Affidavit of Support: Required Documents, Income, and Assets

The documents required for an Affidavit of Support (Form I-864) fall into five groups: proof that you are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, your most recent federal tax return or IRS transcript with its supporting wage statements, evidence of your current income, proof that you maintain a U.S. domicile, and, if your income alone doesn’t meet the threshold, either documentation of qualifying assets or a separate I-864 from a joint sponsor. Getting each of these right on the first submission is what separates a case that moves to interview from one that stalls on a Request for Evidence.

The Income Threshold Your Documents Must Prove

Everything you file has to show that your household income meets or exceeds 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for your household size. For 2026 (effective March 1, 2026), a household of two needs at least $27,050, and a household of four needs at least $41,250 in the 48 contiguous states and D.C. Alaska and Hawaii use higher figures. Active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces sponsoring a spouse or child use the 100 percent threshold instead of 125 percent.¹

Household size on the I-864 is not the same as the people living under your roof. It includes you, everyone you claim as a dependent on your tax return, any immigrant you have previously sponsored who has not yet naturalized or earned 40 qualifying quarters, and the intending immigrant plus any accompanying family. A household-size figure that contradicts the rest of the application is one of the most common reasons a case gets an RFE.

Tax Documents: Transcript or Photocopy

Federal regulations require a sponsor to submit either an IRS-issued tax transcript or a complete photocopy of the federal income tax return for the most recent tax year, counting from the date the I-864 is signed. You may optionally include the two prior years if that history helps.² Adjudicators generally prefer transcripts because a transcript confirms that the IRS actually processed the return.

The choice between transcript and photocopy changes what else you need to include:

If you submit an IRS transcript, you do not need to attach W-2s or 1099s, unless you filed jointly with a spouse and are qualifying based on your own income alone.
If you submit a photocopy of the return, you must include every W-2 (if relying on employment income), every 1099 (if relying on income shown on those forms), and every schedule filed with the return.²

The income figure USCIS uses is the “Total Income” line on your federal return. On both the 2024 and 2025 Form 1040, that is line 9. Self-employed sponsors typically file Schedule C, D, E, or F depending on the income source, and every schedule filed with the return must be included in the packet.³

If you had no legal duty to file a return for the most recent year, you must explain in writing why, and provide evidence of your income source along with any statute or treaty that supports the filing exemption.²

Evidence of Current Income

The tax return shows what you earned last year. Adjudicators also want confidence that your income is continuing at the same level or higher. Documents that show this are technically optional, but they are practically essential whenever your most recent return sits close to the threshold or your circumstances have changed since you filed.

Useful items include pay stubs covering the most recent six months, an employer letter confirming your position and salary, and financial statements showing ongoing earnings.⁴ The income figure on the I-864 includes both taxable and nontaxable income, so Social Security retirement or disability payments, unemployment compensation, and workers’ compensation all count and should be documented with the relevant benefit statements.

If you filed a joint return but are signing the I-864 alone, use your W-2s to isolate your individual earnings from your spouse’s. USCIS looks at the sponsor’s individual income unless a household member is contributing through Form I-864A.

Proof of Citizenship or Lawful Permanent Resident Status

Every sponsor must document their status. A U.S. citizen can submit a photocopy of a birth certificate or a valid U.S. passport. A lawful permanent resident must submit a copy of both sides of their Permanent Resident Card.

Proof of U.S. Domicile

You also have to show that your principal residence is in the United States and that you intend to keep it there for the foreseeable future.⁵ Current utility bills, a residential lease, a property deed, voter registration, or school enrollment records for dependents all work.

Sponsors living abroad face a higher bar and must show they will reestablish U.S. domicile no later than the immigrant’s arrival. A domestic job offer letter, a signed lease for a future U.S. residence, or evidence of maintaining a U.S. bank account and paying U.S. taxes can support that showing. Without persuasive proof of intent to return, the I-864 may be rejected even when the financial numbers are strong.

Asset Documentation When Income Falls Short

If your income doesn’t reach 125 percent of the poverty guideline for your household size, you can make up the gap with assets. Only assets that can be converted to cash within one year without considerable hardship or financial loss count.³ Typical examples are savings and checking balances, stocks, bonds, and certificates of deposit, each documented with recent account statements.

How much you need in assets depends on the relationship:

A U.S. citizen sponsoring a spouse or a child age 18 or older needs assets worth at least three times the income shortfall.
All other sponsors need assets worth at least five times the shortfall.
In orphan cases where the child will acquire citizenship under INA Section 320, assets need only equal the shortfall.³

Real estate can count, including your primary residence, if you supply proof of ownership, a recent appraisal from a licensed appraiser, and documentation of every outstanding mortgage or lien. The figure that matters is the net value, meaning the appraised value minus all secured debts.³

Vehicles have a specific rule. You must own at least one working automobile that you are not counting as an asset. Your daily driver stays off the ledger; a second vehicle can be included. Every asset statement and appraisal you file should be recent enough to reflect current values.

Documents for a Joint Sponsor or Household Member

If you can’t meet the requirement on your own, there are two routes, and each requires its own paperwork.

A household member can add their income to yours by signing Form I-864A. Eligible household members include your spouse, the intending immigrant (if you are counting that income), a parent, child, adult son or daughter, or sibling sharing your residence, or anyone you lawfully claim as a dependent.⁶ By signing, that household member becomes jointly liable with you, and a benefit-granting agency can pursue either or both of you for repayment plus legal fees if the immigrant later receives means-tested public benefits.⁷ Their tax documentation must match yours: same tax year, either an IRS transcript or a photocopy with all W-2s, 1099s, and schedules.²

A joint sponsor is a separate role. A joint sponsor files their own Form I-864 and takes on independent legal liability. They don’t need to be related to you or to the immigrant, but they must be at least 18, a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and domiciled in the United States. The joint sponsor must meet the 125 percent income threshold on their own; you cannot combine your income with the joint sponsor’s to reach it.⁸ Their I-864 packet needs the same categories of documents yours does: status proof, tax return or transcript with supporting schedules and wage statements, and evidence of current income.

Translations for Foreign-Language Documents

Anything you submit in a language other than English needs a full English translation. The translator must certify in writing that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English, and the certification should carry the translator’s name, signature, address, and date.⁹ This applies to foreign tax records, bank statements, property documents, birth certificates, and any other supporting evidence.

How to Submit the Package

Submission format depends on where the case is being processed. For immigrant visa applications at a U.S. consulate abroad, documents are uploaded through the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC). Each file must be JPG, JPEG, or PDF and cannot exceed 2 megabytes.¹⁰ Blurry or clipped scans are treated as missing documents, so check every page before uploading.

Adjustment of status cases inside the United States go to the designated USCIS lockbox on paper. Use paper clips rather than staples, include a cover letter listing every enclosed document, and expect a Form I-797C, Notice of Action, back as your receipt.¹¹

Responding to a Request for Evidence

If the officer decides your financial documentation is incomplete or inconsistent, you’ll receive a Request for Evidence. The most common triggers are missing pay stubs, an incomplete I-864, and household-size numbers that don’t match the rest of the file. For most form types, you have 84 calendar days to respond, plus three extra days for mailing inside the United States or 14 extra days if abroad.¹²

Send only what the notice asks for, not a full resubmission, and include a cover letter referencing the RFE and your receipt number. Miss the deadline and USCIS will decide on whatever is already in the file, which usually means denial.

One Boundary Worth Knowing Before You File

The I-864 is a binding contract with the federal government, and divorce does not end it. USCIS states this plainly: “Divorce does NOT end the sponsorship obligation.”⁸ A divorce decree or prenuptial agreement cannot override it, and an immigrant whose income later falls below 125 percent of the poverty guidelines can sue the sponsor in federal court to enforce the obligation. Sign the document with that in mind.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-864P, HHS Poverty Guidelines for Affidavit of Support
2
eCFR. 8 CFR 213a.2 – Use of Affidavit of Support
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
5
eCFR. 8 CFR 213a.1 – Definitions
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-864A, Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Affidavit of Support
9
eCFR. 8 CFR 103.2 – Submission and Adjudication of Benefit Requests
10
U.S. Department of State. Uploading to CEAC Instructions
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1 Part E Chapter 6 – Evidence