Spouse Visa Bank Statements and Payslips: A Complete Set

If your spouse visa relies on a salary, the financial evidence is usually three things that work together: 6 months of payslips, bank statements for the same 6 months showing each salary payment arriving, and a letter from the employer. Online statements also need either the bank's stamp on every page or a letter from the bank confirming they are genuine. This post covers getting that set complete and in the right format, not whether the income is enough. For the £29,000 figure and how savings are counted, see our spouse visa financial requirement calculator.

The rules are in Appendix FM-SE of the Immigration Rules. Everything below was checked on GOV.UK on 25 September 2026. Rules can change, so confirm on GOV.UK before you apply.

What a complete set includes

For salaried work in the UK, paragraph 2 of Appendix FM-SE asks for all of these together:

• Payslips for the period the rules set out
• A letter from the employer who issued those payslips
• Personal bank statements for the same period as the payslips, showing the salary paid into the account

Paragraph 2A adds two optional extras: a P60 for the period, if one was issued, and a signed contract of employment. The caseworker may ask for them later.

Self-employment, limited company income, pensions and savings each have their own evidence list in Appendix FM-SE.

Spouse visa payslips: 6 months, counting back from the day you apply

GOV.UK asks for 6 months of payslips, counting back from the day you apply. This applies when the person has worked for their current employer for at least 6 months. Home Office caseworker guidance calls this situation Category A. For less than 6 months with the employer, paragraph 2(a) of Appendix FM-SE sets a different period.

Appendix FM-SE also says what a payslip must look like. It must be either:

• a formal payslip issued by the employer that shows the employer's name, or
• accompanied by a letter from the employer, on headed paper and signed by a senior official, confirming the payslips are authentic.

If your payslips come from an online payroll portal, download the full payslip for each month and check the employer's name is on it.

Bank statements that match your payslips

Paragraph 2(c) of Appendix FM-SE asks for personal bank statements that correspond to the same period as the payslips, and that show the salary being paid into the account. For every payslip, there should be a matching deposit on a statement.

To check your set, put them side by side, one month at a time:

These figures are made up, only to show the idea. The deposit is the net pay, after tax and National Insurance, so compare it with the net figure on the payslip, not the gross one. In a month with overtime or a bonus, it still matches that month's net pay.

Send full statements for the whole period, with no gaps, and keep the pages in date order. If the salary arrives in one account and you then move it, the statements for the account where it arrives are the ones that match the payslips.

Online bank statements: stamped, or with a bank letter

Paragraph 1(a)(v) of Appendix FM-SE says bank statements must be either:

1. on official bank stationery, or
2. electronic statements that are either accompanied by a letter from the bank on its headed stationery confirming the documents are authentic, or that carry the official stamp of the issuing bank on every page.

Home Office guidance says electronic statements are accepted for any account, not only online-only ones, as long as they have the stamp or the letter. A PDF from your banking app is an electronic statement.

So you can:

• Ask for printed statements on the bank's official stationery.
• Take your printed statements to a branch and ask for the bank's stamp on every page.
• Ask the bank for a letter on its headed stationery confirming your electronic statements are authentic.

If your bank has no branches, ask its support team which of these it can provide. Banks handle this differently, so ask early.

Spouse visa employer letter: what it should confirm

GOV.UK says the employer's letter should be dated and on headed paper. It should confirm:

• that the person is employed there
• their job title or position
• how long they have worked there
• the type of contract, for example permanent or fixed term
• what they earn before tax and National Insurance
• how long they have been paid their current salary
• that the payslips are genuine

The letter comes from the employer that issued the payslips. When you ask HR for it, you can send them this list so nothing is left out.

Joint accounts

Appendix FM-SE describes the statements as showing the salary paid into an account in the name of the person, or in the name of the person and their partner jointly. So an account in the earner's own name, or a joint account shared by the couple, both fit that wording.

Paragraph 1(a)(iii) says personal bank statements should be only in the name of the applicant, their partner, or both. It does not list accounts shared with anyone else, such as a parent.

The 28-day rule for recent documents

Paragraph 1(l) of Appendix FM-SE covers evidence for a period that ends on the day you apply, like your payslips and bank statements. That evidence, or the most recently dated part of it, must be dated no earlier than 28 days before the date of application.

So your latest payslip and statement should be recent when you apply. If your application date moves later, check the dates again.

Bank statements in another language

GOV.UK asks for a certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh. Paragraph 1(j) of Appendix FM-SE gives the detail. You send the original document and a full translation. The translation must be dated and include:

• confirmation that it is an accurate translation
• the full name and signature of the translator, or an authorised official of the translation company
• the translator's or translation company's contact details

If you are applying to extend your visa from inside the UK, the translation must also be certified by a qualified translator, with details of their credentials. For the other documents you need at that stage, see our guide to spouse visa extension documents.

Putting the set in order

GOV.UK says you will be told how to provide your documents when you apply. A set in a clear order is easier to check. One simple order for each earner:

1. The employer letter
2. Payslips, oldest to newest
3. Bank statements for the same months, oldest to newest
4. Any bank letter confirming the statements are authentic
5. Translations, each placed after its original

Name each file so its contents are clear, for example payslip-2026-04.pdf rather than scan0031.pdf.

Checklist

• 6 months of payslips, counting back from the day you apply
• Each payslip shows the employer's name, or comes with a signed employer letter confirming it is authentic
• Bank statements for the same months as the payslips, with no gaps
• Every salary payment on a payslip appears as a deposit on a statement
• Statements on bank stationery, or stamped on every page, or with a bank letter
• Statements in your name, your partner's name, or both jointly
• Latest payslip and statement dated within 28 days of the application date
• Employer letter, dated, on headed paper, covering all the points GOV.UK lists
• Original and translation for any document not in English or Welsh
• Optional: P60 and signed employment contract

Frequently asked questions

Do online bank statements need to be stamped for a spouse visa? Appendix FM-SE says electronic statements need either the bank's official stamp on every page, or a letter from the bank on its headed stationery confirming they are authentic. Statements printed on official bank stationery do not need either.

How many months of bank statements do I need for a spouse visa? For a salary, the statements cover the same period as the payslips. With the same employer for at least 6 months, that is 6 months, counting back from the day you apply. Savings and other income have their own periods.

Can I use a joint account with my partner? Yes. Appendix FM-SE describes an account in the name of the person, or in the name of the person and their partner jointly.

My bank statements are not in English. What do I need? The original statement and a full translation. The translation must be dated and include the translator's confirmation of accuracy, their full name and signature, and their contact details. For an extension from inside the UK, it also needs certification by a qualified translator.

How Stratovisa helps

Most of this is small checks that are easy to forget: a missing month, a statement without a stamp, one point left out of the employer letter. Stratovisa gives you a separate slot for the payslips, the bank statements and the employer letter, so you can see what is in place and what is still missing. When everything is uploaded, you download one organised package for the online application. See how it works for the spouse and partner visa, or read how we organise UK spouse visa documents across every category.