Spouse Visa Financial Requirement and Exemptions 2024

By Amar Ali, Immigration Solicitor

December 12, 2022

Last updated: 11 April 2024

If you plan to apply for a UK spouse visa, one of the main eligibility criteria you will need to meet is the spouse visa financial requirement. The current spouse visa financial requirement is that you must have a combined income with your partner of at least £29,000 per year. However, if you applied for a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner visa before 11 April 2024, you will only need to meet the previous £18,600 income threshold.

According to the latest Home Office policy paper¹, the spouse visa minimum income requirement will continue to increase in phases to £38,700 (starting at £29,000, then progressing to £34,500, and ultimately reaching £38,700).

How to meet UK spouse visa financial requirement

The financial requirement for a spouse visa can be met in a number of ways, but typically, this is either through income or cash savings, or a combination of the two. If you have enough savings, you may be able to reduce or even fully meet the annual income requirement. For more detailed information, please find below the section “Cash savings for spouse visa”. If the applicant has children, there will be no longer additional income requirement.

Everyone’s circumstance is different. Our immigration lawyers will provide advice and guide you on how to meet the requirement if you need help applying for a Spouse Visa. Contact us for a free consultation by calling at 020 3744 2797

Income requirement for spouse visa

The minimum income requirement for a spouse visa (income threshold for spouse visa) is £29,000 per year at the moment. To prove your income, the most common method is to provide payslips. If you have been with your current employer for 6 months or more, you should submit payslips covering the last 6 months. If you have been with your employer for less than 6 months, or if your income varies, you will need to provide 12 months of payslips.

Additionally, there are other types of proof of income that can be used to meet the financial requirement. Please see the summary below for further details

Acceptable forms of income	Acceptable proof of income
Income from employment	Payslips covering the last 6 months (if employed for at least 6 months) or Payslip covering at least 12 months (if employed for less than 6 months with your current employer), and P60 A letter from your employer confirming your employment, annual gross salary, and other key details
Income from self-employment	For the last financial year: An annual self-assessment tax return sent to HMRC Statement of Account (SA300 or SA302). Proof of registration with HMRC as self-employed Unique Tax Reference Number (UTR). Personal bank statements for the 12-month period showing that the income from self-employment has been paid into your account Audited accounts – if required to produce audited accounts Unaudited accounts – if not required to produce audited accounts VAT certificate if your business turns over is in excess of £79,000 Planning permission/local planning authority consent Franchise agreement
Income received as the director of a limited company in the UK	For the last full financial year: Company Tax Return CT600 and evidence of filing with HMRC Evidence of registration with the Registrar of Companies at Companies House Annual accounts for the last full financial year Corporate/business bank statements covering the 12-month period as the Company Tax Return CT600 A current Appointment Report from Companies House A certificate of VAT registration and VAT return for the last full financial if applicable Proof of ownership or lease of business premises
Cash savings in excess of £16,000	Personal bank statements showing cash savings in your name and of your partner, held for the last 6 months, and a declaration by the account holder of the source of the savings
Money received from a pension	Official documentation from: The Department for Work and Pensions, overseas pension authority, or pension company At least one personal bank statement in the 12-month period prior to the date of application showing payment of the pension into your account
Non-employment income (e.g. property rental or dividend income)	Rental income: A copy of the title deeds of the property Personal bank statements showing the rental income for 12 months prior to the application Dividend income: Certificate showing proof of ownership and the amounts of any investments Portfolio report or a dividend voucher Personal bank statements for 12 months prior to application

£88,500 cash savings for spouse visa (used to be £62,500)

You can meet the spouse visa financial requirements by solely relying on cash savings, provided you have at least £88,500 available (up from the previous requirement of £62,500). Using savings to meet the spouse visa requirements offers the advantage of not needing to demonstrate evidence of ongoing income, as long as you have sufficient funds. However, you still need to meet cash saving requirements, such as:

The money is held in a bank/savings account in a current, deposit, or investment account
The money has been held for at least 6 months prior to applying, as evidenced by your bank statements
The account is with a properly regulated financial institution
Regular bank statements are provided
The savings are held in cash and can be immediately withdrawn (with or without penalty)
The savings are under your control and/or of your partner and have been for 6 months
The source of the funds is legal
The source of the funds has been declared

Savings held in a term deposit or ISA can be used as long as you can access them immediately.

One of the benefits of using savings to meet the financial requirement for a spouse visa is that if you have enough funds, you will not need to show evidence of ongoing income. If you are relying solely on savings to meet the spouse visa financial requirements, you will need at least £88,500 in cash savings. To calculate the effect of your savings on meeting the financial requirement, you will need to:

Minus £16,000 from the amount of savings you hold
Divide the remaining sum by 2.5 (2.5 is the number of years that your initial spouse visa will be granted for)

For example:

Savings	Amount of savings that can be used	Amount of annual income from other sources needed
£88,500	(88500 – 16000) ÷ 2.5 = £29,000	£0
£60,000	(60000 – 16000) ÷ by 2.5 = £17,600	£11,400
£33,000	(25000 –16000) ÷ 2.5= £6,800	£22,200
£25,000	(17500 – 16000) ÷ 2.5= £3,600	£25,400
£17,500	(17500 – 16000) ÷ 2.5 = £600	£28,400

Based on the table above, if you have £33,000 in savings, this will reduce the annual income requirement by £6,800 (i.e. £29,000 - £6,800 = £22,200), meaning you will only need £22,200 per year from other sources of income. If you have £88,500 in savings, you will fully meet the income requirement of £29,000.

Spouse visa financial requirement exemptions

Some spouse visa applicants may be exempt from meeting the financial requirement, including individuals who receive specific types of public funds or benefits due to their circumstances, such as Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance or Carer’s Allowance.

Even if you are eligible for the spouse visa financial requirement exemption, you will still need to prove that you have sufficient funds for your stay in the UK without needing access to public funds and that you can adequately accommodate yourself.

In addition, if you do not meet the financial requirements or qualify for an exemption, you may still be eligible for a spouse visa if you can prove that exceptional circumstances apply. Exceptional circumstances may apply, for example, if you can prove under Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) that there will be “unjustifiably harsh consequences” for you and/or your family if your spouse visa is refused. In this scenario, the UKVI decision-maker may take into account other sources of income (e.g. a guarantee of financial assistance from another person).

Reference:

¹ Home Office: Legal migration statement: estimated immigration impacts