioned. As an illustration, an application submitted on 1 January 2026 would need evidence covering 1 July 2025 to 31 December 2025.
Can Category A income be combined with other income?
Category A income can be combined with several other sources to reach the threshold where the salary alone falls short. It can be combined with non-employment income under Category C, pension income under Category E, and cash savings under Category D. Where savings are used to top up Category A income, the savings must be held for the six-month period and the shortfall calculation in our guide to the UK Spouse Visa cash savings requirement applies.
Category A income cannot be combined with self-employment income from the same period in the way salaried sources combine, and the rules on combining are set out in our guide to the UK Spouse Visa financial requirement.
What about a sponsor returning to the UK?
A British sponsor working abroad and returning to the UK with the applicant can use Category A in a two-part way. The sponsor evidences their overseas employment income from the last six months using standard Category A documents, and provides a confirmed UK job offer or signed employment contract starting within three months of their return, paying at least the minimum income requirement. Both elements are needed: the past overseas income and the future UK role.
This is a common position for entry clearance applications where the couple are relocating to the UK together. The overseas income can be supplemented with savings or other permitted sources where it falls short.
Frequently asked questions
You need to have been employed by the same employer for at least six months before the date of application. If you have been with your employer for less than six months, or your income varies, Category B applies instead. The six-month condition is what distinguishes Category A from Category B.
For a salaried role, the figure assessed is the lowest annual salary held during the six months, so a pay rise can only be relied on if it had been in place for the full six-month period. A rise given partway through the six months does not lift the assessed figure. This is a frequent reason an application falls short of the threshold.
Category A income can be topped up with non-employment income, pension income, or cash savings to reach the threshold. The combined sources must each meet their own evidence rules for the relevant period. Self-employment income is treated separately under Categories F and G.
The payslips and the bank statements must reconcile, so the salary shown on each payslip should match the corresponding credit in the bank account. Unexplained differences are a common reason a Category A application is questioned. An employer letter confirming the salary helps resolve minor timing differences.
How Whytecroft Ford can help
Category A appears as a simple route, and for a salaried sponsor in steady employment it usually is, but the refusals it produces tend to come from the evidence rather than the income. A pay rise that had not been held long enough, a payslip that does not quite match the bank credit, or an employer letter missing a required detail can each undermine an application where the salary plainly exceeds £29,000.
Whytecroft Ford advises partner and spouse visa applicants relying on Category A, including how the assessed salary is calculated, how to present payslips and bank statements that reconcile, and how to combine employment income with other sources where needed. For an applicant working against a deadline, the firm confirms the income qualifies and the evidence is complete before submission. To discuss a Category A application with an experienced immigration adviser, call 0208 757 5751 or use our contact form.
The other ways to meet the requirement are covered across the UK Spouse Visa hub, including Category B for variable income and Categories F and G for self-employment.
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.
