A new job or a pay rise can make a spouse visa application feel much closer. The salary now exceeds the figure you have been working towards, and the employer is willing to provide a letter.
Before choosing a submission date, check how that salary will be assessed.
Category A and Category B apply different calculations to employment income. The length of employment matters, but so do the salary history and, under Category B, the earnings received over the previous 12 months.
Our view is that this is a decision to resolve before arranging the move. A good application plan should show which calculation works on the proposed date and what evidence supports it.
Confirm the threshold and whose earnings can count
The standard minimum income requirement is currently £29,000. Some applicants qualify for transitional arrangements, while specified-benefit cases can require adequate maintenance instead. Identify the applicable test first.
For entry clearance, the applicant’s own employment earnings do not count towards the standard financial requirement. For an application inside the UK, their qualifying earnings can count where the work is lawful.
The examples below concern ordinary UK salaried employment. Returning overseas sponsors and income from specified limited companies need additional or different checks. Our Spouse Visa page provides the wider route context.
Category A: check the full six-month salary history
For salaried employment under Category A, the person must have been with the current employer for at least six months. The annual salary relied upon must have been met or exceeded throughout the six months before application.
The relevant basic salary is therefore the lowest annual salary level during that period. A recent increase does not replace the earlier salary in this calculation.
Check the employment start date and the effective date of any pay change separately. Being with an employer for several years does not establish that the current salary has been paid throughout the required period.
This is where a simple timeline helps. Record the salary before the increase, the new salary and when each applied, then compare that history with the proposed application date.
Count the employment period from the actual start date. Six payslips do not necessarily represent six months of employment, particularly where pay is weekly or the first payslip covers only part of a month.
Worked example: a pay rise from £27,000 to £33,000
This hypothetical sponsor has worked for the same employer for two years. The couple must meet £29,000 and rely solely on the sponsor’s fixed basic salary. There are no additional pay components or special leave arrangements.
Across the six months before the proposed application:
| Period | Gross monthly salary | Annual salary rate |
|---|---|---|
| Earlier three months | £2,250 | £27,000 |
| Most recent three months | £2,750 | £33,000 |
The Category A employment figure is £27,000, leaving a £2,000 shortfall against the assumed threshold.
Adding the six payments produces £15,000. Dividing by six and multiplying by 12 would produce £30,000, but that average is not the correct calculation for this fixed basic salary under Category A.
The pay rise improves the couple’s position, but it has not yet produced the six-month salary history needed to rely on £33,000 under this category.
Suppose the full 12-month record shows nine monthly payments of £2,250 and three of £2,750. Actual earnings total £28,500, so Category B would also fall short despite the current £33,000 salary.
If another £2,750 payment enters the rolling year as an older £2,250 payment falls out, that total becomes £29,000. This gives the couple a specific later date to investigate under Category B. The precise dates and supporting records still need checking.
Category B has two separate income tests
Category B can be relevant when someone has been with their current employer for less than six months. It can also be used in appropriate cases where the employment is longer established but Category A is not being relied upon.
For a case relying only on salaried employment, assess both:
- Current income: the gross annual salary at the application date.
- Past earnings: the actual gross employment income in the preceding 12 months, including qualifying earnings from earlier jobs.
Each must reach the applicable threshold. There is no universal six-month minimum in the current job under Category B, provided the specified evidence requirements can be met.
Keep the two figures on separate lines in your calculation. Multiplying the newest monthly salary by 12 can establish a current annual rate, but it does not establish what was actually earned across the earlier year.
Worked example: a new job after a gap in employment
This second hypothetical sponsor earns a fixed £36,000 annual salary and has held the current job for three months. The couple’s threshold is £29,000. Assume all the following gross earnings fall within the relevant 12-month period and are supported by the required evidence.
| Employment history | Calculation | Gross earnings |
|---|---|---|
| Six months in the previous job | 6 × £3,500 | £21,000 |
| Three months without employment | No employment income | £0 |
| Three months in the current job | 3 × £3,000 | £9,000 |
| Total over the 12-month period | £21,000 + £9,000 | £30,000 |
The current annual salary is £36,000. The actual earnings over the relevant year are £30,000. Both Category B income tests are met on these assumptions.
The employment gap does not prevent that result, and the sponsor has not needed six months with the new employer. The previous job’s earnings make the difference.
If the six previous payments had instead been £2,500 each, the year’s total would be £24,000. The same £36,000 current salary would then pass only the first test. Looking at the new job and the length of the gap alone would miss the fact that changes the answer.
This establishes the illustrated income calculation only. The application must still meet its other requirements.
Both worked examples use the rules checked on 15 October 2026. They deliberately keep other income and savings out of the calculation so that the category distinction is clear.
Salaried and non-salaried work use different calculations
Check the contractual pay arrangement. Salaried employment normally involves a fixed minimum rate; non-salaried work includes hourly pay or amounts varying with the work performed.
For non-salaried Category A income, annualise the average gross earnings over the six-month period. Under Category B, the current-income calculation uses earnings from the current employment, with the averaging period depending on how long it has been held. The separate 12-month earnings test still applies.
Being paid monthly does not, by itself, settle this classification. Read the contract alongside the payslips before selecting a calculation.
Combining earnings needs one consistent assessment
If you have two jobs, or want to use both partners’ earnings, record each employer’s start date and pay history separately.
Where the applicant’s and sponsor’s employment incomes are combined, they must be assessed together under Category A or together under Category B. You cannot use a different category for each person. Cash savings also cannot make up a shortfall in Category B’s actual earnings test for the preceding 12 months.
Identify the permitted approach before adding the figures. Otherwise, a household total can look sufficient while combining amounts that do not belong in the same calculation.
Choose the date and assemble the matching evidence
Preparation should produce a dated calculation and a document list that supports it. The usual employment records include payslips, corresponding bank statements and an employer’s letter confirming the relevant employment and salary details.
For Category B, request the earlier employment records as soon as you know they are needed. A former employer may take longer to respond than the current payroll team.
Where a pay rise matters, ask for the old and new salary levels and their effective dates to be clear in the employer evidence. A letter that confirms today’s salary alone may leave the earlier period unexplained. Check whether the first payment at the new rate includes a partial month or arrears before interpreting it.
If you are considering waiting, calculate what changes on the later date. Under Category A, identify when the relevant salary history will be established. Under Category B, remember that moving the 12-month window can bring new earnings in while older earnings fall out.
Keep the visa expiry date and evidence availability alongside those calculations. A proposed date should work for the application as a whole.
Our guidance on visa supporting documents explains how to organise the records around what they need to establish.
The practical decision is whether the chosen category, calculation and evidence all support the same submission date. Once that is clear, both partners can plan the next step with a firmer understanding of their position.
If you would like Knightsbridge to consider your circumstances and the appropriate next step, Request a Case Assessment.
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