Present in the UK 3 years ago - Edge case

The AN application guideline states the following:

You must also check that you were physically present in the UK 5 years (3 years if
you are married to or in civil partnership with a British citizen) before the date that the
application will be received by the Home Office or other receiving authority (see
“Where to send your application form” in this guide). If you do not meet this
requirement your application is unlikely to be successful, unless you were in the UK
armed forces at that time.

Today is Saturday 22.09.2018 and my online application is good to go. The payment section is the only missing bit. My question is whether the HO will consider TODAY to be the reception date once I pay, or if they will consider MONDAY 24.09.2018 as the reception date. I am applying as the partner of a BC. Therefore, I am required to be present in the UK exactly 3 years before the reception date. The reason why I'm asking is because I left for Spain on 24.09.2015. If today's submission is considered to have a reception date on Monday, the HO might argue that I was not "present" in the UK 3 years ago just because I left the country that very day.

Any help will be appreciated!

A.

Your application date is the date you pay and submit your application. So if you pay on the 22nd and submit your application then that is the date. My advice wait a few days before submitting your application