Spouse & Partner Visa Financial Requirement 2026: £29,000 Explained

Last reviewed: 26 June 2026.

The financial requirement is the minimum income or savings a couple must show for a UK partner or spouse visa under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. For most new applicants it is a gross annual income of £29,000 (as of June 2026), known as the minimum income requirement, and it can be met through employment, self-employment, non-employment income, pension income, cash savings, or a permitted combination. Each source must be evidenced in the form Appendix FM-SE prescribes, and an application that is not may be refused. This guide provides an overview of the financial requirement, the income categories, cash savings, combining income and the evidence for a UK partner or spouse visa.

Key overviews

• The minimum income requirement is £29,000 for partners and spouses on the standard family route, set out in Appendix FM (as of June 2026).
• 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.
• Income falls into Categories A to G under Appendix FM-SE, covering employment, non-employment income, cash savings, pensions, and self-employment or company-director income.
• Cash savings of £88,500 held for six continuous months can meet the requirement alone, calculated as £16,000 plus 2.5 times the £29,000 figure.
• Income sources can be combined in defined ways, although cash savings cannot be combined with self-employment or company-director income.
• A different test applies where the sponsor receives a specified disability or carer’s benefit, and the requirement is re-tested at extension and settlement.

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 June 2026). It is the amount the couple must show 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 £18,600.

The per-child additions apply only to the transitional £18,600 route. On the £29,000 route, dependent children are already accounted for within the figure and do not add to it.

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.

Whose income can be counted toward the requirement?

Whose income counts depends on where the application is made, although the income categories stay the same. For an entry clearance application from outside the UK, only the sponsor’s income counts. The applicant’s overseas employment earnings are disregarded, however substantial they are, though the applicant’s non-employment income, pension income and cash savings can still 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 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. It tests both the current rate and the actual income over the previous 12 months, and both limbs must reach the threshold, as the Category B variable or new-job income guide sets out.

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. Category F uses the gross taxable profit from the last full financial year, taken from the Self Assessment tax return, while Category G averages the last two financial years, which can help where the most recent year was lower. These categories also apply where the sponsor is a director of a specified limited company, broadly a company controlled by the sponsor, their partner or close family. Income from a specified limited company is assessed under these rules rather than as ordinary salary or dividends, and classifying it incorrectly is a common cause of refusal. The full rules are 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 categories can be combined to reach the threshold, within set limits. The combinations that are permitted are:

• Category A salaried employment can be combined with non-employment income (C), pension income (E), and cash savings (D).
• Non-employment income (C), pension income (E) and cash savings (D) can be combined with each other.
• Cash savings (D) cannot be combined with self-employment or company-director income (F and G), and cannot be used with the part of Category B income that relies on the 12-month average.
• Self-employment and company-director income (F and G) cannot be combined with cash savings.

The aim is to choose a combination the evidence fully supports across the specified period. Our guide to combining income for a UK Spouse Visa works through the permitted combinations in detail.

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 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, that is £16,000 + (2.5 × £29,000) = £88,500, the minimum to meet the requirement on savings alone.

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.

Worked examples

The following anonymised examples show how the rules apply in practice. The threshold used is £29,000 (as of June 2026).

Salary topped up with savings (Category A and D). A sponsor earns £20,000 of qualifying salaried income, leaving a £9,000 shortfall against £29,000. The savings required are £16,000 + (2.5 × £9,000) = £38,500. The requirement is met where the sponsor evidences the £20,000 salary for the specified period and holds £38,500 in savings for six continuous months.

Variable income in a new job (Category B). A sponsor started an hourly-paid job four months before applying. Under Category B the application is assessed on both the current annualised rate and the actual gross income received over the previous 12 months, and each limb must reach £29,000. A strong current rate does not cure a 12-month history that falls short.

Self-employment (Category F). A self-employed sponsor’s last full financial year showed £31,000 of gross taxable profit. Under Category F that exceeds £29,000, evidenced by the Self Assessment tax return, the accounts, and the business and personal bank statements for the same year.

What evidence is required?

Each category has its own specified-evidence list under Appendix FM-SE. The evidence must cover the full assessment period, and the documents must generally be dated within 28 days of the date of application. The common requirements are:

• Category A and B: payslips for the relevant period, a matching employer letter, and personal bank statements showing the salary paid in.
• Category C: proof of ownership of the asset and the income received, with bank statements showing receipt.
• Category D: personal bank statements showing the savings held for six continuous months.
• Category E: a pension statement or letter confirming the annual amount, with bank statements showing payments.
• Categories F and G: the Self Assessment tax return and tax calculation, the accounts, and business and personal bank statements.

Documents not in English or Welsh must be submitted with a certified translation. Most financial-requirement refusals are evidence failures rather than income failures, so the evidence pack matters as much as the underlying figure.

To check which category fits your circumstances and confirm the evidence before you apply, call our team on 0208 757 5751 or use our contact form.

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, 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 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 £29,000 threshold cannot be met?

Two alternatives exist within the Immigration Rules where the standard financial requirement is not met. The first is the adequate maintenance test. It applies where the sponsor receives a specified disability benefit or carer’s allowance, in which case the £29,000 figure does not apply and the couple are instead assessed on whether they can be adequately maintained without additional recourse to public funds.

The second is the exceptional circumstances route. It can apply where refusing the application would breach the right to family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights by producing unjustifiably harsh consequences, in which case income outside the standard categories may be considered. Both routes are set out in Appendix FM.

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 specified-limited-company sponsor whose income is classified under the wrong category, 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

How much do you need to earn for a UK Spouse Visa in 2026? New applicants must show a gross annual income of £29,000, the minimum income requirement under Appendix FM (as of June 2026). The figure can be met through income, savings, or a permitted combination.

Whose income counts toward the financial requirement? For an initial entry clearance application, only the sponsor’s employment income counts, not the applicant’s overseas employment income. The applicant’s cash savings, non-employment income and pension income can count.

Does the £29,000 threshold apply to an FLR(M) extension? The threshold depends on when the applicant first applied. Those who first applied before 11 April 2024 and are extending with the same partner remain on £18,600, while those who entered the route on or after that date meet £29,000.

Can self-employment income be combined with cash savings? No. Self-employment and company-director income under Categories F and G cannot be combined with cash savings. Self-employment income is assessed on the last financial year, or the average of the last two years under Category G.

Are dependent children included in the £29,000 figure? 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.

Could the £29,000 financial requirement change? The £29,000 figure has applied since 11 April 2024 and remains in force as of June 2026. Any change would be announced through a statement of changes to the Immigration Rules, so applicants should confirm the figure in force on the date of application against GOV.UK.

How Whytecroft Ford can help

The financial requirement is the single most common point of difficulty on the family route, not because applicants do not earn enough, but because the specified-evidence standards are unforgiving on each category. A sponsor earning well above £29,000 can still be refused where the payslips, bank statements or employer letter do not align to the day.

The Whytecroft Ford immigration team advises applicants on the UK Spouse Visa, the unmarried partner route, the fiancé route and FLR(M) extensions, including selecting the correct income category, calculating any savings shortfall, and assembling an evidence pack that matches the specified-evidence rules. The firm confirms eligibility early and makes 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)