Marriage Allowance Calculator UK

Check if you and your partner qualify for the UK Marriage Allowance and see how much tax you could save — including backdating up to 4 years.

Check Your Eligibility
£
Must be below £12,570 to be the giver.
£
Must be a basic-rate taxpayer to be the receiver.
Number of previous tax years to also claim.
Eligibility Summary (2026/27)
  • You must be married or in a civil partnership (living together not enough).
  • The lower earner's income must be below the £12,570 Personal Allowance.
  • The higher earner must be a basic-rate taxpayer (typically £12,570-£50,270, or up to about £43,662 in Scotland).
  • Born on or after 6 April 1935 (otherwise Married Couple's Allowance is more generous).
Frequently Asked Questions

Marriage Allowance lets you transfer £1,260 of your Personal Allowance to your husband, wife or civil partner if you don't use all of it yourself. This reduces their tax bill by up to £252 per tax year. It is available in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland (where the saving may differ slightly due to Scottish income tax bands).

You can claim if all of the following apply: 1) you are married or in a civil partnership; 2) you (the lower earner) have income below the Personal Allowance (£12,570 in 2026/27); 3) your partner pays income tax at the basic rate (income between £12,570 and £50,270, or up to about £43,662 in Scotland). You cannot claim if either of you pays higher or additional rate tax.

Yes. You can backdate your claim by up to 4 tax years if you were eligible in those years. For 2026/27, that means you can claim for tax years 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 as well. Backdated claims are paid as a tax refund — potentially over £1,000 in total.

Apply free of charge via GOV.UK at gov.uk/marriage-allowance. The lower-earning spouse makes the application. Beware of third-party sites that charge a fee — HMRC never charges to process a Marriage Allowance claim. Once granted, the allowance auto-renews each year unless you cancel it.

No, Marriage Allowance only affects income tax. It does not affect tax credits, Universal Credit, State Pension or any other benefits. The transfer happens via your tax code: the lower earner gets a reduced Personal Allowance (and code), and the higher earner gets an increased one.
Top Tips
Apply free via GOV.UK

Use gov.uk/marriage-allowance — never use third-party sites that charge a fee.

The lower earner applies

You'll need both partners' National Insurance numbers and a Government Gateway login.

Backdate to maximise savings

If eligible for previous years, claim up to 4 years back for a tax refund.

Auto-renews each year

Once granted, it renews automatically until you cancel or circumstances change.

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