How much do I need in maintenance funds?

Skilled Worker: £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days, ending no more than 31 days before the application. Student: £1,334/m London or £1,023/m elsewhere for up to 9 months, same 28-day rule. Spouse / Family don't have a separate maintenance figure beyond the £29,000 income requirement.

What does 'held for 28 consecutive days' mean?

The balance must equal or exceed the required amount on every day in the 28-day window. A single dip below the threshold — even by £1 for one day — invalidates the entire claim and the visa is refused.

Can my parents' money count as maintenance?

Yes for Student visa applications — the funds can be in your parent's or legal guardian's account, with their written consent. Not for Skilled Worker — those must be in your own name or in a joint account where you're a signatory.

Maintenance Funds Evidence for UK Visa: £1,270 Rule Explained

TL;DR

Maintenance funds prove you can support yourself in the UK for the start of your visa period. Skilled Worker needs £1,270 held continuously for 28 days. Student needs £1,334/month (London) or £1,023/month (elsewhere) for up to 9 months, same 28-day rule. The 28-day window must end no more than 31 days before your application. Sponsor certification of maintenance lifts the requirement.

What's required

Route	Amount	Period	Whose name
Skilled Worker	£1,270	28 consecutive days	Yours, or joint with you
Student (London)	£1,334/m × course length up to 9 months	28 consecutive days	Yours, parent's, guardian's
Student (outside London)	£1,023/m × course length up to 9 months	28 consecutive days	Yours, parent's, guardian's
Skilled Worker dependant (partner)	£285	28 consecutive days	Same rules as main applicant
Skilled Worker dependant (child)	£315 first / £200 each additional	28 consecutive days	Same rules

Sponsor certification: if your CAS or CoS states the sponsor will certify your maintenance, you don't need to evidence the funds yourself.

The 28-day rule explained

The funds must be held for 28 consecutive days:

Pick the closing date of your 28-day window (must be within 31 days of when you'll apply)
Look back 28 days from there
The account balance must equal or exceed the required amount every single day in that window
If the balance dips below for even one day, the window is broken and you must restart

A common mistake: receiving the qualifying funds on day 1 of the window, but having the balance drop below threshold mid-window because of a regular bill payment. UKVI will reject the evidence.

Format requirements

The evidence must be:

Bank statement(s) covering the 28-day window in full
From a bank UKVI considers reputable (most major banks accepted; some app-only and offshore banks need additional documentation)
Showing your name (or parent's, for Student applicants)
With visible bank letterhead, account number, and unbroken transaction history

Screenshots are not accepted. Mobile-banking app exports must include the bank's official letterhead and full statement format — see our bank statement format guide.

What counts as "in your name"

Account type	Skilled Worker	Student
Single in your name	Yes	Yes
Joint with spouse / partner	Yes (you're a signatory)	Yes
Joint with parent / guardian	No	Yes
Solely in parent's name	No	Yes (with written consent)
Cash held in person	No	No
Investment account	No	No
Cryptocurrency wallet	No	No
Pre-paid debit card	No	No

For Student visa applications using parent's funds, include:

Bank statement in parent's name
Birth certificate proving the parent-child relationship
Written consent letter from parent stating the funds may be used by the applicant for UK study

Common issues

Mid-window dip — the most common refusal. Always check that the balance was above threshold on every day.
Wrong window timing — applying outside the 31-day post-window window. Apply within a month of your closing date.
Funds in wrong account — Skilled Worker applicants using parents' money instead of their own; rejected.
Statement gap — missing pages within the 28 days; UKVI assumes the gap might hide a dip.
Foreign currency conversion — for non-GBP accounts, the threshold is checked at the GBP equivalent on each day. If exchange rates fluctuated, be sure the balance held threshold throughout.

Sponsor-certified maintenance

If your CoS (Skilled Worker) or CAS (Student) states the sponsor certifies maintenance, you don't need to show the funds:

The sponsor takes legal responsibility for supporting you for the relevant period
The visa application form notes the certification
You don't bundle maintenance evidence

This is common for Student applicants whose universities certify, and for Skilled Worker applicants whose employers (especially large international employers) certify.

What to bundle

If evidencing yourself:

The bank statement(s) covering the full 28-day window
Your passport (already in your bundle)
(Student only with parent funds) Birth certificate + parent's consent letter

Use our Bundler to merge these with other supporting documents in the canonical UKVI order. Maintenance evidence sits in the "Financial" category. If the resulting bundle exceeds the 6 MB UKVCAS limit, run it through the Compressor using the structural pass option to keep statement text crisp.