I-864 income requirement 2026.

What the I-864 income test is

Form I-864 is a binding contract to support an immigrant. To qualify, the sponsor must show income of at least 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for the sponsor's household size. A sponsor on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces or Coast Guard who is sponsoring a spouse or minor child needs only 100 percent. The instructions say that relief does not extend to joint or substitute sponsors.

The dollar figures come from Form I-864P, which USCIS says took effect March 1, 2026. Since October 1, 2026 USCIS accepts only the 08/24/26 edition of Form I-864, so check the edition date at the bottom of your form before you file.

Counting household size, line by line

Part 5 of the form adds up eight items. Count each person once, even if they fit two categories.

• Immigrants you are sponsoring on this affidavit, including listed family members.
• Yourself, always one.
• Your spouse, if you are married and did not already count them as the immigrant.
• Unmarried children under 21, even without legal custody.
• Other dependents on your most recent federal tax return, related or not.
• Immigrants you sponsored before and are still obligated to support. The duty ends on citizenship, death, leaving permanent residence, 40 quarters of work, or a new adjustment grant in removal proceedings.
• Non-dependent relatives living with you, only if you need their income. They must sign Form I-864A.

Which income counts

Part 6 asks for your current individual annual income. If that alone clears the line for your household size, no one else's income is needed. If not, you may add the income of a spouse, child, dependent or relative in your home who signs Form I-864A, and the intending immigrant's own income if it will continue from the same source after immigration and they live with you (a spouse's income counts wherever they live). Means-tested public benefits and income from illegal acts cannot be counted.

Using assets when income falls short

Assets can cover a shortfall if their net value is at least five times the gap between your household income and the poverty line. The multiple is three for a U.S. citizen sponsoring a spouse or a child 18 or older, and one for an orphan who will be adopted in the U.S. after becoming a permanent resident. Only assets convertible to cash within one year without considerable hardship count. A home counts at net value, and the immigrant's own assets may be added.

Two worked examples

Hypothetical parent case. A Texas citizen is married with two unmarried children under 21 and sponsors a parent. Household: 1 (sponsor) + 1 (spouse) + 2 (children) + 1 (parent) = 5. The 2026 line is $48,350. With income of $44,000 the shortfall is $4,350, so $21,750 in assets (5 x $4,350) would cover it.

Hypothetical spouse case. A citizen sponsors a foreign spouse and has one child. Household: 3, so the line is $34,150. With income of $30,150 the shortfall is $4,000 and the 3x rule asks for $12,000 in assets.

Mistakes that cost sponsors

• Counting the immigrant spouse twice, once as sponsored and once as spouse.
• Forgetting a previously sponsored immigrant whose obligation has not ended.
• Using last year's chart. The guidelines change every year.
• Counting benefits or income the instructions exclude.

Who this is for, and what it does not cover

It is for a sponsor or a joint sponsor checking whether their income reaches the Form I-864 line. It does not decide who must file an I-864, does not cover Form I-864EZ or Form I-134, and it does not model employment-based cases. It does not review tax documents or the lasting obligations the contract creates.

Sources

• USCIS: Form I-864P, Poverty Guidelines — 125% and 100% columns by household size; effective March 1, 2026.
• USCIS: Form I-864, Affidavit of Support — Edition 08/24/26; the 10/17/24 edition is no longer accepted from October 1, 2026.
• USCIS: Instructions for Form I-864 (08/24/26) — Household size items, income, assets multiples, joint sponsors.
• HHS ASPE: 2026 Poverty Guidelines — The 100% guideline by household size for the 48 states, Alaska and Hawaii.

Retrieved October 2026. The USCIS I-864P chart is the one to use at filing; the guidelines are updated each year.