Marriage Allowance Checker - Are You Owed £252/Year?

About 1.7 million UK couples eligible for the Marriage Allowance don't claim it. Three quick questions tells you whether you're one of them — and how to get it (free, direct from HMRC).

3 quick questions

1. Are you married or in a civil partnership?

Cohabiting partners do not qualify, regardless of length.

2. Lower earner's annual income (£)Must be below £12,570 (the Personal Allowance) to qualify.3. Higher earner's annual income (£)Must be a basic-rate taxpayer to qualify (£12,571-£50,270 UK; £12,571-£43,662 Scotland).

Higher earner lives in...

How many backdated years to include?4You can backdate up to 4 tax years. After 5 April 2027, the 2022/23 window closes.

Tell us if you are married or in a civil partnership

Marriage Allowance only applies to married couples and civil partners. Cohabiting partners do not qualify regardless of how long.

What the Marriage Allowance does

The Marriage Allowance lets one partner transfer 10% of their UK Personal Allowance (£1,260 in 2026/27) to the other. The higher earner's tax bill drops by £252/year. The lower earner gives up that slice of their allowance — usually harmless because they're below the threshold anyway.

For full eligibility detail, the worked example, the "lower- earner-makes-the-claim" mechanic and how to spot the M / N tax-code suffixes on your payslip, see our Marriage Allowance step-by-step guide and the tax code M / N explainer.

Disclaimer: PayslipIQ provides automated educational guidance based on the figures you supply. It is not regulated tax advice. The Marriage Allowance interacts with Self Assessment in some cases (e.g. one partner is self-employed); for unusual situations, contact HMRC on 0300 200 3300 or use a CTA-qualified tax adviser.