fbpx

Here’s How to Determine Your Eligibility for Marriage Tax Allowance

meeting

Here’s How to Determine Your Eligibility for Marriage Tax Allowance

Introduced in April 2015, the Marriage Tax Allowance is a perk that is available to both married couples and civil partners who are living together. While it’s not the most generous tax perk on the books,  you can use it to boost your spouse’s income, for example if they’re a stay-at-home parent.

Read on if you want to learn more about the Marriage Tax Allowance and how you and your spouse can determine your eligibility for it.

Understanding the Marriage Tax Allowance 

While the personal allowance permits you to earn up to £12,570 tax-free annually, the marriage tax allowance allows you to make up to £1,260 in presents to your spouse or civil partner.

If your spouse’s income exceeds yours, you can transfer £1,260 of your personal allowance to them. With this arrangement, it might even be possible for you to save up to £252 in taxes.

The Terms and Conditions

The annual income of your partner must be less than £50,270 (or £43,662 in Scotland). However, you must also be a non-taxpayer, which implies your yearly income is less than the current personal limit of £12,570. Additionally, you and your spouse must both have been born after April 6, 1935.

Aside from the current year’s allowance, you may file a claim for up to four years in the past.

When the current tax year’s formula is utilized, a tax break of up to £1,220 is achievable (bear in mind that the maximum amount you could claim was lower in previous tax years).

Eligibility for a Married Allowance

To be eligible for marriage allowance, you must first be married or in a civil partnership. This means that simply living together is not enough. For a couple to have better chances at claiming married allowance, one of them must earn less than the personal tax allowance of £12,570. Then, the other must be a basic-rate taxpayer (earning less than £50,270/£43,662 in Scotland).

Making the Claim

Through the previous years, the annual marriage tax allowance has been progressively increasing and benefitting legal couples greatly.

In the most recent times, the annual marriage tax allowance is £252 for the tax year Beginning April 6, 2021 and ending April 5, 2022. This also means that claims must be filed for the fiscal year 2017-18 by April 5, 2022.

Receiving Past-Marriage Benefits

If this is your first time taking advantage of the tax break, don’t be concerned. Couples can claim backdated benefits for up to four years, earning them more than £1,000 each.

The Marriage Allowance Application (Online)

Individuals with the lowest earnings are encouraged to apply for the marriage allowance.

To start your application for a marital allowance, you must first give certain personal information. You must submit your NIN and your companion’s identification. These may also include particulars from your self-assessment tax return or P60.

You will then be asked questions about your eligibility. Afterwards, you will next be prompted to log into or sign-up an account for the government gateway website. If this is your first time using the gateway site, creating sign-in credentials is simple.

Once registered, you can fill out a quick application and request that your claim be backdated. Although, note that you can only claim prior years’ marriage allowance if you meet the eligibility requirements. You cannot apply for relief retrospectively if you have recently married.

At the end of your application, wait 24 hours for confirmation.

Conclusion

With this added knowledge of conjugal taxes, you and your partner or spouse can reap more benefits from the government. As such, the Marriage Tax Allowance is definitely something worth looking into. It can be helpful as you assess your finances in the long run, especially if you’re looking to save up for a new home or property, or raise a child. Essentially, it simply allows you to build a better life with your spouse!

Do you want to learn more about marriage tax refund in the UK? The Tax Refund Calculator can help you figure out how much money you’ll get back from the IRS, and more. Use our free calculator today to find out how much you can claim!