Self-employed UK spouse visa: the financial evidence checklist
What self-employed sponsors need to prove the £29,000 financial requirement — SA302s, company accounts, business bank statements, and the most common evidence mistakes.
Key takeaways
- 01Self-employed income is evidenced differently from salaried employment — payslips alone are not enough.
- 02SA302 tax calculations and HMRC tax year overviews are the core documents for most self-employed sponsors.
- 03Business bank statements must reconcile with the figures in your tax returns.
- 04Limited company directors may use salary plus dividends — but only if they are the legal owner of the business.
- 05The relevant financial year depends on when you apply — check gov.uk for the correct period.
Self-employment is a different evidence path
If the UK sponsor is self-employed — whether as a sole trader, limited company director, or partner — the financial evidence rules are different from salaried employment. You cannot simply submit payslips.
The rules are set out at gov.uk/uk-family-visa/proof-income.
Sole traders
A sole trader typically needs:
- SA302 tax calculation or HMRC tax year overview for the relevant financial year
- Business bank statements for the same period
- Evidence that the bank account is in the sponsor's name
The income figure used is usually the net profit shown on the SA302.
Limited company directors
Directors who own the business (typically holding shares) may count:
- Salary paid through PAYE
- Dividends declared and paid
Evidence typically includes:
- Company accounts for the relevant financial year
- CT600 (corporation tax return)
- SA302 or tax year overview showing salary and dividends
- Business bank statements
- Evidence of share ownership
Directors who do not own the business may only count their PAYE salary.
Partners in a business
Partners in a registered partnership typically need:
- Partnership tax return (SA800)
- SA302 or tax year overview showing the partner's share of profit
- Business bank statements
The relevant financial year
Which tax year's documents you need depends on when you apply. The immigration rules specify a reference period based on your application date — using the wrong year's documents is one of the most common refusal reasons for self-employed sponsors.
Check gov.uk for the current reference period rules before gathering documents.
Checklist: self-employed financial evidence
- Confirm which financial year applies to your application date
- Obtain SA302 or HMRC tax year overview for that year
- Gather business bank statements for the same period
- For limited companies: company accounts + CT600 + share ownership evidence
- Check that the annual income figure meets or exceeds £29,000 (or plan savings combination)
- Ensure all figures reconcile across documents
Common mistakes
- Submitting payslips from a limited company without company accounts
- Using the wrong financial year's tax documents
- Dividends declared but not actually paid (must be paid, not just declared)
- Business bank statements that do not match SA302 figures
- Claiming director dividends when the sponsor does not own the company
Use VisaEvo's financial calculator to check your annual figure against the MIR, then see our financial requirement guide for the full evidence framework.
Related guide
Full financial requirement guideDisclaimer: VisaEvo is self-service software, not a law firm or OISC-regulated adviser. This article is based on publicly available gov.uk guidance. Always confirm current rules on gov.uk before applying. See our editorial policy and source methodology.
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