Adult Dependent Relative: Maintenance, Accommodation & Sponsor Undertaking
An Adult Dependent Relative application must show that the applicant can be adequately maintained, adequately accommodated, and provided with the required level of care in the UK by the sponsor — without recourse to public funds. The financial test is adequate maintenance, not the Partner Visa minimum-income threshold, and the application must also explain the proposed UK care arrangements and their cost.
On this page
In brief
- An ADR applicant must be adequately maintained, adequately accommodated and provided the required care in the UK, without recourse to public funds.
- The financial test is adequate maintenance — not the Partner route minimum income threshold.
- The application must also explain the proposed UK care arrangements and their cost.
- The guide explains how adequate maintenance is calculated, including savings and third-party support.
ADR Does Not Use the Partner Visa Minimum Income Threshold
Adult Dependent Relative applications are subject to an adequate maintenance test — not the £29,000 (or former £18,600) minimum income requirement that applies to the Partner route. The sponsor must also demonstrate adequate accommodation and a credible, costed plan for providing and funding the applicant's required care in the UK. There is no single ADR salary figure to hit.
The four things this page covers, at a glance:
| Requirement | ADR position |
|---|---|
| £29,000 / £18,600 minimum income | Does not apply |
| Financial test | Adequate maintenance |
| Core formula | A − B ≥ C |
| Net or gross income? | Net income for the calculation |
| Housing costs deducted | Rent / mortgage and Council Tax |
| Personal loans / credit cards deducted? | No |
| Benefits | Certain current benefits, to which the person is entitled, can form part of net income |
| Pension | Can potentially count |
| Self-employment | Can potentially count |
| Cash savings | Can potentially count |
| £16,000 minimum before ADR savings count? | No — adequate maintenance uses a different savings framework |
| Third-party promises of support | Not accepted |
| Sponsor + applicant funds | Can potentially be combined |
| Accommodation | Must be adequate and satisfy the ADR requirements |
| Care costs | Must be identified and shown to be fundable |
| Sponsor undertaking | Required |
| British / settled sponsor undertaking | 5 years from the applicant's arrival if settlement is granted |
| Limited-status sponsor | Undertaking for the period of permission granted |
| Fees / IHS / processing times | Not covered here — confirm on GOV.UK |
What "Adequate Maintenance" Means
The Home Office defines "adequate" by asking whether, after income tax, National Insurance contributions and housing costs have been deducted, the family has at least the level of income an equivalent British family would receive through Income Support. The Rules do not specify one fixed ADR salary.
The amount required therefore depends on household composition, net resources, housing costs, and the applicable Income Support equivalent at the date of decision.
ADR has no single salary threshold. Two sponsors with identical incomes can reach different conclusions depending on their household size and housing costs. The test is relative to the Income Support equivalent, not an absolute figure.
How Adequate Maintenance Is Calculated
Weekly net income
Net income after income tax and National Insurance, including qualifying resources. Where income varies, a weekly mean average is used.
Weekly housing costs
The relevant rent or mortgage and Council Tax, converted to a weekly figure.
Income Support equivalent
The Income Support equivalent for a British family of equivalent size, at the applicable rates on the date of decision.
The requirement is met where weekly net resources after housing costs are at least equal to the applicable Income Support equivalent — that is, where A − B is at least C.
Rates change — we do not publish them as fixed law. The guidance tells decision makers to use the Income Support rates applicable at the date of decision, and warns that the monetary examples in the guidance may not represent current rates. This page explains the formula but does not hard-code a current Income Support figure. Always confirm the applicable rate on GOV.UK.
Need to work out your sponsor's available weekly resources after housing costs?
Review ADR Adequate MaintenanceWhat Counts Towards "A" — Weekly Net Income
The decision maker establishes the sponsor's — and, where applicable, the applicant's — current total weekly net income. Where income varies, a weekly mean average is calculated. Potential permitted sources identified in the guidance include:
- salaried or non-salaried employment;
- non-employment income such as rental income or dividends;
- certain benefits / tax credits currently received;
- qualifying cash savings;
- state or private pension;
- self-employment;
- qualifying income from a specified limited company.
Can benefits count?
Current benefit income can be relevant: the adequate-maintenance methodology includes current net income, including benefits currently received to which the person is entitled, subject to the applicable rules. However, a future benefit the applicant merely expects to claim after arrival does not count as current income.
Do not confuse this with the Partner-route benefit exemption. On the Partner route, a specified disability benefit can exempt a couple from the minimum income requirement. ADR is already an adequate-maintenance route — it does not need a PIP/DLA-type exemption to avoid a £29,000 threshold, because that threshold never applied in the first place.
Employment income — specified evidence
Where UK employment income is relied upon, Appendix FM-SE requires evidence including an employer letter confirming the employment, gross annual income, net annual income, duration and employment type; payslips covering 6 months (or the shorter period for which the current employment has been held); and corresponding personal bank statements showing the salary being paid. The ADR Evidence & Documents page covers the document architecture.
Self-employment & specified-company income
Qualifying self-employment and specified-company income can potentially be counted, subject to the relevant Appendix FM-SE evidential provisions. Self-employed sponsors and company directors require a different evidence framework from ordinary PAYE employment — the exact documents depend on the structure and period relied upon.
Non-employment income & pensions
Permitted sources include property rental, dividends, and state or private pension. The calculation uses qualifying current income together with the specified supporting evidence for the source relied upon.
Cash Savings for ADR Adequate Maintenance
Specified cash savings can be used instead of income or alongside income. The savings must satisfy the Appendix FM-SE rules, including being under the relevant person's control and generally held for the required period.
The Partner-route £16,000 savings floor does not apply here. For adequate maintenance, all qualifying cash savings can be counted — not only amounts above £16,000 as under the Partner minimum-income framework. Where the balance fluctuates during the relevant six-month period, the lowest evidenced amount is used.
How savings convert into weekly income
The method is stage-specific:
Limited leave
The qualifying savings figure is divided by the number of weeks in the period of leave that would be granted.
Indefinite leave (ILE / ILR)
The qualifying savings figure is divided by 52 weeks.
Which divisor applies depends on what is granted. A successful ADR applicant sponsored by a British or settled sponsor is normally granted settlement, so the divide-by-52 (indefinite leave) method may be relevant. An applicant sponsored by someone with qualifying limited status may instead receive limited permission in line with the sponsor, using the limited-leave divisor. There is not one savings divisor for every ADR case.
Gifted savings are not the same as a promise of support
Cash savings that originated as a gift rather than a loan can potentially count where they are in the sponsor's or applicant's account and under their control, subject to the applicable savings rules. That is different from "my brother promises to pay £500 every month" — an ordinary promise of future third-party support, dealt with next.
Third-Party Promises & Combining Funds
Ordinary promises of third-party financial support are not accepted for the adequate-maintenance calculation. The guidance explains that such promises are vulnerable to changes in the third party's circumstances, or in their relationship with the sponsor or applicant. Maintenance may be based on funds available to the sponsor and the applicant — but not on a relative's promise to contribute in future.
Combining eligible sources
Different eligible income sources and qualifying cash savings can be combined, provided the resources are lawfully derived and the relevant specified evidence rules are met. Possible combinations include employment + pension, employment + savings, pension + savings, or qualifying non-employment income + savings.
Gifted savings vs promised support. Money already gifted, in the account and under the sponsor's control, can potentially count as savings. A promise to send money in future cannot. The difference is whether the funds are already the sponsor's or applicant's to use.
What Counts as "B" — Housing Costs
The adequate-maintenance assessment deducts the sponsor's weekly housing costs from net weekly resources. The relevant housing-cost items are the rent or mortgage and the Council Tax. Where amounts are monthly, they are converted to their weekly equivalent.
Personal debts are not deducted. The Home Office expressly says personal debt — including loans and credit-card debt — should not be taken into account in the adequate-maintenance calculation. Only the relevant weekly housing costs (rent/mortgage and Council Tax) are deducted from weekly net income. Do not subtract all household expenditure.
The Calculation Does Not Stop at A − B ≥ C
ADR has an additional practical dimension. The Home Office must be satisfied not only that maintenance is adequate, but that the required level of care can and will be met by the sponsor in the UK without recourse to public funds. The financial narrative must therefore reconcile the proposed care costs with the sponsor's resources — a bare A − B ≥ C figure is not the end of the analysis.
The UK care plan
Under Appendix FM-SE, ADR applicants must provide details of the care arrangements planned by the sponsor, which can involve other UK family members. The source specifically requires the details of the arrangements, the cost of those arrangements, and how that cost will be met by the sponsor.
UK Care Plan — ENS organisation framework, not a separate Home Office form. Care required · who provides it · frequency · professional or family care · cost · funding source. The source-derived requirements are the arrangements, the cost, and how the cost will be met.
Other UK family members can be involved in the care
Planned care arrangements can expressly involve other family members in the UK. Distinguish two different things: other family members can be part of the care arrangements (that is permitted); but an ordinary promise of financial support from a third party does not count towards adequate maintenance. Providing care and promising money are treated differently.
The financial evidence should account for the actual care the applicant will require after arrival.
Review My UK Care PlanWhat Accommodation Must Be Available
The ADR-specific guidance states that the accommodation in which the applicant will live must be owned, or occupied exclusively, by the sponsor, and that the applicant living there must not cause the property to breach UK statutory rules on overcrowding or public health.
"Occupied exclusively" does not necessarily mean a separate house
The broader adequate-accommodation guidance explains that exclusive occupation does not necessarily require an entirely separate house or self-contained flat. Shared accommodation can potentially qualify where the family has the necessary exclusive sleeping accommodation and the remaining communal parts can be shared. A sponsor may live with parents or other household members, provided the required exclusive space and the overcrowding rules are satisfied — but because the ADR-specific wording requires the accommodation to be owned or occupied exclusively by the sponsor, the actual tenure and occupation arrangement should be evidenced carefully.
Accommodation evidence
Source-identified evidence can include property deeds, a mortgage-provider letter, a lease agreement, a rent book, a letter from a family member or friend making accommodation available, or housing-association / local-authority correspondence. For housing costs, evidence can include landlord or mortgage-provider confirmation, a corresponding bank statement, a rent book, and local-authority Council Tax information. Not every item is mandatory — provide what fits the tenure.
Overcrowding — a summary
The property must not become statutorily overcrowded. The framework applies the statutory overcrowding rules for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; for England & Wales the assessment considers both the room standard and the space standard. Everyone who will occupy the property is counted, not only the applicant and sponsor — broadly, a child under 1 is not counted, a child aged 1–10 counts as half, and other occupants count under the relevant framework.
This is a summary — the detailed room-standard and space-standard calculation is a housing-law exercise in its own right. Public-health requirement: accommodation is also inadequate where it does or will contravene applicable public-health regulations; the guidance says such cases are likely to be rare, but satisfactory evidence of a public-health breach can render the accommodation inadequate.
Unsure whether shared or family accommodation meets the ADR requirements?
Review ADR AccommodationThe Sponsor Undertaking
The sponsor must provide a signed undertaking confirming that the applicant will not have recourse to public funds, and that the sponsor will be responsible for the applicant's maintenance, accommodation and care. This is not a character reference or invitation letter — it is part of the ADR financial and support framework.
British or settled sponsor
At entry-clearance stage the undertaking must cover 5 years from the date the applicant arrives in the UK. This matches the ADR applicant normally receiving settlement where the sponsor is already British or settled and the ADR requirements are met.
Sponsor with qualifying limited status
Where the sponsor holds qualifying limited permission — such as relevant protection status or qualifying Appendix EU limited leave — the undertaking applies for the period of permission granted in line with the sponsor. Further ADR permission may be needed while the sponsor remains on limited status.
Fresh undertaking at each stage. Where the route proceeds through temporary permission, a fresh undertaking is required at each relevant stage — permission to enter, permission to stay, and settlement. At settlement, the sponsor's responsibility continues only until the end of the original 5-year undertaking period measured from the applicant's arrival as an ADR.
What "no recourse to public funds" means here
In this context the sponsor is formally undertaking responsibility for maintenance, accommodation and care, rather than expecting those needs to be met through public funds during the undertaking period. This page does not set out a complete statutory definition of public funds, benefit entitlement after the undertaking ends, or NHS-charging analysis — those are separate topics to check against current guidance.
Why the Rules work this way — policy context
The ADR policy guidance explains that one purpose of the route is to avoid taxpayer-funded care for people whose needs could reasonably be met in their home country. But where an ADR genuinely qualifies and the sponsor is British or settled, the policy intention is to grant immediate settled status and access to NHS and local-authority social-care services. Both propositions appear in the guidance — the policy explanation does not weaken the sponsor's undertaking.
The sponsor undertaking creates a formal responsibility for maintenance, accommodation and care.
Review Sponsor ResponsibilitiesADR Adequate Maintenance Worksheet
Enter your own figures — including the current Income Support equivalent (C), which you confirm from GOV.UK — and the worksheet shows an illustrative A − B calculation. It does not decide your case, and it does not store or supply any benefit rate.
Guide only — not a Home Office decision. Enter amounts and choose weekly or monthly; monthly figures are converted to a weekly equivalent (× 12 ÷ 52). No benefit rate is built in — you supply the Income Support-equivalent figure (C) yourself.
A — Weekly net income & resources
B — Weekly housing costs
C — Income Support equivalent (you supply this)
The worksheet never outputs "qualify", "pass" or "eligible". It shows only whether the figures you entered leave A − B above or below the Income Support-equivalent figure you supplied — the adequacy of income, the specified evidence, the household size, the current rate and the care-cost funding remain for the Home Office to assess.
Common ADR Financial Mistakes
"I earn more than £29,000, so it's met."
Wrong framework — ADR uses adequate maintenance, not the minimum income requirement.
"My brother will contribute each month."
Ordinary third-party promises of future support are not accepted.
"I only have £10,000 savings, so they cannot count."
Incorrect — adequate-maintenance savings are not restricted to amounts above the £16,000 Partner floor.
"I deducted all my loan and card repayments."
The formula deducts relevant housing costs, not general personal debt.
"A − B ≥ C, so the finances are finished."
Not necessarily — the sponsor must also show how the required care will be provided and funded.
"We live with relatives, so accommodation fails."
Shared accommodation can qualify where the exclusive-use and overcrowding requirements are met.
"The undertaking is just an invitation letter."
No — it is a formal responsibility for maintenance, accommodation and care.
Case Law Referenced by the Home Office Guidance
Ahmed (Bangladesh) [2013] UKUT 84 (IAC)
The guidance cites Ahmed for the requirement that decision makers set out the financial figures in refusal decisions involving inadequate maintenance, using the A − B ≥ C methodology.
KA and Others (Pakistan)
The guidance cites KA and Others in connection with the definition of adequate maintenance — namely that, after tax, National Insurance and housing costs, the family should have at least the equivalent Income Support level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the £29,000 minimum income requirement apply to ADR?
No. Adult Dependent Relative applications are subject to adequate maintenance, not the Partner Visa minimum income requirement.
What is the ADR adequate-maintenance formula?
A − B ≥ C, where A is qualifying weekly net income, B is weekly housing costs, and C is the Income Support equivalent for a British family of the same size.
Can benefits count?
Current qualifying benefits to which the person is entitled can form part of the assessment. Future benefits the applicant merely expects after arrival do not count as current income.
Can savings count if they are below £16,000?
Potentially, yes. The adequate-maintenance guidance says all qualifying savings can count, rather than only amounts above £16,000.
Can another relative promise to support my parent?
Ordinary third-party promises of support are not accepted for adequate-maintenance purposes.
Can gifted savings count?
Potentially, where the gift is not a loan and the funds satisfy the applicable cash-savings requirements and are under the sponsor's or applicant's control.
What housing costs are deducted?
The assessment focuses on rent or mortgage and Council Tax in the weekly housing-cost figure.
Are credit-card repayments deducted?
No. Personal debts, including loans and credit-card debt, are not deducted in the adequate-maintenance calculation.
Can the ADR live in shared accommodation?
Potentially. Shared accommodation can be acceptable where the relevant exclusive-use and overcrowding requirements are satisfied.
Do I need to show how care will be provided in the UK?
Yes. The guidance requires details of the planned care, its cost, and how the sponsor will meet that cost.
How long is the sponsor undertaking?
For a British or settled sponsor, it covers 5 years from the applicant's arrival where settlement is granted. For qualifying limited-status sponsors, it applies for the period of permission granted in line with the sponsor.
How ENS Immigration Advice Can Help
ENS Immigration Advice can assess the ADR adequate-maintenance calculation, permitted income and savings, housing costs, accommodation, UK care-plan funding and the sponsor undertaking together, as one financial-support framework. For the substantive care test see the Long-Term Personal Care & Overseas Care Requirement page; for the evidence architecture see the ADR Evidence & Documents page; and for the route overview see the Adult Dependent Relative Visa page. Where the ordinary requirements are not met but refusal is argued to cause unjustifiably harsh consequences, that Article 8 analysis is covered on the ADR Exceptional Circumstances & Article 8 page.
Disclaimer. This page provides general information about UK immigration law and does not constitute legal advice on any individual application. The adequate-maintenance calculation depends on the individual facts, the specified evidence and the applicable rates at the date of decision, and requirements may change. Confirm the current position and current Income Support rates on GOV.UK and seek professional advice before making an application or relying on this information.
Source basis: the UK Immigration Rules Appendix FM (family life) and the related Home Office family-life caseworker guidance published on GOV.UK. Immigration Rules and guidance change; confirm the current version on GOV.UK before applying.
Speak to ENS Immigration Advice
ENS can assess the ADR adequate-maintenance calculation, permitted income and savings, housing costs, accommodation, UK care-plan funding and the sponsor undertaking together as one financial-support framework.