Since April 2024, the minimum income threshold for a UK spouse visa has stood at £29,000, a figure that remains contested, was reviewed by the Migration Advisory Committee in December 2025, and continues to separate families while the government decides what to do next. For many applicants, the financial requirement is the most challenging aspect of the process, because the Home Office applies these with considerable precision. A single missing payslip or an incorrectly calculated savings figure can result in a refusal, regardless of the couple’s genuine circumstances.
What Is the Minimum Income Requirement for a UK Spouse Visa in 2026?
The minimum income requirement (MIR) or financial requirement for a UK spouse visa in 2026 is £29,000 gross per year. This figure applies to all new applications made on or after 11 April 2024 and is set out under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. The threshold is assessed on gross income, that is, before tax and National Insurance deductions.
For entry clearance applications, that is, where the applicant is applying from outside the UK, only the sponsor’s employment income can be used to meet the financial requirement. The applicant’s overseas employment income cannot be counted, even if they are in full-time work abroad. Where the applicant is already lawfully present in the UK with permission to work and is applying for leave to remain, the income of both the applicant and their sponsor may be taken into account, depending on the income category being relied upon.
The incremental increases originally announced alongside the April 2024 changes have not been implemented. The previous government intended to raise the threshold in stages, ultimately aligning it with the Skilled Worker visa general salary threshold of £38,700. Following the July 2024 general election, the incoming Labour government paused further increases and, in September 2024, commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the financial requirement. The MAC published its report on 10 June 2025. Rather than recommending a specific figure, it presented a range of options for the government to choose from, based on its policy priorities.
The MAC recommended against any further increase and indicated that a lower threshold would be more proportionate. The options it set out broadly clustered in the range of £17,000 to £28,000, with various indicators, including the then full-time National Living Wage of £23,800, falling within that range. The government has not announced any amendment to the £29,000 threshold in response to the review. The May 2025 Immigration White Paper signalled the government’s intention to publish a new family migration policy, but no such document had been issued as of the date of this article. The £29,000 requirement therefore continues to apply, and applicants should monitor official announcements closely.
Who Must Meet the Financial Requirement?
The financial requirement applies to applications made under the family visa route for partners and spouses. The sponsor must hold a qualifying immigration status, such as British citizenship, settled status (indefinite leave to remain), or certain other leave categories. For entry clearance applications (i.e., applying from outside the UK), the sponsor’s income is the primary qualifying source. Where the applicant is already in the UK with permission to work, their earnings may be counted towards the threshold in an application for leave to remain.
The £29,000 Threshold: New Applications and Transitional Cases
For any first-time application under the UK spouse visa made in 2026, the applicable threshold is £29,000 gross annually. The requirement applies regardless of whether children are included in the application, for new applications, there is no separate child addition to the threshold.
For those extending a visa who entered the route before 11 April 2024, the older threshold of £18,600 continues to apply under transitional provisions, with the following additions for dependent children (as set out in Appendix FM):
- £3,800 for the first dependent child
- £2,400 for each subsequent dependent child
- The combined total is capped at £29,000, if the additions would push the total beyond this figure, only £29,000 needs to be evidenced
The transitional provisions also do not apply to applicants currently on the 10-year UK spouse visa route to settlement.
How Income Is Assessed: Categories A to G
The Home Office categorises income sources from Categories A through G, as detailed in Appendix FM-SE (Specified Evidence). Each category has specific calculation methods and evidential requirements. Understanding which category applies to the sponsor’s circumstances is critical to presenting a valid application.
Category A – Salaried or Non-Salaried Employment (6+ Months)
The sponsor must have been employed by their current employer continuously for at least six months prior to the application date and must have earned above the minimum income threshold throughout that entire period.
Under Category A, the sponsor must have been paid at a level of gross annual salary that equals or exceeds the threshold throughout the full six-month period. If the salary was at or above the required level for the entire six months, the figure counted towards the requirement is the lowest salary received during that period. A pay rise that brought the salary above £29,000 only partway through the six months will not satisfy Category A, because the lower earlier salary was below the threshold for part of the qualifying window.
For non-salaried employment, the annualised equivalent of the average gross monthly income over the past six months is used, calculated by totalling gross income over six months, dividing by six to establish a monthly average, and multiplying by twelve.
Category B – Employment Less Than 6 Months or Variable Income
Category B applies where the sponsor has been with their current employer for fewer than six months, or where their income is variable. It has two limbs, both of which must be satisfied. The first looks at the sponsor’s current gross annual salary at the date of application; this figure may be supplemented by non-employment income (Category C), savings (Category D), or pension income (Category E) to meet the threshold. The second assesses the actual gross income received from employment in the 12 months prior to application; this may be supplemented by non-employment income and pension, but not savings. The application succeeds under Category B only if the threshold is met under both limbs.
Category C – Non-Employment Income
Non-employment income includes rental income from property, dividends from non-specified limited companies, interest from savings, maintenance payments, insurance payments, royalties, and certain other permitted sources. Income from these sources earned during the twelve months prior to the application date can be counted towards the threshold.
Where the sponsor holds Category C non-employment income, such as rental income from property or dividends from investments, this can be combined with employment income to meet the threshold, even in an entry clearance application. The applicant’s own overseas employment income remains excluded.
Category D – Cash Savings
Appendix FM-SE paragraph 11 governs the use of savings to meet the financial requirement, permitting funds held by the applicant, sponsor, or both jointly to count. Only the amount above £16,000 is factored into the calculation.
Where savings supplement or replace income entirely, the formula works as follows: subtract £16,000 from total savings, then divide the remainder by 2.5. The resulting figure represents the annual income equivalent those savings can replace. A sponsor relying on savings alone at entry clearance or further leave to remain stage therefore needs £88,500 in total, since (£88,500 − £16,000) ÷ 2.5 = £29,000. At indefinite leave to remain stage, the full amount above £16,000 counts directly, so a lower overall figure may suffice.
To be accepted, funds must have been held continuously for at least six consecutive months and must not have fallen below the required threshold at any point during that period. Any significant dip in the balance will undermine the application. Accounts must be held with regulated financial institutions, and the funds must be immediately accessible.
Where funds derive from the sale of property, the proceeds may be counted as cash savings even if they have not been held in cash for the full six-month period, provided the property was owned by the applicant or sponsor and the sale proceeds are evidenced. Where funds derive from the liquidation of investments (such as stocks, shares, bonds or trust funds), the underlying asset must have been owned and controlled by the applicant or sponsor for at least six months before the date of application, with the ownership, value and transfer all evidenced. Both routes are subject to the remaining requirements of Appendix FM-SE, and professional advice is recommended before relying on either.
Category E – Pension Income
Gross income from a state, occupational, or private pension, whether UK-based or from overseas, can be used. The pension must have become a source of income at least 28 days before the date of application.
Categories F and G – Self-Employment and Limited Company Directorships
Self-employed sponsors and those who are directors or shareholders of specified limited companies must provide evidence of income from the most recent full financial year (Category F) or the average over the last two financial years (Category G). These categories have specific documentation requirements, including business accounts and HMRC correspondence. The evidential requirements under Categories F and G are particularly detailed, refer carefully to paragraphs 7 and 9 of Appendix FM-SE.
Combining Income Sources
Several categories can be combined to meet the minimum income requirement, though not all combinations are permissible:
- Employment income (Categories A or B) can be supplemented with non-employment income (Category C), savings (Category D), or pension income (Category E).
- Cash savings under Category D cannot be combined with self-employment income under Categories F or G.
- Where Category B applies, savings under Category D cannot be used to supplement the 12-month actual income test, savings may only be applied against the current salary component.
When the Sponsor Receives Disability or Carer’s Benefits
Where the sponsoring partner receives one of the following specified benefits, no minimum income threshold applies. Instead, the couple must demonstrate that they have adequate maintenance, sufficient funds to support themselves and any dependants without recourse to additional public funds:
- Disability Living Allowance
- Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (Scotland)
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Attendance Allowance
- Pension Age Disability Payment (Scotland)
- Carer’s Allowance
- Carer’s Support Payment (Scotland)
- Personal Independence Payment
- Armed Forces Independence Payment or Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
- Constant Attendance Allowance, Mobility Supplement or War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme
- Police Injury Pension
- Child Disability Payment (Scotland)
- Adult Disability Payment (Scotland)
What Happens If the Financial Requirement Cannot Be Met?
If the minimum income requirement is not met, there are limited circumstances in which an application may still succeed:
- British or settled child: Where the couple has a child in the UK who holds British or Irish citizenship, or who has lived in the UK for at least seven years, and it would be unreasonable to expect that child to leave the UK.
- Article 8 ECHR: Where refusing entry or requiring the sponsor’s partner to leave would constitute a disproportionate breach of the right to family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Applicants granted leave on this basis are placed on the 10-year UK spouse visa route to settlement, which does not require the minimum income requirement to be met again. Those who subsequently come to meet the financial requirement through the standard specified sources can apply to switch to the 5-year UK spouse visa route. Leave is usually granted in 30-month increments during this period.
Evidence Requirements
Appendix FM-SE prescribes detailed rules governing the format and content of all financial evidence. Non-compliance, even where the underlying income is genuine and sufficient, can result in a refusal. Supporting documentation must be precise and must align with the relevant income category. Commonly required documents include:
- Payslips covering the required period (six or twelve months, depending on category)
- Bank statements confirming that the declared income has been received
- Employment contract or letter from the employer confirming current salary
- P60 or equivalent tax documentation for the relevant tax year
- Company accounts and HMRC tax returns for self-employed applicants or company directors
- Tenancy agreements and rental income statements for property income
- Savings account statements for the six-month period preceding the application
All financial documents must be originals or certified copies. Any document not in English or Welsh must be accompanied by a certified translation from a qualified translator.
The MAC Review and the Current Threshold
The financial requirement for UK spouse visas has been a subject of sustained policy debate. Following the April 2024 increase to £29,000, the Home Secretary commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee in September 2024 to review whether the requirement was set at an appropriate level.
The MAC published its report on 10 June 2025. Rather than recommending a specific figure, it identified a range of possible thresholds and recommended against any further increase from £29,000. The MAC’s analysis suggested that a threshold in the range of £23,000 to £25,000 would be more proportionate, for example, a threshold set at the full-time National Living Wage of £23,800 was cited as a level that would raise immigration by only approximately 10,000 while better reflecting the incomes of working sponsors. At £17,000 (just above the relative poverty line), the impact on immigration would be greater. The MAC also criticised the restriction on counting the applicant’s overseas earnings and recommended that the government explore ways to allow this.
As of May 2026, the government has not announced any amendment to the £29,000 threshold. Sponsors and applicants should monitor official announcements closely, as the MAC’s recommendations remain under active government consideration.
Final Thoughts
The UK spouse visa financial requirement demands precise preparation of evidence, and a clear grasp of which income category applies. The most common reason for avoidable refusals is not the threshold itself, but evidential shortfalls: a payslip from the wrong period, a bank statement that does not align with the declared income, or documents that do not precisely match the requirements of Appendix FM-SE.
For transitional applicants sponsoring a partner only, without dependent children, the savings required to meet the £18,600 threshold using savings alone is £62,500. For new applicants subject to the £29,000 threshold, the equivalent savings figure is £88,500. Where children are included under the transitional provisions, the applicable threshold is higher (up to £29,000), and the savings figure adjusts accordingly.
The rules are strict. Your preparation doesn’t have to be stressful. If you’re unsure whether your income, savings, or documents meet the exact requirements under Appendix FM, don’t guess. The experienced immigration specialists at City Legal Solicitors are ready to help you. Book our consultation Today!
