The rules, answered · checked 7 November 2026
How much do you need to earn for a UK spouse visa?
Quick answer
£29,000 a year before tax, for first applications made on or after 11 April 2024, with no extra amount for children. Couples extending after a first grant before that date stay on £18,600 plus child amounts. Savings, a pension and other income can count too.
What the rules say
The income rule
First applications made on or after 11 April 2024 need £29,000 a year before tax, with no extra amount for children. It can come from the UK partner’s job, self-employment, a pension, rent or dividends, or savings. Before entry, the applying partner’s job abroad doesn’t count; their job in the UK counts if they already work here with permission. Different kinds of income can usually be added together.
From GOV.UK, checked 7 November 2026.
Couples first granted before 11 April 2024
Couples extending with the same partner after a first grant before 11 April 2024 stay on the old rule: £18,600, plus £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for each further child who isn’t British or settled, capped at £29,000.
From GOV.UK: Immigration Rules, Appendix FM, checked 7 November 2026.
Disability and carer’s benefits
If the UK partner receives a listed benefit such as Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Armed Forces Independence Payment or Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, the income rule is replaced by “adequate maintenance”: enough to support the family without relying on public funds.
From GOV.UK, checked 7 November 2026.
On your tracker
Answer seven questions and the tracker lists these, where they apply to you, with the dates each must fall between and every requirement to tick:
- The UK partner’s payslips
- The UK partner’s letter from their employer
- The UK partner’s bank statements showing the pay going in
Information, not immigration advice. Whether your documents meet a rule is a judgement only a regulated adviser can make: have your bundle checked.