The recent changes to the Married Couples Allowance for individuals born after 6th April 1935 will allow you to transfer some of your Personal Allowance to your partner. This update has not yet been put into effect and interested parties can register their interest on the Government website who willemail youwhen the changes are fully implemented.
Personal Allowance is the figure that you as an individual are able to earn before being taxed, currently £10,000 and increasing to £10,600 on the 6th April. If your income for the 2015/2016 tax year is less than your Personal Allowance you may be able to reduce your husband, wife or civil partner’s tax by up to £212 (10%).
This is positive news for couples where one of you has zero earnings or £1,060 or more of their Personal Allowance remaining – by utilising the new marriage allowance you can make full use of the initiative and claim back the £212.
Eligibility
In order to claim Marriage Allowance, the following conditions apply:
- You are married or in a civil partnership
- You have an annual income of less than £10,600 – including pensions, savings and investments
- Your spouse or civil partner has an annual income of between £10,601 and £42,385
- You are both born after 6th April 1935
The Married Couples Allowance
There is also an allowance for married couples where one or both of you are born before 6th April 1935. This allowance can reduce your tax bill by £314 to £816.50 a year. This can be claimed either through your annual tax return or, if you aren’t required to fill one you can contact HMRC and inform them with details of your marital date and the date of birth of both you and your partner.
To get advice on this update, contact your nearest office and speak to one of our specialist tax advisors.
