Jo Plews and her husband and daughter are posted in Canada for three years. With employment being quite difficult to secure or low paid, Jo decided that applying for the Marriage Tax Allowance seemed the logical thing to do. Here she explains the process…


“I had heard about the Marriage Tax Allowance a few times but never did anything about it as didn’t think we qualified. However, looking into it and realising how easy it was to do, I wish I’d done it sooner and now tell everyone about it,” said Jo. “It was so easy and within a couple of weeks, the backdated money was in the bank!” 

Are you eligible?
To benefit as a couple (married or civil partnership), you as the lower earner, must have an income of £11,850 or less. Your spouse must earn between £11,850 – £46,350 (£43,430 in Scotland).

How does it work?
You opt to transfer ten per cent of your annual tax allowance to them. This reduces their tax code by £238 in a tax year (previous years may differ).

How do you make a claim?
The process can be done online in a few minutes at gov.uk/marriage-allowance

A few personal details are needed. National Insurance numbers for both parties, a verification document number such as passport and a UK address to send the cheque to.

The current year’s tax code is amended, and the previous year’s rebate is sent via a cheque. Once established the allowance request will run until it is cancelled.

Timescales
You can backdate your claim to include any tax year since 5 April 2015 that you were eligible.

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