UK Spouse Visa Employer Letter: What It Must Include

By the Stratovisa team · Published 3 October 2026

If your spouse visa relies on a salary, you need a letter from the employer who issues the payslips. GOV.UK says the letter should be dated and on headed paper, and 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 (the gross salary)
how long they have been paid their current salary
that the payslips are genuine

The legal wording is in paragraph 2(b) of Appendix FM-SE of the Immigration Rules. This post explains each point, shows a simple layout you can share with HR, and covers the different letter needed for a job offer in the UK. It is about getting the document right, not about whether the income is enough. For the income figure itself, see our spouse visa financial requirement calculator.

All figures and rules were checked on GOV.UK on 3 October 2026. Rules can change, so confirm on GOV.UK before you apply.

What Appendix FM-SE says

Paragraph 2(b) of Appendix FM-SE asks for a letter from the employer or employers who issued the payslips, confirming:

the person's employment and gross annual salary
the length of their employment
the period over which they have been or were paid the level of salary relied upon in the application
the type of employment (permanent, fixed-term contract or agency)

The GOV.UK family visa page lists the same points in plainer words, and adds the job title and confirmation that the payslips are genuine. Following the GOV.UK list covers both.

Each point, explained

Employment and job title. A clear sentence that the person works for the company now, with their job title. The letter is evidence of current employment, so it should not read like a reference for a past job.

Start date, or how long they have worked there. An exact start date is clearest, for example "employed since 3 March 2023". This matters because the payslip period depends on it. Appendix FM-SE asks for 6 months of payslips if the person has worked for their current employer for at least 6 months. If it is less than 6 months, the payslips cover any period of salaried employment in the 12 months before the application.

Type of contract. Permanent, fixed term, or agency. For a fixed-term contract, the end date is useful to include.

Gross annual salary. The salary before tax and National Insurance, as a yearly figure. Not the monthly take-home pay.

How long the current salary has been paid. This point is easy to miss. Home Office caseworker guidance explains why it matters: for salaried employment, where someone has been with the same employer for 6 months or more, the figure counted is the lowest annual salary paid during those 6 months. So if the salary changed recently, for example after a promotion, the letter should give the date of the change and the salary before it.

Payslips are genuine. A sentence confirming the payslips provided are authentic. Paragraph 1(bb) of Appendix FM-SE says payslips must either be formal payslips showing the employer's name, or come with a letter from the employer, on headed paper and signed by a senior official, confirming the payslips are authentic. Where payslips are not formal payslips showing the employer's name, this signed letter is the alternative that paragraph 1(bb) sets out.

Format: what the letter should look like

Headed paper with the company name, address and contact details
Dated, and recent. Paragraph 1(l) of Appendix FM-SE says evidence for a period ending on the application date must be dated no earlier than 28 days before you apply. Payslips and bank statements fall under this. Asking for the employer letter close to your application date keeps the whole set consistent.
Signed, with the name and job title of the person signing, for example someone in HR or a manager
In English or Welsh. If not, GOV.UK asks for a certified translation. You send the original and the translation.

Caseworker guidance gives "a letter is not on letterhead paper as specified" as an example of a document in the wrong format. It also says a decision-maker may ask for a missing or corrected document, but this is at their discretion. It is simpler to check the letter before you apply.

A simple layout to share with HR

Many employers have a standard "employment confirmation" letter that covers only some of these points. You can send HR this layout so nothing is left out. The details below are placeholders.

[Company headed paper]

[Date]

To whom it may concern

We confirm that [full name] is employed by [company name] as [job title]. They have worked for us since [start date] on a [permanent / fixed-term / agency] contract.

Their gross annual salary is £[amount]. They have been paid at this level since [date]. [If it changed: Before that, from [date] to [date], their gross annual salary was £[amount].]

We confirm that the payslips provided for the period [month year] to [month year] are genuine and were issued by [company name].

[Signature] [Name], [job title] [Phone and email]

This is only a layout for the facts GOV.UK lists. It does not need to say anything about the visa application itself.

If your partner is returning to the UK with a job offer

Some couples apply while the UK partner works abroad and plans to return to a UK job. Here a different employer letter applies. Appendix FM-SE says a letter from the UK employer must be provided:

confirming the job offer, the gross annual salary and the starting date, which must be within 3 months of the partner's return to the UK, or
enclosing a signed contract of employment, with a starting date within 3 months of the partner's return to the UK.

Caseworker guidance explains that, depending on which category is used, the partner may also need evidence of their current job abroad, or of income received abroad in the last 12 months. For salaried employment outside the UK, Appendix FM-SE asks for evidence that is "a reasonable equivalent" to the UK list. For example, documents similar to the UK list.

What goes with the letter

The employer letter is one part of a set. Appendix FM-SE asks for it together with payslips for the period above and personal bank statements for the same period, showing the salary paid in. Paragraph 2A adds two optional documents: a P60, if one was issued, and a signed contract of employment. Our guide to spouse visa bank statements and payslips covers how to match them month by month.

If more than one employer issued payslips in the period, Appendix FM-SE refers to a letter from "the employer(s) who issued the payslips". So each employer provides a letter.

Checklist before you upload

Frequently asked questions

Does the employer letter need to be signed? GOV.UK asks for a dated letter on headed paper. Where payslips are not formal payslips showing the employer's name, Appendix FM-SE says the letter confirming they are authentic must be signed by a senior official. Including a signature with the signer's name and job title covers both.

Can the letter show monthly pay instead of annual salary? Appendix FM-SE asks the letter to confirm the gross annual salary. A monthly figure can be added, but the yearly gross figure should be there.

My partner got a pay rise in the last 6 months. What should the letter say? The letter should state the period over which the current salary has been paid. Caseworker guidance says the lowest annual salary in the 6-month period is the figure used, so the letter should give the date of the change and the earlier salary too.

Is a contract of employment enough instead of the letter? For current UK employment, Appendix FM-SE lists the contract as an optional extra, in addition to the employer letter, not instead of it. For a job offer when returning to the UK, a letter enclosing a signed contract is one of the two accepted options.

Who should write the letter if my partner has two jobs? Appendix FM-SE asks for a letter from "the employer(s) who issued the payslips". So if payslips from both jobs are used, there is a letter from each employer.

How Stratovisa helps

The employer letter is easy to request, but a small detail can be missing: one missing date, or no sentence about the payslips. Stratovisa gives the employer letter its own slot in your checklist, next to the payslips and bank statements, with the points GOV.UK lists shown beside it. You upload each document as it arrives and can see what is still missing. When everything is in place, you download one organised package for the online application. See how it works for the spouse and partner visa.