# How to fill out Form I-864 (Affidavit of Support)

> The Affidavit of Support, step by step: what the I-864 is, the income threshold structure, the documents, household size, and joint sponsors.

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Publisher: Pop Immigration (https://www.popimmigration.com)  
Last reviewed: 2026-07-20

Form I-864 is the financial spine of a family immigration case: the sponsor's formal undertaking that the immigrant will be supported. It costs nothing to file and everything to get wrong — an insufficient or under-documented affidavit stalls the whole case. This page walks the form's logic: the threshold, the household count, the documents, and the joint-sponsor option. Every claim is cited; general process description, not advice about any individual case.

## Step 1 — understand what the form is

The I-864 is a legally significant commitment, not a formality — USCIS's form page describes the undertaking a sponsor accepts by signing. It has no filing fee under the current schedule. Its weight is entirely in the showing: income, household size, and documents that prove both.

## Step 2 — the income threshold

The sponsor must generally demonstrate income at or above 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for their household size — 100% for certain active-duty military sponsors. The dollar figures update annually, so this page deliberately doesn't restate them: USCIS's I-864P page publishes the current table, and that table is the number that matters.

## Step 3 — count the household per the instructions

Household size is a defined count, not an intuition: the sponsor, their dependents, the sponsored immigrant or immigrants, and certain others the instructions specify. The threshold from step 2 depends on this count, so the count comes first — and the instructions' rules, not habit, decide who is in it.

## Step 4 — assemble the documents

The core showing is the most recent federal tax return or IRS transcript plus evidence of current income — recent pay records, an employer letter, or the equivalent for self-employment. Assets may supplement insufficient income under rules the instructions describe.

## Step 5 — if the income isn't enough: the joint sponsor

When the petitioner's income doesn't meet the threshold, a joint sponsor may step in — and they complete their own separate, full I-864 with their own documents, not an addendum to the petitioner's. The signed affidavit then travels with the case: in the I-485 package for adjustment cases, or to the National Visa Center for consular cases. USCIS fees change periodically — before filing, verify current amounts on the official USCIS fee schedule (Form G-1055) at uscis.gov/g-1055.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Form I-864 have a filing fee?

No — $0 under the current G-1055 schedule. Its cost is the obligation and the documentation.

### What income does a sponsor need?

Generally at or above 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for the household size (100% for certain active-duty military sponsors). The current dollar figures live on USCIS's I-864P page, updated annually.

### What documents go with the I-864?

The most recent federal tax return or IRS transcript and evidence of current income; assets may supplement under the instructions' rules.

### What if the petitioner doesn't earn enough?

A joint sponsor may complete their own separate, complete I-864 with their own documentation.

### Where does the completed form go?

With the I-485 package for adjustment cases, or to the National Visa Center for consular processing.

## Sources

- USCIS — I-864; G-1055 (I-864 $0): https://www.uscis.gov/i-864
- USCIS — I-864P, Poverty Guidelines for Affidavit of Support: https://www.uscis.gov/i-864p
- USCIS — I-864 instructions (household size): https://www.uscis.gov/i-864
- USCIS — I-864 instructions (evidence): https://www.uscis.gov/i-864
- USCIS — I-864 (joint sponsors): https://www.uscis.gov/i-864
- USCIS — I-864; U.S. Dept. of State — Immigrant Visa Process: https://www.uscis.gov/i-864

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