the £1,260 most couples never claim.
it's called Marriage Allowance. it takes about five minutes, you can backdate it four years, and almost nobody knows it exists. let's fix that.
quick gut-check: are you married or in a civil partnership, and does one of you earn a bit less than the other? if that's a yes, there's a decent chance HMRC owes you money — and has done for years.
the thing standing between you and it is a form. that's genuinely the whole obstacle. so here's how it works, in plain english, with zero spreadsheet energy.
the one-sentence version
Marriage Allowance lets the lower earner hand 10% of their tax-free Personal Allowance to the higher earner. that shifts some of your partner's income out of the “taxed” pile and into the “not taxed” pile. less tax paid, more money kept. that's it.
and because you can backdate up to four tax years, the first claim can land closer to £1,260 as a lump sum. real money, for one form.
are you eligible?
you'll usually qualify if all of these are true:
- you're married or in a civil partnership (just living together doesn't count, sorry)
- one of you earns under the Personal Allowance (£12,570) — so they're not using all of theirs
- the other earns somewhere in the basic-rate band (roughly £12,571–£50,270)
classic fits: one partner on a part-time or freelance income, on parental leave, studying, or between jobs. if that's been true for a few years, this is where the backdating really adds up.
how to claim it
you do this directly with HMRC — for free. never pay a company that offers to “claim it for you” and skims a cut; there's nothing they can do that you can't.
the lower earner applies
head to GOV.UK and search “Marriage Allowance.” the person giving away part of their allowance is the one who applies.
have two things ready
both your National Insurance numbers, and one ID for the applicant (a recent payslip, P60, or passport does the job).
tick the backdate box
this is the easy-to-miss bit. ask to backdate to earlier tax years you were eligible — that's where the lump sum comes from.
done — it auto-renews
once it's set up it carries forward each year. if your situation changes, you just cancel it. no annual admin.
the honest caveats
two quick ones, because we'd rather you heard them from us. if the lower earner's income creeps above the Personal Allowance, the maths can occasionally work out slightly against you — worth a 30-second check before you claim. and if either of you pays higher-rate tax, this particular allowance isn't for you.
for most couples with an income gap, though, it's free money sitting in plain sight. when steward launches, this is exactly the kind of thing we'll flag for you automatically — so you never leave it on the table again.
this is general information for a UK audience, not personalised tax advice — Steward isn't regulated by the FCA. figures reflect the 2025/26 tax year and can change. always double-check your own situation on GOV.UK or with a qualified adviser before you act.