Married couples are being urged to check they are not missing out on up to £252 a year.

HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) is encouraging anyone in a marriage or civil partnership to spend 30 seconds to see if they can claim Marriage Allowance.

Marriage Allowance saves couples money by allowing the lower or non-earner to reduce the amount of tax their partner pays.

Most people have a Personal Allowance, normally £12,570 – the amount of income they do not have to pay tax on.

Marriage Allowance lets the lower earner transfer £1,260 of their Personal Allowance to their husband, wife or civil partner.

This can reduce their tax by up to £252 annually. If eligible, couples can also backdate their claim for the previous 4 tax years and receive a lump-sum payment worth more than £1,000.

To benefit from the tax relief, one partner must have income less than £12,570 and the higher earning partner’s income must be between £12,571 and £50,270 (£43,662 in Scotland).

Couples who may be unaware that they could claim include those where one partner is working and the other has income less than their personal allowance of £12,570, including those who: 

  • have retired
  • have given up work to care for children or elderly relatives
  • are unable to work because of long term health conditions
  • have a part time job
  • have a low paid job

HMRC have an online Marriage Allowance calculator that will quickly be able to tell you if you qualify for the boost that could be worth up to £252 a year.

Speaking last year, Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Deputy Chief Executive and Second Permanent Secretary, said:  “The Marriage Allowance calculator helps couples to find out in seconds how much they stand to benefit. Check today and claim right away. It’s a quick and easy process that’s worth up to £252 a year.

“Search ‘Marriage Allowance’ on GOV.UK for more information.”

Charlie Bethel, Chief Officer, UK Men’s Sheds, added: “If you have retired and your partner is still working, you may not realise that you could apply for Marriage Allowance.

“As a charity that brings retired men together, we are urging our members throughout the UK to invest the 30 seconds of time it takes to find out if they can claim.”