Who's Eligible?
You can claim if: you're married or in a civil partnership, one of you earns less than £12,570 (the personal allowance), and the higher earner pays basic rate tax only (earns less than £50,270).
Common Situations
One partner stays at home: The non-earner transfers £1,260 to the working partner = £252 saved. One partner works part-time under £12,570: Same saving applies. Both earn over £12,570: Not eligible — both are using their full allowance.
You can backdate claims for 4 years, potentially getting over £1,000 back. Apply at gov.uk/marriage-allowance.
Marriage Allowance: Who Benefits?
Marriage Allowance lets you transfer £1,260 of your personal allowance to your spouse or civil partner, reducing their tax bill by up to £252 per year. To qualify, the lower earner must earn less than £12,570 (the personal allowance), and the higher earner must be a basic rate taxpayer (earning less than £50,270). This benefit is frequently unclaimed — HMRC estimates millions of eligible couples miss out each year.
You can backdate your claim by up to four years, potentially receiving a lump sum of over £1,000. If you became eligible in the 2021/22 tax year and claim now, you receive the allowance for all years since then. The claim is made online through gov.uk and takes about 10 minutes. Once set up, it renews automatically each year until your circumstances change. Note that this is different from the Married Couple's Allowance (for couples where one person was born before 6 April 1935). Use our marriage allowance calculator to check your eligibility and potential savings.