I-864Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
“USCIS is providing a 30-day grace period during which we will accept the 10/17/24 edition of Form I-864.”uscis.gov, Form I-864 page · checked 2026-11-02
- Source
- uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-864.pdf
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- 542,861 bytes
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- Revision (page)
- Edition Date 08/24/26
- Revision (footer)
- Form I-864 Edition 08/24/26 ✓ match
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- 2026-11-02 06:15 UTC
Form I-864, the Affidavit of Support under Section 213A of the INA, is the sponsor's financial promise required for most family-based immigrants and some employment-based ones. The instructions describe it as a contract between the sponsor and the U.S. government: the sponsor shows income or assets of at least 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for their household size (100 percent for certain active-duty sponsors of a spouse or child), using Form I-864P for the current figures, and agrees to support the immigrant if needed. Agencies that provide means-tested benefits can seek repayment from the sponsor. If the petitioner's income is not enough, a joint sponsor can file a separate I-864. The edition USCIS lists today is 08/24/26.
How to file Form I-864
Inside an online I-485 package
USCIS lists I-864 among the forms that can be submitted with an I-485 filed online by PDF upload. A wet-ink signature must appear on the PDF.
Open on uscis.govWith a paper I-485
For adjustment of status, include the signed I-864 and its evidence (tax transcripts or returns, proof of current income) in the I-485 package.
Immigrant visa abroad
For consular processing, the affidavit goes to the Department of State's National Visa Center as instructed in the case's NVC communications, not to USCIS.
Why our filler is off for this form: USCIS says its forms are optimized for Adobe Acrobat Reader, and part of this PDF is read-only by design (copied headers, barcodes, signature boxes). We turn our fill on per form only after the output re-opens in Acrobat Reader with every value intact and a matching barcode. Until then, Adobe Reader on a computer is the free tool USCIS points to.
Print, sign in ink, scan, send
USCIS does not accept signatures made by software, so the dependable path is paper first, then a clean PDF under the online limit. Every step below runs in your browser.
- PrintThe official I-864 PDF from uscis.gov, every page from the same edition.
- Sign by handIn the signature box, in ink. USCIS: “USCIS does not accept signatures created by a typewriter, word processor, stamp, auto-pen, or similar device.”
- Scan to PDFPhone camera pages, deskewed and cleaned, in this tab.
- MergeForm and evidence in the order the instructions ask for.
- Under 12 MBCompressed to the USCIS online upload limit, with a preview first.
Sources: USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 1, Part B, Ch. 2 (signatures) · uscis.gov/file-online/tips-for-filing-forms-online (12 MB) · checked 2026-10-05
Line help for Form I-864
Plain-language notes written from the official instructions, with the place each one comes from. Informational, not legal advice.
Which kind of sponsor you are: the petitioner, a substitute sponsor, the only joint sponsor or one of two joint sponsors, and so on. A joint sponsor does not have to be related to the immigrant.
“A joint sponsor does not have to be related to the intending immigrant.”
Form I-864 Instructions (08/24/26), Part 1Your name, addresses, birth details, citizenship or permanent-resident status, A-Number if any, SSN and military status (which can change the threshold to 100 percent).
Form I-864 (08/24/26), Part 2The principal immigrant and each family member you are sponsoring on this affidavit.
Form I-864 (08/24/26), Parts 3–4Add up the people the instructions list: you, the immigrants sponsored, your spouse and dependent children, other dependents on your tax return, and people you sponsored before whose obligations have not ended.
Form I-864 Instructions (08/24/26), Part 5Your current employment and individual annual income, any household members' income counted with Form I-864A, and federal tax return information for the most recent year.
Form I-864 Instructions (08/24/26), Part 6; Item Numbers 15.–19.Only if income alone is not enough: the value of assets such as savings and property, with evidence.
Form I-864 (08/24/26), Part 7Read the sponsor's contract, then sign by hand. A typed or stamped name is not accepted.
Form I-864 (08/24/26), Part 8Completed by an interpreter or preparer only if one helped; Part 11 holds extra answers.
Form I-864 (08/24/26), Parts 9–11It is a contract.
Signing makes you the sponsor and obliges you to support the people named, if necessary, until the obligation ends under the conditions in the form's contract (for example citizenship, 40 quarters of work credit, departure or death). Divorce does not end it.
“Divorce does not terminate your obligations under Form I-864.”
Form I-864 (08/24/26), Part 8, Sponsor’s Contract125 percent of the poverty guidelines.
Look up the current figure for your household size on Form I-864P. Household size counts you, the immigrants, dependents and others the instructions list.
“You must show on this affidavit that you have enough income and/or assets to maintain the intending immigrants and the rest of your household at 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines”
Form I-864 Instructions (08/24/26), How is Form I-864 Used?Transcript preferred.
Give an IRS transcript or a copy of your federal individual return for the most recent tax year, with every W-2 and 1099 if you send a copy. Do not send state or foreign returns unless the instructions say so. You can request transcripts with Form 4506-T.
“Do not submit copies of your state income tax returns.”
Form I-864 Instructions (08/24/26), Item Numbers 15.–19.Revision history
We check the USCIS form page and its edition statement every day, and USCIS’s sitemap for preview files of new editions. This list starts when our crawler first saw the form.
| Edition | Status | Fields |
|---|---|---|
| Edition 08/24/26 | Current | baseline |
Related forms
I-485
USCIS lists the 09/18/26 edition on its form page.
I-130
USCIS lists the 04/01/24 edition on its form page.
I-134
USCIS lists the 01/20/25 edition on its form page.
4506-T
Is there a 2026 Form 4506-T? No. The current revision is April 2025.
Sources
- USCIS Form I-864 page · checked 2026-10-05
- Form I-864 Instructions (Edition 08/24/26) · checked 2026-10-05
- Form I-864P, Poverty Guidelines · checked 2026-10-05
- USCIS page for Form I-864 · crawled 2026-11-02
Not affiliated with the IRS, USCIS or any government agency. US federal forms are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105); the line help is ours, written from the instructions. Informational only: not tax or legal advice. If you need help with an immigration case, USCIS explains how to find legitimate legal services: uscis.gov, Find Legal Services.