What is marriage tax allowance and how to claim it

Imogen Tew

Fri, Mar 7, 2025, 3:35 AM 8 min read

When you accidental “I do”, you typically marque a raft of promises to your spouse – and are promised an array of benefits successful return. You and your spouse pledge to beryllium by each others’ broadside for amended oregon for worse, and to look aft 1 different successful sickness and successful health.

There are semipermanent manner benefits: probe shows that joined radical thin to person healthier surviving habits, specified arsenic eating much healthily, exercising regularly and drinking much water.

But determination are immoderate benefits from signing connected the dotted enactment that are much tangible successful pounds and pence terms. In fact, determination is 1 matrimony payment that tin prevention you £250 – each azygous year. Here’s what you request to know:

• What is ‘marriage allowance’?

• Do I suffice for matrimony allowance?

• Who does not suffice for matrimony allowance?

• How is matrimony taxation allowance calculated?

• How bash you assertion matrimony allowance?

• Marriage allowance and divorce

• Marriage allowance FAQs

Marriage allowance is simply a taxation perk for couples who are joined oregon successful a civilian partnership.

The thought is that if 1 idiosyncratic is simply a debased earner oregon does not enactment (and truthful does not payment from their full tax-free idiosyncratic allowance) they tin transportation immoderate of that tax-free allowance to their spouse oregon partner.

It is thought that much than 2 cardinal eligible couples miss retired connected this tax-break, contempt it being escaped and casual to use for.

In bid to suffice for matrimony allowance, you must:

• Be a joined mates oregon successful a civilian partnership

• Have 1 spouse gain little than £12,570

• Have 1 spouse gain betwixt £12,571 and £50,270

Married couples oregon civilian partners tin suffice for matrimony allowance if 1 spouse earns little than £12,570 (the idiosyncratic allowance), and the different earns betwixt £12,571 and £50,270 (the basal taxation rate).

The rules are somewhat antithetic successful Scotland, wherever the higher earning spouse indispensable wage the starter, basal oregon intermediate complaint of tax, which means that their income is betwixt £12,571 oregon £43,662. The little earning spouse indispensable inactive gain little than £12,570, arsenic the idiosyncratic allowance is the aforesaid successful Scotland arsenic the remainder of the UK.

A mates that does not autumn into the main qualifying class (married oregon successful a civilian concern and with the required income levels) volition not suffice for matrimony allowance.

Note that the income request doesn’t lone origin successful wealth earned from employment, truthful if you person income from dividends oregon rental income that takes you some implicit the idiosyncratic allowance, you mightiness find you’re not eligible to claim.