Last reviewed: 21 May 2026.
The financial requirement is the minimum income or savings a couple must show to satisfy the family route under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. As of May 2026, the requirement for new applicants is a gross annual income of £29,000, known as the minimum income requirement. It can be met through employment, self-employment, non-employment income, pension income, cash savings, or a permitted combination of these. A lower transitional threshold of £18,600 continues to apply to a defined group of applicants who first applied before 11 April 2024.
Key Overviews
- The minimum income requirement is £29,000 for partners and spouses applying or extending on the standard family route, set out in Appendix FM.
- A transitional £18,600 threshold still applies to applicants who first applied before 11 April 2024 and are extending with the same partner, with additional sums for dependent children on that route only.
- Cash savings of £88,500 held for six continuous months can meet the requirement on their own, calculated as £16,000 plus 2.5 times the £29,000 income figure.
- Income sources can be combined in defined ways, although cash savings cannot be combined with self-employment income.
- A different test applies where the sponsor receives a specified disability or carer’s benefit, and exceptional circumstances may be considered where a refusal would have unjustifiably harsh consequences.
What is the financial requirement for a UK Spouse Visa?
The financial requirement is the minimum income or savings threshold a couple must demonstrate, set at £29,000 gross per year for new Spouse Visa applicants as of May 2026. It is the amount the couple must demonstrate so the applicant can be supported without additional recourse to public funds, and it is set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.
The requirement applies to the UK Spouse Visa, the unmarried partner route, the fiancé route, and the FLR(M) extension.
The £29,000 figure replaced the long-standing £18,600 threshold on 11 April 2024.
Which financial threshold applies in 2026?
Two thresholds run in parallel in 2026, and which one applies depends on when the applicant first entered the route. New applicants, and those applying with a different partner, must meet £29,000.
Applicants who first applied before 11 April 2024 and are extending or settling with the same partner are assessed against the £18,600 threshold.
The table below sets out the position. The per-child additions apply only to the transitional £18,600 route; dependent children are already accounted for within the £29,000 figure and do not add to it.
| Applicant group | Threshold (as of May 2026) | Per-child addition |
| New applicant, or applying with a new partner | £29,000 | None (children included in figure) |
| Applied before 11 April 2024, extending with same partner | £18,600 | +£3,800 first child, +£2,400 each additional child |
The transitional £18,600 threshold is preserved only where the original application was made before 11 April 2024 on the five-year family route, the applicant is extending or settling with the same partner, and there has been no break in continuous leave on that route. A move to the ten-year route, a gap in leave, or a change of partner moves the applicant onto the £29,000 figure at the next application.
To discuss which threshold applies to your application and how to evidence it, contact our friendly team on 0208 757 5751 or use our contact form to get in touch.
Whose income can be counted toward the requirement?
Whose income counts depends on where the application is made, although the income categories themselves stay the same. For an entry clearance application from outside the UK, only the sponsor’s income counts. The applicant’s overseas employment income earnings are disregarded however substantial they are. The applicant’s non-employment income, pension income and cash savings can count.
For an in-country application, including the FLR(M) extension and most switches, the applicant’s own UK employment earnings can be added to the sponsor’s, provided the applicant is working lawfully under their current leave. This combined assessment is one of the most useful flexibilities on the route and often resolves a sponsor-only shortfall.
How is the £29,000 financial requirement met?
The requirement can be met through income, savings, or a permitted combination, with each source assessed under a specific category in Appendix FM-SE.
| Category | Income source | Basis of assessment |
| A | Salaried or non-salaried employment, 6+ months with current employer | Current annual gross income |
| B | Employment under 6 months, or variable income | Income over the previous 12 months, plus current rate |
| C | Non-employment income (rental, dividends, interest) | Income received in the 12 months before application |
| D | Cash savings | Savings above £16,000, held for 6 months |
| E | Pension income | Annual pension at the current rate |
| F / G | Self-employment and company directors | Last full financial year (F) or average of the last two years (G) |
The categories work as follows:
Category A applies where the sponsor has been with the same employer for at least six months, in which case the current gross annual salary is the figure tested, as explained in our Category A salaried employment guide.
Category B applies where the sponsor has been in the current job for under six months or has variable income such as shift, commission, or zero-hours pay, and it tests both the current rate and the actual income over the previous 12 months; the Category B variable or new-job income guide sets out how the two limbs work.
Category C covers regular non-employment income such as property rental, dividends, and interest, assessed over the 12 months before the application, with the detail in our Category C non-employment income guide.
Category D is cash savings above £16,000 held for six continuous months, used on their own or to top up income, as set out in our Category D cash savings guide.
Category E is pension income, counted at the current gross annual rate and from the sponsor only, explained in our Category E pension income guide.
Categories F and G cover self-employment and company directors, assessed on the last full financial year (F) or the average of the last two years (G) and never combined with savings, with the full rules in our Categories F and G self-employment guide.
The financial requirement is best met where the chosen category matches the sponsor’s actual circumstances and the evidence covers the full specified period. Applications relying on income that falls outside the assessment period, or on a category the evidence does not support, may be refused.
Which income sources can be combined?
Most income sources can be combined to reach £29,000. Salaried employment, non-employment income, pension income, and cash savings can be added together, as can non-employment income and cash savings.
Self-employment income, however, cannot be combined with cash savings, and the permitted. Cash savings cannot be combined with the first part of category B income.
How are cash savings used to meet the requirement?
Cash savings can meet the financial requirement in full or top up income that falls short, using a fixed formula set out at paragraph 11 of Appendix FM-SE. The amount of savings needed is £16,000 plus 2.5 times the income shortfall, and the savings must be held for at least six continuous months before the application in an account in the name of the applicant, the sponsor, or both.
Savings formula £16,000 + (2.5 × annual income shortfall) With no qualifying income: £16,000 + (2.5 × £29,000) = £88,500 Minimum savings to meet the requirement on savings alone: £88,500
A worked example shows how income and savings combine.
Worked example: sponsor earning £20,000 with savings
| Input | Figure |
| Sponsor’s gross annual salary (Category A) | £20,000 |
| Income shortfall against £29,000 | £9,000 |
| Savings required: £16,000 + (2.5 × £9,000) | £38,500 |
Result: the requirement is met where the sponsor evidences £20,000 of qualifying salaried income for the specified period and holds £38,500 in savings for six continuous months.
A detailed breakdown of the savings route, including foreign currency accounts and the six-month holding rule, is set out in our guide to the UK Spouse Visa cash savings requirement. Where the savings calculation is central to an application, contact our team on 0208 757 5751 or use our contact form to confirm the figure before the holding period begins.
How is the financial requirement re-tested at each stage?
The financial requirement is reassessed at every stage of the route, and meeting it once does not carry forward. It is tested at the initial application stage, again at the FLR(M) extension after 33 months, and a final time at indefinite leave to remain after the five-year route. A sponsor who comfortably met £29,000 at entry can still fail at extension if their income has since fallen.
Can a sponsor working overseas use foreign income?
A sponsor currently working abroad can rely on overseas income, but only under a stricter dual test set out in paragraph E-ECP.3.2 of Appendix FM. The sponsor must have earned the equivalent of at least £29,000 in qualifying overseas employment for the six months before the application, and must also have a confirmed UK job offer starting within three months of return that itself meets the threshold. A failure on either limb defeats the overseas-income route.
Pension income is treated differently and is not subject to the dual test, because it is sponsor-only and location-neutral under Category E. A returning sponsor drawing a qualifying UK pension is assessed in the ordinary way wherever they are resident. The evidential detail for both situations is set out in our guide to the income requirement for returning sponsors.
What if the sponsor cannot meet the £29,000 threshold?
Two alternatives exist where the standard financial requirement cannot be met. The first is the adequate maintenance test, which applies where the sponsor receives a specified disability or carer’s benefit. Where one of these applies, the £29,000 figure is disapplied and the couple must instead show they can be adequately maintained without additional recourse to public funds.
The second alternative is the exceptional circumstances route. Where a refusal would breach the right to family life by producing unjustifiably harsh consequences.
What are the common financial-requirement refusal points?
Most financial-requirement refusals are evidence failures rather than income failures, which means a sponsor who genuinely earns above £29,000 can still be refused. The recurring causes are a Category A payslip or employer letter that falls outside the 28-day or six-month window, a Category B applicant relying on a recent pay rise whose 12-month history falls short, a self-employed sponsor trying to combine accounts with cash savings, savings moved from a non-qualifying source inside the six-month holding period, and a document set with mismatched names that is not tied together by a marriage certificate or deed poll. Our guide to common spouse visa refusal reasons sets these out in full.
Frequently asked questions
New applicants must show a gross annual income of £29,000, the minimum income requirement under Appendix FM. The figure can be met through income, savings, or a permitted combination.
For an initial entry clearance application, only the sponsor’s employment income counts, not the applicant’s overseas employment income. An applicant can demonstrate their cash savings, non-employment income and pension income towards the application.
The threshold an applicant meets at extension depends on when they first applied. Those who first applied before 11 April 2024 and are extending with the same partner remain on the £18,600 threshold, while those who entered the route on or after that date meet £29,000.
On the £29,000 route, dependent children are accounted for within the figure and do not increase it. On the transitional £18,600 route, additional sums apply, currently £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for each further child. This is one of the practical differences between the two thresholds.
The £29,000 figure has applied since 11 April 2024 and remains in force as of May 2026, following a review of family visa financial requirements. Any change would be announced through a statement of changes to the Immigration Rules. Applicants should confirm the figure in force on the date of application against GOV.UK.
How Whytecroft Ford can help
The financial requirement for a UK Spouse Visa application is the single most common point of difficulty, not because applicants do not earn enough, but because the strict evidential standards are unforgiving on each category. A sponsor earning well above £29,000 can still receive a refusal where the payslips, bank statements, or employer letter do not align to the day.
Whytecroft Ford advises applicants on the UK Spouse Visa, the unmarried partner route, and FLR(M) extensions, including the selection of the correct income category, the calculation of any savings shortfall, and the assembly of an evidence pack that matches the specified-evidence rules. For the anxious applicant working against a deadline, often left later than is comfortable, the firm’s role is to confirm eligibility early and make the application watertight before submission. To discuss your financial requirement 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
- Family life as a partner caseworker guidance, 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.
