- Monday, March 10, 2025
By: Kimberly Rodrigues
On this Valentine’s Day, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) the UK’s tax authority, is spreading love and encouraging married couples and those in a civil partnership to enroll for the Marriage Allowance.
Married couples are being urged to give the gift of savings by enrolling for the Marriage Allowance, which could lead to a yearly savings of up to £252 for the husband, wife, or civil partner.
At present, over 2.1 million couples are reportedly taking advantage of the benefits of Marriage Allowance, however, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) believes that many more couples may be eligible but are unaware of it.
This is especially the case for couples where one partner has retired, taken on caring responsibilities, or is unable to work due to a long-term health condition.
According to HMRC, to be eligible for the Marriage Allowance, a couple must meet the following criteria:
Individuals earning less than £12,570 per year can transfer up to £1,260 of their Personal Allowance to their higher-earning partner, thereby reducing the amount of tax they pay.
It’s also possible to backdate the claim to include any tax year up to April 6, 2018, potentially yielding up to £1,242 in tax relief.
According to the GOV UK site, if your partner has died since 5 April 2018, you can still claim by contacting the income tax helpline.
Your partner’s tax bill will be reduced depending on the Personal Allowance rate for the years you are backdating.
Additionally, those who meet the eligibility criteria can apply for the Marriage Allowance at the GOV UK site at no cost, and they will be able to retain 100% of the benefits of the claim.
If the application is successful, it will result in a reduction of tax paid by the higher-earning partner.
Couples can also use the free Marriage Allowance calculator on the government site to check if they are eligible for the tax relief.
You can also calculate how much tax you could save as a couple. For this, you should call the income tax helpline if you receive other income such as dividends, savings, or benefits from your job.
You can also call the helpline if you don’t know what your taxable income is.
When you transfer some of your Personal Allowance to your husband, wife or civil partner you might have to pay more tax yourself, but you could still pay less as a couple, informs the GOV UK site.
Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Deputy Chief Executive and Second Permanent Secretary, is reported to have said, “We want every eligible couple to benefit from marriage allowance tax relief. Couples whose circumstances have changed – perhaps one of them has stopped working or taken a lower-paid job – may not realise they are entitled to claim.
“It’s easy to find out what you may be due – search ‘Marriage Allowance calculator’ on GOV.UK to get started. By applying on GOV.UK, rather than through a third party, you get to keep 100% of the tax relief due.”
Married Allowance can also be cancelled if a couple’s circumstances change. To find out what other Government support may be available, visit the GOV UK site and search ‘Help for Households.’
It’s important to note that the transfer of your Personal Allowance to your partner will occur annually until you cancel the Marriage Allowance. This transfer will only stop if there is a change in your income or if your relationship ends.
The Marriage Allowance is approximately 10% of an individual’s tax-free personal allowance. And the maximum amount that can be transferred to a husband, wife, or civil partner is dependent on the Personal Allowance for the current tax year.
Tax Year Marriage Allowance amount
2022/23 £252
2021/22 £252
2020/21 £250
2019/20 £250
2018/19 £238
