If you’re preparing a UK partner/spouse visa application, the financial requirement is usually the part that causes the most stress — not because it’s “hard” in principle, but because the Home Office is extremely picky about how you prove it.
This guide walks you through what the financial requirement is in 2026, how the main income categories work, and what the numbers look like in real life (including savings top-ups and the “grandfathering” rules for extensions). I’ll keep it practical, evidence-led, and written the way you actually need to think about it when you’re building an application.
If you want the full overview of the route itself (relationship, accommodation, English, etc.), start here: UK Spouse Visa.
The big headline number in 2026
For most new partner/spouse applications (and many extensions), the Home Office says you must usually show a combined income of at least £29,000 per year.
Two important exceptions (and they matter a lot):
- If your sponsor receives certain disability or carer benefits, you do not need to meet the £29,000 minimum income requirement — instead, the Home Office looks at whether you can be adequately maintained without needing extra public funds.
- If you first applied before 11 April 2024 and you’re extending with the same partner, you may still be on the older threshold of £18,600, with additional amounts for children in some cases.
So before you do any maths, you need to answer this:
Are you a new applicant under the £29,000 threshold, or an extension applicant protected by the pre-11 April 2024 rules?
What the Home Office is really testing
In plain English, the Home Office is asking:
- Do you meet the relevant income threshold on the date you apply?
- Is the money coming from a permitted source (salary, self-employment, pension, rent, etc.)?
- Can you prove it with the specified evidence, in the right format, covering the right period?
That last point is where people get caught out. It’s rarely “you don’t earn enough”. It’s often “you didn’t evidence it correctly”.
If you’re also building the relationship side of your application, this is worth a read: Spouse visa relationship evidence.
The main ways you can meet the financial requirement
Most applicants meet the requirement using 1 (or a blend) of these:
- Employment income (usually payslips + bank statements + employer letter)
- Self-employment / company director income (more document-heavy)
- Cash savings (alone or as a top-up)
- Non-employment income (e.g., property rental income, dividends, pensions)
The Immigration Rules also set out how savings interact with income. The key structure is:
- You can count cash savings above £16,000, and
- You convert the “extra” savings into income using a 2.5x multiplier (for partner routes).
I’ll show that with real numbers below.
Scenario 1: Salaried job, steady income, straightforward evidence
Your situation:
You’re sponsoring your partner. You earn £31,000 in a permanent PAYE role and have been with the same employer for over 6 months.
Outcome:
You meet the £29,000 threshold on salary alone.
What usually makes this “clean”:
- Your payslips match what’s landing in your bank account
- Your employer letter confirms your pay, role, start date, and employment type
- The dates are consistent and you’re not missing a month
Where people still get caught out:
- Submitting payslips but forgetting the matching bank statements
- Bank statements that don’t show your name/account number clearly
- Salary paid in multiple parts (basic pay + “expenses”) without explanation
If you want to see the broader family visa options (not just spouse), this page helps: UK Family Visas.
Scenario 2: You earn under £29,000 — but you can top up with savings
Your situation:
You earn £24,000 a year. You have £35,000 in cash savings held for at least 6 months.
Can savings “fill the gap”?
Yes — but only the portion above £16,000 counts, and it’s converted using the 2.5 multiplier logic in the Rules.
Step-by-step:
- Income shortfall: £29,000 − £24,000 = £5,000
- Savings needed to cover shortfall: £5,000 × 2.5 = £12,500
- Add the £16,000 baseline: £12,500 + £16,000 = £28,500
So if you have £28,500+ in eligible savings (held correctly), you can combine them with your £24,000 income to meet the requirement.
In your example you have £35,000, so you’re above the £28,500 needed.
What trips people up here:
- The savings must be cash savings (not crypto, not a vague “investment account” screenshot)
- They must be held for the required period and evidenced properly
- Large recent deposits must be explained (e.g., sale of asset, gift, inheritance)
The Rules set the structure of the savings calculation and the “£16,000 + 2.5x” framework.
Scenario 3: You want to meet the requirement using savings only
This is a big one — and it’s easy to miscalculate.
If you’re relying purely on savings (no income), the logic is:
Required savings = £16,000 + (income requirement × 2.5)
For the £29,000 threshold (most new applications)
- £29,000 × 2.5 = £72,500
- Add £16,000 = £88,500
So you’re looking at £88,500 in eligible cash savings to meet the £29,000 requirement via savings alone.
For the £18,600 threshold (older route extensions)
- £18,600 × 2.5 = £46,500
- Add £16,000 = £62,500
That’s why you’ll often hear “£62,500” mentioned — but it’s tied to the older threshold logic, not the newer £29,000 standard.
Scenario 4: Variable income (commission, overtime, or changing hours)
Your situation:
Your base salary is modest, but your monthly pay changes due to overtime or commission. Some months look great; others look weak.
The practical issue:
The Home Office doesn’t just glance at your “best month”. It looks at whether the evidence, averaged and evidenced over the required period, supports meeting the threshold.
What usually helps:
- A clear run of payslips and matching bank statements
- An employer letter explaining the pay structure (basic + variable elements)
- A consistent narrative: “This is how my pay works and here is the pattern”
Common ways people get caught out:
- Submitting evidence that doesn’t cover the right period
- Pay that spikes only recently (and the earlier months drag down the average)
- Unexplained deductions that reduce the “gross vs net” clarity
This is where a properly organised submission (and a cover letter that explains the numbers) can stop a caseworker misunderstanding what they’re looking at.
Scenario 5: Self-employed, freelance, or director of a limited company
Your situation:
You run your own business, freelance, or you’re a director/shareholder of a limited company.
Reality check:
Self-employment routes are absolutely doable — but they are document-heavy and timing-sensitive. The Home Office typically expects full financial-year evidence and specific documents (tax returns, accounts, company docs, dividend evidence, etc.).
Where people get caught out:
- Mixing up personal income with business turnover
- Relying on draft figures rather than finalised evidence
- Dividends declared but not evidenced properly in bank statements
- Not aligning the evidence window with the Home Office’s required period
If your finances are business-led, you’re not alone in finding this the most stressful category — it’s the most “rules inside rules” part of Appendix FM-SE.
Scenario 6: You’re extending and you first applied before 11 April 2024
Your situation:
You already have a partner/spouse visa route that started before 11 April 2024, and you’re extending with the same partner.
Outcome:
You may still only need to meet £18,600 (not £29,000), and you may need to show additional income for children depending on their status.
The GOV.UK guidance is explicit that extensions in this protected group use the older requirement and sets out the “extra for children” amounts where relevant.
What trips people up here:
- Assuming everyone is on £29,000 and panicking unnecessarily
- Or the opposite: assuming you’re protected when you’re not (wrong first-application date, or different route history)
If you’re unsure which bucket you fall into, you want to verify your timeline before you build the finances.
Scenario 7: Your sponsor receives disability or carer benefits
Your situation:
Your partner (the sponsor) receives a qualifying disability or carer benefit.
Outcome:
You do not need to meet the minimum income requirement figure. Instead, the Home Office assesses whether you can be supported and housed without needing additional public funds (an “adequate maintenance” style assessment).
GOV.UK lists the benefits that trigger this different approach (e.g., PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, etc.).
Where people get caught out:
- Not providing enough evidence of the actual income and outgoings
- Submitting benefit letters but not showing housing costs and day-to-day affordability
- Assuming “benefits = automatic approval” (it isn’t)
The “quiet” pitfalls that cause refusals (even when you earn enough)
Here are the issues we see repeatedly:
1) The bank statements don’t match the payslips
If the payslip says you were paid on the 28th, but the bank shows a different figure or a different date (or no matching deposit), expect questions.
2) You’re using the wrong time window
Employment categories can turn on whether you’ve been with the employer for 6 months, whether income is variable, and whether you need 6 or 12 months’ evidence. This isn’t something you want to “wing”.
3) You’ve got large deposits with no explanation
Savings are allowed — unexplained money is a red flag. If money came from a gift, sale, or inheritance, you want to document it cleanly.
4) You’ve relied on “future income”
The Home Office is evidence-based. Offers, intentions, and optimism don’t replace documentary proof of what you’ve earned and held.
5) You meet the number, but you don’t meet the format
Appendix FM-SE is fussy about specified evidence. If you give the Home Office the “right truth” in the “wrong packaging”, refusals happen.
How to choose the right route if you’re not married yet
Not every couple should jump straight into a spouse visa application.
Depending on your situation, you might be looking at:
- Unmarried Partner Visa (if you meet the relationship definition)
- Civil Partner Visa (if that’s your legal relationship)
- Marriage Visitor Visa (if you’re coming to marry/enter a civil partnership but not to settle immediately)
The right route matters, because it affects what evidence you need — and when.
What happens after the spouse visa: extension, ILR, and citizenship
Most people are focused on “getting the visa”, but the smart move is to plan the whole arc:
- Extension(s) along the route
- Settlement: Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
- Then nationality options such as British citizenship applications
This matters because the way you structure your finances now can make your future extension cleaner (or messier).
If you’re refused: don’t panic, get strategic
Financial requirement refusals are often challengeable — especially where the evidence was there but misunderstood or not assessed properly.
If you’re facing a refusal, or you want advice before you apply, see: Appeals and Judicial Review.
And if you want transparency on what professional support looks like, including scopes of work: Services & Fees.
A final word: treat this like an evidence project, not a form-filling exercise
If you take one thing away, make it this:
The Home Office doesn’t “assume” you meet the requirement — you prove it, in the right format, covering the right dates, with a clear explanation.
If you want help mapping your income type to the right evidence set (and building a submission that’s organised, consistent, and low-risk), speak to the team on the UK Spouse Visa page and we’ll talk you through the best way forward.
Ready to move forward with your UK immigration plans? Garth Coates Solicitors can guide you at every step — from eligibility checks and document preparation to submission and follow-up. If you’re launching a business, our uk start up visa team can help you build a strong application. Need support with work routes? Speak to a trusted skilled worker visa solicitor today. We also advise on the uk self sponsorship visa for entrepreneurs seeking more control. Studying in the UK? Our student visa solicitors are here to help — contact us now for tailored advice.
