Adequate Maintenance Guidance for UK visas [2026 REQUIREMENTS]

This article will discuss the adequate maintenance test & requirements for UK partner and parent visas.

Identify whether the ‘adequate maintenance test’ applies to your application.

#1 This article is for those who are applying for a UK visa on the 5-year route to settlement applications, including:

• UK Spouse visa (spouse visa applications being made inside the UK) applications;
• FLR M visa (spouse visa applications being made inside the UK) applications;
• Fiancé(e) visa UK & proposed civil partnership visa applications;
• Unmarried partner visa applications;
• An application for a child whose parent is applying for, or has been granted, entry clearance or leave to remain as a partner, and the parent’s partner (i.e. the UK sponsor) receives a specified benefit;
• Parent of a child in the UK visa application;
• Applications as an adult dependent relative applying for Indefinite Leave to Enter or Remain; and
• An application for a child whose parent is applying for, or has been granted, entry clearance or leave to remain as a parent.

#2 This article does not apply to those who are on the 10-year route to settlement

Most partner and parent visa applicants who meet the requirements are placed on the 5-year route to settlement.

Some, however, are placed on the 10-year route. This is most common for in-country applications where the financial or English language requirements are not met.

This article does not apply to applications submitted under the following routes:

• The 10-year partner route;
• The 10-year parent route;
• Those applying based on their private life; or
• Those who have exceptional circumstances and are asking the Home Office to grant their visa discretionally, not on the basis of the Immigration Rules.

What is the ‘adequate maintenance’ test & requirement?

In short, the adequate maintenance test/requirement will require you and your partner to prove that the level of income available to your family unit (after income tax, National Insurance contributions and housing costs have been deducted) is equal to or exceeds the level of Income Support an equivalent British family of your size can receive.

In other words, you need to make sure that you satisfy the following adequate maintenance calculation:

You may be asking:

“What income can I include in the application?”

“How do I calculate the income I can use in the application?!”

“What housing costs do I have to include?!”

“What is the income support figure for my application?!”

“How do I find out what documents to include?”

We’ll talk about each of the above below.

Calculate your ‘weekly net income’, which is part A of the equation.

To remind you…

It is worth stressing that the calculation of income under Categories A-G, as discussed in the Family Migration: Appendix FM and Appendix HM Armed Forces Minimum income requirement document, does not generally apply to how income under the adequate maintenance test is calculated.

This is because Categories A-G are primarily concerned with calculating the gross annual income.

On the other hand, the adequate maintenance test is concerned with the ‘weekly net income’.

The word ‘net’ refers to the income left after income tax and National Insurance contributions have been deducted from the gross income.

So what can be included as net income?

You can only include specific permitted sources of income under the adequate maintenance requirement test.

These are the following:

#1 You can include income from salaried or non-salaried employment (from a non-specified limited company).

Net income from salaried or non-salaried employment in a non-specified limited company can be included in the adequate maintenance test, if the employed person is in the UK with permission to work.

Therefore, applicants who do not have a UK visa cannot include their employment income in the adequate maintenance calculation.

#2 You can include income from a ‘specified limited company’.

Income here can be employment income and/or dividend income.

#3 You can include cash savings.

You may rely entirely or partly on cash savings held by the applicant, sponsor, or the applicant and sponsor jointly to satisfy the adequate maintenance requirement.

Unlike applications where the adequate maintenance test does not apply, you do not need to have held at least £16,000. For example, cash savings of £4,000 can be included towards the financial requirement.

For further information about the cash savings requirements, read our spouse visa cash savings article.

#4 You can include pension income.

Pension income can be from a State pension (UK Basic State Pension and Additional or Second State Pension, HM Forces Pension or foreign). Alternatively, it can be from an occupational or private pension.

A pension can be from the UK or from outside the UK and can be received by you or your sponsor.

That said, certified translations must be provided if certain supporting documents are not in English or Welsh.

#5 You can include income from self-employment as a sole trader, in a partnership or as a franchise.

You must understand how the Immigration Rules define self-employment.

This matters because the documents you need, and how income is calculated, change depending on whether you are self-employed or a director/employee of a specified limited company.

Under the Rules, self-employment only covers work as a sole trader, in a partnership, or as a franchise.

Income from a private or public limited company is not treated as self-employment.

#6 You can include benefit/allowance income from the sources below:

• Adult Disability Payment (Scotland)
• Armed Forces Independence Payment or Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme;
• Attendance Allowance;
• Carer’s Allowance;
• Carer’s Support Payment (Scotland);
• Child benefit;
• Child Disability Payment (Scotland);
• Child tax credit;
• Constant Attendance Allowance, Mobility Supplement or War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme;
• Contributory benefits;
• Disability Living Allowance;
• Income-related benefits;
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit;
• Personal Independence Payment;
• Pension Age Disability Payment (Scotland)
• Policy Injury pension;
• Severe Disablement Allowance;
• Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (Scotland); and
• Working tax credit.

#7 You can include the following sources of income (these are called ‘non-employment income’ by the Home Office):

• Property rental income;
• Dividends (from a non-specified limited company) or other income from investments, stocks and shares, bonds or trust funds;
• Maintenance payments –  from your former partner or the former partner of your UK sponsor in relation to yourself or your UK sponsor, or your children or those of your UK sponsor;
• Interest from savings;
• Payments under the War Pensions Scheme, the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and the Armed Forces Attributable Benefits Scheme;
• UK Maternity Allowance, Bereavement Allowance, Bereavement Payment and Widowed Parent’s Allowances;
• Ongoing insurance payments;
• Ongoing payments from a structured legal settlement;
• Ongoing royalty payments; and
• A maintenance grant or stipend (not a loan) associated with undergraduate study or postgraduate study or research.

What cannot be included as net income?

#1 Financial support from a third party.

Promises of third-party financial support cannot normally be counted.

However, there are some exceptions that permit third-party support.

#2 Any potential future entitlement to benefits after the applicant arrives in the UK.

#3 Employment income from potential employment.

The next question is…

How should I calculate the weekly net income?

#1 First, please note the following general points about calculating weekly net income.

#2 If you want to include non-specified limited company employment income…

We discussed the differences between specified and non-specified limited companies in step 3 of this article.

Since this is a crucial distinction, please ensure you understand whether the relevant employing company is a non-specified limited company or a specified limited company.

For employment income from a non-specified limited company, you want to work out the equivalent weekly amount (after income tax and National Insurance) that has been paid based on the employment income that you have received.

The following are steps that you should follow for each source of employment.

Step 1 – First, you must know the relevant period for the employment income you can use in the calculation. 

Step 2 – If you have received the same employment income amount throughout the relevant period (6 months or less), then you can use this figure to calculate the equivalent weekly amount.

Step 3 – If you have received a variable (different) amount of employment income throughout the relevant period (6 months or less), then you must calculate a weekly mean average.

To calculate a weekly mean average, you should do the following:

1. Add up all of the employment income received in the last six months (note: employment does not need to have been held for six months);
2. Divide the total by the number of weeks employment has been held (up to 6 months).

Tip: To calculate the number of weeks between two dates, you can use this rather helpful website.

Step 4 – If the above figures are based on gross employment (i.e. do not consider income tax and National Insurance), then this must be accounted for in the weekly employment income figure.

#3 If you want to include employment and/or dividend income from a specified limited company…

Step 1 – Identify the gross employment and/or dividend income received in the specified limited company’s most recent full financial year.

The specified limited company’s most recent full financial year will be as stated in the company tax return CT600 document.

It is important to note that you’ll likely need an accountant to meet the accountant’s certificate of confirmation requirement.

Step 2 – To calculate the net income, deduct any income tax and national insurance contributions from this figure.

Step 3 – Divide this figure by 52 to calculate the weekly net income that can be included in the adequate maintenance requirement calculation.

#4 If you want to include cash savings…

Cash savings can be used to meet the adequate maintenance test in full, or it can be combined with other income sources (e.g. employment income or benefit income).

Let’s break these steps down…

Step 1 – (a) Establish the total cash savings that satisfy the requirements;

As discussed in our cash savings article here, if the total savings figure fluctuates over the 6 months preceding the application date, you should use the lowest figure evidenced for that period.

Unlike cases where the adequate maintenance test does not apply, you can use all cash savings (even if it is below £16,000) to meet the financial requirement.

Step 2 – (b) Divide this figure by…

• 130 (if you are making an FLR (M) visa application inside the UK as a married partner, unmarried partner or civil partner; or
• 143 (if the spouse visa UK, unmarried partner or civil partner visa application is made outside the UK);
• 52 (if the application is for indefinite leave to remain or enter);
• 26 (if a fiancé visa UK or proposed civil partner application is being made).

Step 3 – Write this figure down.

You can include this amount towards part A of the adequate maintenance equation.

#5 If you want to include self-employment income as a sole trader,  partnership, or franchise…

Step 1 – You must first know what your gross taxable profits are from your share of the business in the relevant financial year(s), not including any deductible allowances, expenses or liabilities that may be applied to the gross taxable profits to establish the final tax liability.

This is something that your accountant will know.

You will likely need an accountant to meet the accountant’s certificate of confirmation requirement.

The relevant financial year for those who are self-employed in the UK (as sole traders, as a partnership or in a franchise) is the period of 6 April – 5 April that most recently passed.

Step 2 – To calculate the net income, deduct any income tax and national insurance contributions from this figure. 

Step 3 – Then, divide this figure by 52 to calculate the weekly net income that can be included in the adequate maintenance requirement calculation.

#6 If you want to include pension income…

As long as pension income from the applicant and/or sponsor has become a source of income at least 28 days before the online application is submitted, this pension income can be included in the adequate maintenance calculation.

You should do the following to calculate the amount of pension income that can be included towards the adequate maintenance requirement.

• If you receive the pension monthly, multiply the amount received by 12 and divide the figure reached by 52.
• If you receive the pension weekly, then use this figure
• To work out the weekly net income, you must subtract any income tax and national insurance contributions (if relevant) from this figure.

You can use this weekly net amount towards the adequate maintenance requirement under part A of the equation.

#7 If you want to include benefit-related income…

You can only count the amount you are receiving at the time you submit the online application.

If the benefit is paid weekly, use the weekly figure.

If it is paid monthly, convert it to a weekly amount by multiplying by 12 and dividing by 52.

Calculate your weekly ‘housing costs’, which is part B of the equation.

The next step for you would be to calculate the housing costs for the accommodation in the UK where the applicant will live with the UK partner if the application is granted.

This figure should include other family members in the same household.

What housing costs have to be included in the adequate maintenance calculation?

Three main costs will need to be included and evidenced where relevant:

• Rent;
• Council Tax; and
• Mortgage payments

Remember, only deduct the weekly housing costs. Personal debt should not be considered in the calculation.

How do I calculate the housing costs for the adequate maintenance calculation?

You will want to calculate the weekly figure for housing costs.

Therefore:

i) If the housing costs are paid annually, divide the annual amount by 52 to reach the weekly figure that can be included in the adequate maintenance calculation.

ii) If the housing costs are paid monthly, multiply the housing costs by 12 and then divide the figure you reach by 52 to get the weekly figure that can be included in the adequate maintenance calculation.

Where the weekly equivalent of income or housing costs is calculated to part of a penny, you should round this figure down.

Only include costs that are backed up by the evidence you submit.

If you do not provide enough evidence to support the housing cost figures, the application is likely to be refused.

Calculate the Income Support entitlement, which is part C of the equation.

The final step in the adequate maintenance calculation is the amount of “Income Support an equivalent British family of that size can receive”.

The Income Support rates can be found at this link.

Which of these premiums do I have to include?

Like many aspects of the Home Office guidance (& the Immigration Rules), it is quite ambiguous.

On the one hand, a couple of lines in the Home Office guidance suggest that it considers only the size of the family.

This is seen on page 9 of this Home Office Guidance, which states:

Calculate how much a British family unit (of equivalent size to the sponsor and their family unit) would receive if they received Income Support (C).

Similarly, the words “equivalent sized” are also used throughout.

On the other hand, it is our view that the Income Support level to be used in the calculation is the amount of income support that you and your family specifically will be able to receive (as a British family).

This is also in line with the only case law cited in Appendix FM 1.7A, where the judge states that there are good reasons for the adequate maintenance calculation to take into account the particular circumstances of the applicant and sponsor’s family unit (in paragraph 8).

Therefore, we would recommend investigating and evidencing the income support your family will be able to receive, assuming they are all British.

The Home Office caseworker is unlikely to be an expert on Income Support, so this should be evidenced appropriately.

Identify what documents are required for the Adequate Maintenance Test.

The adequate maintenance documents you are required to submit depend on your particular income sources, housing costs and entitlement to income support.

Two primary sources of information will tell you what financial documents are required – Appendix FM-SE and this Home Office document.

What is Appendix FM-SE?

Since Appendix FM-SE is part of the Immigration Rules, Appendix FM-SE is the most important source of information as it relates to the adequate maintenance requirement.

What is Family Migration: Appendix FM and Adult Dependent Relative – Adequate maintenance and accommodation?

Family Migration: Appendix FM and Adult Dependent Relative – Adequate maintenance and accommodation is a helpful Home Office document that discusses the adequate maintenance requirement.

The English used in this document is relatively understandable and should be read if you or your partner receives a permitted benefit, which means that the adequate maintenance requirement will apply.

Will the application be successful if I only submit the financial documents listed on the online application website?

In some cases, yes, the online application website will list the documents you must submit.

In other cases, however, it will not tell you some mandatory (& other important) documents.

If you apply without a mandatory document, it is essential to know that the Home Office caseworker’s starting position is to refuse the application.

Sure, the Home Office caseworker may decide to get in contact with you and ask for the required documents that were not submitted, but this should not be relied on – especially since, more often than not, applications are instead straight-out refused.

It is for this reason that you should read the guidance to absolutely ensure that:

1. Mandatory and other helpful documentation is submitted; and
2. All documents submitted comply with the specific immigration rules that apply to certain documentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Summary

The adequate maintenance requirement, at first look, looks somewhat complicated.

However, most partners will understand the adequate maintenance requirement if they take the time to sit down and read the guidance.

The general rules regarding Categories A-F should be somewhat disregarded – what ultimately matters is that A (the total weekly net income when the application is submitted) – B (the total weekly housing costs when the application is submitted) must be greater or equal to C (the amount of income support an equivalent British family of your size will be entitled to receive).

If you would like assistance with your application from start to finish, we typically offer a full legal representation service for £2,700 (including VAT where applicable).

This service is primarily offered by our Head of Immigration, Ed Lowe, who worked in the Home Office for 20+ years (with many of those years being a senior Home Office executive). Ed is assisted by Matthew French and Wendy Foy (both of whom also worked for the Home Office for many years).