Spouse Visa Financial Requirement 2026: The £29,000 Rule Explained

By Kashif Iqbal, Solicitor | Reviewed: 3 July 2026

If you are applying for a UK spouse or partner visa in 2026, the financial requirement is the rule most likely to decide your application. In short: most new applicants must show a gross annual income of at least £29,000, or savings of £88,500, or a permitted combination of the two. If you first applied before 11 April 2024, transitional protection means the old £18,600 threshold still applies to your extensions and settlement. This guide explains who must meet which figure, every permitted way to meet it, and the evidence the Home Office expects.

What is the financial requirement?

The financial requirement is set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. It exists to show that you and your partner can support yourselves in the UK without relying on public funds. It applies when you first apply for a spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner or fiance(e) visa, and again at each extension and at settlement (indefinite leave to remain).

The £29,000 rule for new applicants

Since 11 April 2024, anyone making a first application on the partner route must show a minimum gross annual income of £29,000. Unlike the old regime, there are no additional child add-ons: the figure is £29,000 whether or not children are included in the application.

The Government originally planned further rises, but paused them and asked the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the threshold. The MAC reported in June 2025 recommending a lower range; as of July 2026 the threshold remains £29,000 while the Government considers its response. We update this page whenever the rules change - check the reviewed date above.

Transitional protection: who can still rely on £18,600

You keep the old threshold of £18,600 (plus £3,800 for the first non-British child and £2,400 for each additional child) if you applied for, or were granted, a fiance(e) or partner visa before 11 April 2024 and are continuing on the same route - for example when you extend after 2.5 years or apply for indefinite leave to remain. This is one of the most misunderstood parts of the rules: many couples wrongly believe they must find £29,000 at extension stage. If you are in the transitional group, you do not.

Six ways to meet the requirement

1. Employment income (Category A and B). If the sponsor has been with the same employer for 6 months or more, their gross annual salary counts directly (Category A). With less than 6 months, or a variable income, Category B applies: you must show the required level now and have actually earned it over the last 12 months.

2. Cash savings. Savings above £16,000 held for at least 6 months can count. To rely on savings alone you need £88,500 - calculated as £16,000 plus 2.5 times £29,000. A shortfall in income can be bridged with savings using the same formula: for example, income of £24,000 leaves a £5,000 gap, requiring £16,000 + (£5,000 x 2.5) = £28,500 in savings.

3. Self-employment or company director income. The sponsor's income from the last full financial year counts, evidenced through tax returns, accounts and business bank statements. Self-employment cases have the strictest paperwork rules and are a common cause of refusals.

4. Pension income. State, occupational or private pension income counts if the pension became a source of income at least 28 days before the application.

5. Non-employment income. Rental income, dividends, maintenance payments and certain other income sources can count, alone or combined with employment.

6. The applicant's own income. If the applicant is already in the UK with permission to work, their income counts too and can be combined with the sponsor's. If the applicant is applying from overseas, only the sponsor's income counts - a rule that surprises many couples.

The benefits exemption: adequate maintenance

If the sponsor receives certain disability or carer's benefits - including Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance or Carer's Allowance - the £29,000/£18,600 figures do not apply. Instead you must show adequate maintenance: that your income after housing costs meets what an equivalent family on income support would receive. This is assessed case by case and good evidence is critical.

Evidence: where most applications fail

Meeting the number is only half the job. Appendix FM-SE of the Immigration Rules prescribes exactly which documents you must provide, in what form, covering which dates. The most common refusal reasons we see are: payslips and bank statements that do not cover the exact required period, or amounts that do not match between the two; employer letters missing required details; savings that dipped below the required level at any point in the 6-month window; self-employed sponsors relying on the wrong financial year; and combining income categories that the rules do not allow to be combined.

Frequently asked questions

Does the £29,000 include my partner's overseas salary? Overseas earnings can count under Category B only if the sponsor is returning to the UK with you and has a confirmed UK job offer meeting the threshold. Overseas income alone, without a UK job to return to, does not satisfy the requirement.

Do child add-ons still exist? Only for transitional applicants on the £18,600 regime. New applicants face a flat £29,000 regardless of children.

What if the MAC review changes the threshold? Any change will be announced with a commencement date and will not be applied retrospectively to decided applications. We monitor Home Office announcements and update our guidance within 24 hours.

Can I mix savings with self-employment income? No - cash savings cannot be combined with self-employment income under the rules. This is one of several combination restrictions that catch applicants out.

Get your finances assessed before you apply

A refusal costs you the full application fee and months of separation. In a 30-minute consultation (£50) we assess exactly how your income and savings fit the rules, which category to apply under, and precisely which documents you need. Book your consultation at ukspousevisa.co.uk/book-online.

This article is general information, not legal advice on your individual circumstances. UK Spouse Visa is a brand of Primus Solicitors Limited, regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Sources: GOV.UK Family visa guidance; Immigration Rules Appendix FM and Appendix FM-SE.