How to Fill Out Form I-864 Affidavit of Support

Form I-864, the Affidavit of Support, is a legally binding contract in which you promise the U.S. government that the immigrant you are sponsoring will be supported at no less than 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. To fill out Form I-864, the Affidavit of Support, you gather identity documents and tax records, work through nine parts covering the parties, your household size, and your income or assets against the poverty threshold, add a joint sponsor or household member if you fall short, and sign by hand before filing the package with the immigrant’s application. For a household of two in the 48 contiguous states, the income floor is $27,050 as of March 2026.¹

Before You Start

Download the current edition of Form I-864 directly from the USCIS website. An outdated edition will be rejected.

You need to be at least 18, a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, and domiciled in the United States or its territories. Living abroad temporarily can still satisfy the domicile requirement if you can show you intend to return.²

Pull together three groups of documents before you open the form.

Identity and status. Full legal names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers for both you and the immigrant. Attach proof of your own status: a photocopy of your birth certificate, a valid U.S. passport, or both sides of your Permanent Resident Card.³

Tax returns. A photocopy or IRS transcript of your complete federal return for the most recent tax year, with all schedules and any W-2s or 1099s you rely on. You may include up to three years total if a longer track record helps, but only the most recent is required.³ If you were not legally required to file because your income was below the threshold, attach a written explanation. If you were exempt for some other reason, the explanation must include evidence of the exemption. Living outside the United States does not exempt citizens or permanent residents from filing.

Current income evidence. A letter from your employer confirming your position and salary, plus pay stubs from the last six months, strengthens the case beyond the tax return alone.⁴ If you are self-employed, include Schedule C, E, or F from your most recent return.

Parts 1 Through 3: Identifying the Parties

Part 1 asks how you relate to the immigrant. Check the box for the petitioning sponsor if you filed the underlying family petition, or joint sponsor if you are supplementing someone else’s.

Part 2 collects the principal immigrant’s full name, mailing address, date of birth, and alien registration number. Cross-check every entry against the immigrant’s official documents. Mismatches between the I-864 and the underlying petition are a common cause of processing delays.

Part 3 lists any spouse or children who will immigrate with the principal applicant, either together or within six months of the principal’s arrival.³ Each person you list here raises the income threshold you have to meet.

Part 4: Sponsor Information

Enter your physical address, citizenship or residency status, date of birth, and Social Security number. Use your actual residential address rather than a P.O. box; the address establishes the legal jurisdiction of the contract, and everything must match your identity documents.

Part 5: Household Size

Household size for I-864 purposes is not the same as who lives in your house. Count:⁵

Yourself.
The principal immigrant.
Any dependents you claimed on your most recent federal tax return.
Any accompanying family members listed in Part 3.
Any immigrants you previously sponsored whose I-864 obligations are still active.

Undercounting can create enforcement problems later. Overcounting raises the income threshold unnecessarily and can trigger a Request for Evidence or denial.

Part 6: Income and the 125 Percent Threshold

Report your anticipated earnings for the current calendar year, not last year’s total. The form is designed to capture your financial capacity going forward.³ You also enter total income from the “Total Income” line of your Form 1040 for the most recent one to three years.

Your income must equal or exceed 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for your household size.⁴ For the 48 contiguous states, effective March 1, 2026:¹

Household of 2: $27,050
Household of 3: $34,150
Household of 4: $41,250
Household of 5: $48,350
Household of 6: $55,450
Each additional person: add $7,100

Alaska and Hawaii use higher figures. Active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces sponsoring a spouse or child qualify at 100 percent of the guidelines rather than 125 — $21,640 for a household of two.¹

Part 7: Using Assets to Cover a Shortfall

If your income falls short, Part 7 lets you make up the gap with assets. Only assets convertible to cash within one year without significant hardship count.³ Savings, stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit, and real estate equity all qualify. To count home equity, you need proof of ownership, a recent licensed appraisal, and documentation of any mortgages or liens. The net value is appraised value minus outstanding secured loans.

Total asset value must be a multiple of the income gap. The multiplier depends on the relationship:³

3 times the shortfall if you are a U.S. citizen sponsoring your spouse or a child at least 18 years old.
5 times the shortfall for all other sponsored relatives, including parents and siblings.

Say the threshold for your household is $27,050 and your income is $20,000. The shortfall is $7,050. A citizen sponsoring a spouse would need $21,150 in qualifying assets. A citizen sponsoring a parent would need $35,250.

If Your Income and Assets Still Fall Short

Two options remain: combine income with a household member, or bring in a joint sponsor.

A household member who lives with you can pool income with yours by completing Form I-864A, which legally binds them to the same obligation you accept.⁵ They must be at least 18. Adding them also increases your household size, so confirm the combined income still clears the threshold at the higher number.

A joint sponsor files a completely separate I-864 and takes on independent legal liability. Any U.S. citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident who is 18 or older and domiciled in the United States can serve, and they do not need to live with you or be related to anyone.³ Up to two joint sponsors may be used per family unit, each responsible only for the immigrants named on their own I-864.⁶

Parts 8 and 9: Signing

Parts 8 and 9 hold the certification and signature. By signing, you certify under penalty of perjury that everything in the form is true and correct, and you accept the financial obligations attached to it. Sign by hand. Typed or stamped signatures cause immediate rejection.⁷

Where to File

Where the package goes depends on how the immigrant is applying. If the immigrant is adjusting status inside the United States, the signed I-864 and its supporting documents are filed with Form I-485 at the designated USCIS lockbox.⁸ If the immigrant is processing through a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad, you give the package to the immigrant to submit through the Department of State’s Consular Electronic Application Center. If the National Visa Center sent the form directly to you, follow the instructions in their letter.

Assemble the package with the signed form on top, then identity documents, then tax returns and income evidence, then any asset documentation. You will receive a receipt notice confirming submission. If anything is missing or your income does not meet the threshold, USCIS may issue a Request for Evidence. The response deadline is 84 days (12 weeks), with 3 extra days if the RFE arrives by regular mail.⁹ No extensions are allowed, and missing the deadline can result in denial of the underlying petition.⁷

After You File: Address Changes and When the Obligation Ends

Once your I-864 is in effect, you must notify USCIS every time you move by filing Form I-865, Sponsor’s Notice of Change of Address, within 30 days. If you are also a permanent resident, you separately notify USCIS of your new address within 10 days, as required for all permanent residents. Failing to report an address change carries civil penalties from $250 to $2,000, rising to between $2,000 and $5,000 if you knew the immigrant was receiving means-tested public benefits and did not report anyway.¹⁰

Your obligation lasts until one of these events:²

The immigrant becomes a U.S. citizen.
The immigrant is credited with 40 qualifying quarters of Social Security work. Quarters worked by a spouse during the marriage or by a parent while the immigrant was under 18 can count, but no quarter counts if the immigrant received federal means-tested public benefits during that period.¹¹
Either the sponsor or the sponsored immigrant dies.
The immigrant ceases to be a lawful permanent resident and departs the United States.

Divorce does not end the obligation. If you sponsored a spouse and later divorce, you remain financially responsible until one of the events above occurs, and the contract stays in force regardless of what a divorce court does with the liability between the parties.²

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-864P, HHS Poverty Guidelines for Affidavit of Support
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Affidavit of Support
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-864 Instructions for Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
4
eCFR. 8 CFR Part 213a – Affidavits of Support on Behalf of Immigrants
5
eCFR. 8 CFR 213a.1 – Definitions
6
Travel – State.Gov. I-864 Affidavit of Support FAQs
7
eCFR. 8 CFR 103.2 – Submission and Adjudication of Benefit Requests
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1, Part E, Chapter 6 – Evidence
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-865, Instructions for Sponsors Notice of Change of Address
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1183a – Requirements for Sponsors Affidavit of Support