UK student visa maintenance funds (2026): how much money to show, and the 28-day rule
Two numbers decide the financial half of your UK Student visa: the exact amount you must show, and the 28-day window your balance has to survive without dipping. Get either wrong and a genuine application can still be refused. Rilono's new maintenance funds calculator works out both in seconds — try it right here, then let Rilono track it against your real bank statements.
What's inside
- The free maintenance funds calculator
- What "maintenance funds" actually means
- How your total is built up
- The 28-day rule — where good applications fail
- A worked example
- The mistakes that break the financial requirement
- How Rilono tracks your funds against your documents
The free UK maintenance funds calculator
Enter your details below. Everything runs in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere — and it updates as you type:
💷 Maintenance funds calculator
Work out the exact amount to show and the 28-day window your bank balance must cover.
This is the same engine built into the Rilono app — but inside your journey it goes further: it remembers your number, checks it against the bank statements you upload, and warns you if your balance or statement dates would break the 28-day rule before you apply.
What "maintenance funds" actually means
To grant a UK Student visa, the Home Office needs to see that you can pay for your course and support yourself without relying on public funds. That evidence is your maintenance funds (sometimes called the financial requirement or "proof of funds"). It has two parts, and both have to be right:
- The amount — a specific figure made of your unpaid tuition plus a set allowance for living costs.
- The holding period — that amount must sit in a qualifying account, untouched below the threshold, for a continuous period before you apply (the 28-day rule).
Most refusals in this area aren't because the student was poor — they're because the money arrived too late, the balance dipped for a day, or the statement was dated wrong. The requirement rewards preparation, which is exactly why a calculator plus a tracker beats guesswork. New to the wider process? Start with our UK Student visa guide.
How your total is built up
The calculator follows the Home Office method. Your total funds to show is:
Unpaid first-year tuition + living costs (monthly rate × up to 9 months) − accommodation prepaid to your institution (capped)
| Component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Living costs — location | A set monthly amount, higher if your institution is in London, lower if it's outside London. The calculator uses the current Home Office rates (London £1,529/mo, outside £1,171/mo) — always confirm the live figures on GOV.UK. |
| Living costs — duration | Counted for the length of your course up to a maximum of 9 months. A 12-month master's still counts 9 months of living costs; a 6-month course counts 6. |
| Unpaid tuition | Your first year's tuition, minus anything you've already paid. A deposit shown on your CAS reduces this directly. |
| Accommodation offset | If you've prepaid accommodation to your university, you can subtract it — up to a capped amount (currently £1,334). Private-landlord rent doesn't count. |
Watch the tuition line. It's first-year tuition, not the whole degree — and only the unpaid portion. Students routinely over- or under-state this by using the total programme cost or forgetting their deposit. The calculator does the subtraction for you from the numbers on your CAS.
The 28-day rule — where good applications fail
This is the part that catches people out. The required funds must generally have been held for 28 consecutive days, and:
- Your balance must stay at or above the required total every single day of that window — a one-day dip below it resets the clock.
- The financial evidence you submit must be dated no more than 31 days before the date you apply.
Enter your intended application date in the calculator and it does this maths for you — showing the exact date from which your balance must already be above the total, and the earliest date your bank statement's closing balance can be dated. In other words, it turns an abstract rule into two dates on your calendar.
Why the fuss over one day? Caseworkers check the lowest balance across the whole period, not the average. A salary that lands and is spent, a transfer that briefly leaves the account, a large deposit that arrives on day 20 — each can invalidate an otherwise fine set of statements.
A worked example
Priya has an offer from a university outside London for a 12-month master's. Her first-year tuition is £16,000, and she's paid a £4,000 deposit (shown on her CAS). She hasn't prepaid accommodation. Using the current rates:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Living costs (£1,171 × 9 months, capped) | £10,539 |
| Unpaid tuition (£16,000 − £4,000) | £12,000 |
| Accommodation offset | £0 |
| Total she must show | £22,539 |
If Priya plans to apply on, say, 1 September, the calculator tells her the balance must have been at or above £22,539 every day across the 28-day window ending on her application date, and her statement's closing date must fall inside the allowed 31-day range. She now has two concrete dates to plan around instead of a vague "keep enough money in the account." Always re-check the live figures on GOV.UK, since Home Office rates change.
From a number to a tracked plan
The calculator gives you the target. Inside your Rilono journey, that target becomes something the AI actively watches for you.
The mistakes that break the financial requirement
- A balance that dipped. The single most common avoidable refusal — the lowest daily balance is what's judged, not the closing one.
- Evidence dated too early. A statement older than the allowed window at the date you apply won't be accepted, even if the money is still there.
- Counting the whole degree's tuition. Only first-year, unpaid tuition belongs in the total.
- Forgetting the deposit. Tuition already paid (and shown on the CAS) reduces the amount — leaving it out inflates your target and your stress.
- Offsetting the wrong accommodation. Only accommodation paid to the institution counts, and only up to the cap — private rent doesn't.
- Nine vs twelve months. Living costs cap at nine months; using twelve overstates the requirement.
- Parent's account without the paperwork. Funds held by a parent need consent letters and proof of relationship, and the same 28-day rule applies to their balance.
- Using last year's figures. Home Office rates change — always confirm the current amounts before you submit.
Every one of these is a consistency problem — and consistency is exactly what an AI cross-check is good at. The same discipline shows up at your credibility interview, where you may be asked to explain your funds, and in your personal statement.
How Rilono tracks your funds against your documents
The calculator on this page is genuinely free and complete. Where Rilono earns its place is everything after the number:
- Your figure is saved into your UK journey at Stage 4, so it's there when you need it, not recalculated from memory.
- Upload your bank statements to the encrypted vault and the AI checks them against your target — flagging a sub-threshold day or an out-of-range statement date before a caseworker ever sees them.
- The same document AI cross-checks your funds story against your CAS and your other documents, so your financial evidence, your form and your interview answers all agree.
Start free, and unlock the deeper document Red-Flag scans with the one-time Visa Success Pass when you're in the final stretch.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need to show for a UK Student visa?+
Your total is unpaid first-year tuition plus living costs (maintenance). Living costs are counted at a set monthly rate for up to nine months — a higher rate if your institution is in London and a lower rate if it's outside London. From that you subtract any tuition you've already paid and up to a capped amount of accommodation you've prepaid to your institution. The exact monthly figures are set by the Home Office and change periodically, so confirm the current rates on GOV.UK — or use the calculator in this guide to work out your number.
What is the 28-day rule for UK student finances?+
The funds you're required to show must generally have been held for at least 28 consecutive days, and your balance must not dip below the required amount on any day in that window. The bank statement or financial evidence you submit must be dated no more than 31 days before you apply. Miss either condition and your application can be refused even if you genuinely have the money.
Do I need to show maintenance funds if I studied in the UK before?+
Some applicants are exempt from proving maintenance funds — for example, those who have been in the UK with valid permission for a certain qualifying period before applying. Exemptions are specific and change, so check whether you qualify under the current UKVI Student route guidance rather than assuming you do or don't.
Does money in my parents' account count?+
Yes — funds can be held by a parent or legal guardian, provided you include their bank evidence, a letter confirming they consent to you using the funds, and proof of your relationship. The same 28-day holding rule and statement-dating rules apply to their account.
What happens if my balance dipped below the required amount?+
If your balance fell below the required total on any day of the 28-day window, that window no longer qualifies — you generally have to wait until you have a fresh, unbroken 28-day period at or above the required amount before applying. This is one of the most common avoidable refusals, which is why the calculator shows you the exact daily amount and window to protect.
Know your number. Protect your window.
Calculate your exact maintenance funds above, then let Rilono save it to your UK journey and check it against your real bank statements — before a caseworker does.
Start your UK journey free Explore the UK productFree to start · Visa Success Pass unlocks unlimited AI, Red-Flag scans & voice mock interviews