Since April 2024, anyone sponsoring a spouse or partner to come to the UK must earn at least £29,000 per year. This replaced the previous minimum of £18,600 that had been in place since 2012. For many couples, the increase has been significant, and understanding exactly how the requirement works in practice is essential before making an application.

This article explains what counts as qualifying income, how savings can be used where the threshold is not met through earnings alone, the transitional arrangements that protect applicants already on the route, and the current position following the Migration Advisory Committee’s review of the rules.

What is the financial requirement?

The financial requirement is the minimum gross annual income that the UK-based sponsor must demonstrate in order to support a spouse or partner visa application. That figure is currently £29,000 per year and applies to all new applications made under the partner routes.

Unlike the previous rules, there is no longer any additional income required for dependent children included in the application. The £29,000 applies regardless of how many dependants are being included.

Key point: The financial requirement applies to the UK-based sponsor’s income. Under the standard rules, income earned abroad by the applicant does not count towards meeting the threshold. This is one of the aspects of the current rules that the Migration Advisory Committee has recommended the government reconsider (see below).

Who needs to meet it?

The requirement applies to applications made under the partner routes. This includes spouse visas (entry clearance from outside the UK), unmarried partner visas, civil partner visas, fiancé(e) visas, and leave to remain extensions made under the five-year partner route. It does not apply in the same way to those qualifying under the destitute domestic violence concession or certain other exceptional categories.

What counts as qualifying income?

The Home Office accepts income from a range of sources, provided it is lawful, ongoing, and properly evidenced. Salaried employment is the most straightforward source to evidence, and income from multiple qualifying sources can be combined to reach the threshold. For example, a sponsor earning £22,000 from employment and £8,000 from rental income could use both together to meet the requirement, provided each source is separately documented.

Other accepted sources include self-employment income (assessed on the basis of the most recent full financial year), pension income, and certain non-employment income such as dividends or rental income received over the preceding 12 months. Standard benefits such as Universal Credit do not count. Only specific disability-related benefits are included within the qualifying categories.

Self-employed sponsors face a more involved evidencing exercise than salaried applicants, as the Home Office requires accounts for the most recent full financial year alongside evidence of ongoing business activity. Where income has been variable, this can create difficulties that are worth addressing with a solicitor before submitting.

What if the income requirement is not met through earnings?

If the sponsor’s income falls below £29,000, cash savings can be used to make up the shortfall. The formula the Home Office applies is straightforward in principle: the savings required equal the annual shortfall multiplied by 2.5, plus £16,000.

Savings formula: (Annual shortfall x 2.5) + £16,000

If the sponsor earns £20,000, the shortfall is £9,000. The savings required would be (£9,000 x 2.5) + £16,000 = £38,500. If there is no qualifying income at all, the savings required to cover the full threshold are (£29,000 x 2.5) + £16,000 = £88,500.

The savings must have been held continuously for at least six months before the date of application. The Home Office will scrutinise six months of bank statements and will look closely at any large or unexplained deposits. Where savings have been gifted, the source of the funds needs to be clearly explained and documented.

Transitional protection

Applicants who were granted leave under the partner route before 11 April 2024 benefit from transitional protection. This means that for extensions and the eventual settlement application, the lower threshold of £18,600 continues to apply, provided the relationship is ongoing and the application is made within the same continuous period of leave.

Important: Transitional protection does not apply if there has been a gap in leave, if the applicant has switched from a different immigration route, or if the application involves a different sponsor. If you are unsure whether you qualify for transitional protection, you should take legal advice before applying.

The MAC review and what it means for the current threshold

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) was commissioned to review the minimum income requirement and published its findings in June 2025. The report is significant and its recommendations go considerably further than many expected.

The MAC advised against any further increases to the threshold beyond £29,000. Going further, the report found that £29,000 is high by international standards and suggested that a more proportionate level for most partners would be in the range of £23,000 to £25,000. The MAC also recommended that the government explore allowing the applicant’s own income to be taken into account in cases where the applicant has a confirmed job offer in the UK, describing the current rule as producing results that are difficult to justify. The MAC noted that its call for evidence received the highest number of responses of any MAC consultation to date, with 43 per cent of respondents reporting they had been separated from their partner or family while trying to meet the financial requirements.

As of April 2026, the government has not yet responded formally to those recommendations and the threshold remains at £29,000 for all new applications. However, the MAC’s findings create a realistic prospect of the rules changing during 2026, potentially in a direction that would make it easier for some couples to qualify. Anyone in the process of planning an application should ensure they are working from the most current guidance at the time they apply.

Common reasons for refusal on financial grounds

Even where the financial requirement is genuinely met, applications are regularly refused because the evidence does not satisfy the Home Office’s requirements. The most common issues are payslips and bank statements that do not correspond with each other, self-employment income that relies on projected rather than actual figures, savings that have not been held for the full six-month period, and large deposits in savings accounts that are not explained or sourced. A further common error is assuming that the applicant’s overseas income can contribute towards the threshold under the standard rules, when ordinarily it cannot.

The financial requirement is one of the most technically demanding aspects of a spouse or partner visa application. The rules on what counts as qualifying income, how savings must be structured, and whether transitional protection applies are not always straightforward, and the consequences of getting it wrong are serious given that Home Office fees are non-refundable. At Bankfield Heath Solicitors, we offer a free initial consultation to assess your financial position and advise on the strongest way to present your application. Contact Bankfield Heath Solicitors today for expert advice tailored to your situation.

Related services

If you are applying for a spouse or partner visa and would like advice on meeting the financial requirement, our team can help. We assist with fiancée visa applications, family reunion visas, and indefinite leave to remain once the five-year route is complete. For the latest information on application fees, see our guide to Home Office fee increases in April 2026.