Author: Ali Sirti | Reading time: 2–3 minutes | Information checked: 15 October 2026
Your company pays you every month and your payslips are ready. Your spouse visa evidence could still be incomplete. Salary from your own limited company can count towards the financial requirement, but proving it may involve more than the documents needed by someone working for an unrelated employer. Do not assume six months of payslips will be enough: additional evidence rules apply to company income.
Does owning the company make a difference?
If you are both the director and sole shareholder of a UK company, your income will normally fall under the specified limited company rules. Employees of family-owned companies can also fall within these rules, so the ownership structure matters.
The assessment then involves evidence about the company as well as your salary. Company turnover or profits retained in the business do not automatically count as your personal income.
Which financial year counts?
Category F uses income from the last full company financial year. Category G uses the average of the last two. Evidence that the relevant employment or dividend income continues at the application date is also required.
Example: If the latest full company year runs from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, that is the relevant period under Category F. Increasing your salary in July 2026 does not change the income earned in that completed year. Consider the application date and company accounts together. The Home Office financial requirement guidance explains these assessment periods.
What evidence is needed beyond payslips?
Depending on the income relied on and relevant period, key documents include:
- CT600 and evidence of submission to HMRC.
- Annual accounts, with the required accountant’s confirmation from a member of an eligible professional body where an audit is not required.
- Company and personal bank statements, payslips and a P60 if issued.
- Dividend vouchers and payment evidence where dividends are relied on.
Company registration, additional PAYE, premises or VAT evidence, and continuing-income evidence also need consideration. This is not a complete checklist; the requirements appear in paragraph 9 of Appendix FM-SE. Choose documents because they cover the right period and income source, not simply because they are the newest ones available.
How much income is needed?
The usual minimum for a new partner application is £29,000 a year. Transitional arrangements and certain benefit-related exceptions can change the applicable requirement. Meeting the figure does not remove the document requirements. Check the official financial requirement guidance for the applicable threshold.
At Leon Advisers, we also look at the file as accountants
Because we are also qualified accountants, we can review your evidence from an accountant’s perspective as well as an immigration perspective. We consider payslips, dividend records, company accounts and bank transactions together.
For example, we distinguish salary and dividends from repayment of money you previously lent the company. We then check that the figures and financial periods agree. The aim is not simply to collect paperwork, but to present the income clearly and support it with the right records.
Before choosing your application date
Your income may be sufficient, but a file built around the wrong financial period may not demonstrate it properly.
Planning to rely on company income? Contact Leon Advisers about spouse visa support. We can assess your income category, relevant financial period and company records together.
This article provides general information about Appendix FM partner applications. The applicant’s circumstances and whose income can be used require individual assessment; this is not a complete document checklist.