Marriage Allowance lets one partner transfer £1,260 of their unused Personal Allowance to the other, reducing the recipient's tax bill by up to £252 per year. It is available to married couples and civil partners where one earns below the Personal Allowance threshold.
Who Qualifies?
- You must be married or in a civil partnership
- One partner must earn less than £12,570 (or have no income)
- The other partner must be a basic rate taxpayer (income between £12,571 and £50,270)
- Higher rate taxpayers (above £50,270) cannot receive the allowance
How Much Do You Save?
How It Changes Your Tax Codes
How to Apply
Apply online at gov.uk/apply-marriage-allowance — it takes about 10 minutes. The lower-earning partner applies. HMRC then updates both partners' tax codes and the saving is applied automatically through payroll. You can also backdate for up to four previous tax years if you were eligible but didn't claim.
If one of you is self-employed: The Marriage Allowance still applies, but the saving is applied through Self Assessment rather than PAYE.
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