Marriage Allowance Calculator 2026/27

Check whether you can transfer 10% of one partner's Personal Allowance to a basic-rate-paying spouse — worth up to £252/year.

Last updated: May 2026 · 2026/27 rates

Both incomes

£

Must be at or below £12,570 to transfer.

£

Must be a basic-rate taxpayer (between £12,570 and £50,270).

You qualify for Marriage Allowance

£252.00/year

Tax saved by transferring £1,260 of Personal Allowance to the higher earner.

How to claim

  1. The lower earner makes the claim at gov.uk/marriage-allowance.
  2. HMRC reduces their Personal Allowance by £1,260 and increases the higher earner's by the same.
  3. The higher earner's tax code changes (typically to one ending in "M"); the lower earner's ends in "N".
  4. You can backdate up to 4 previous tax years if you were eligible — up to £1,008 in retrospective savings.
Annual claim: Once set up, Marriage Allowance auto-renews each year until you cancel or your circumstances change (income rises into higher rate, divorce, death of a spouse).

About Marriage Allowance

Marriage Allowance is for married couples and civil partners where one partner earns below the Personal Allowance and the other is a basic-rate taxpayer. Both criteria must be met:

  • The transferor earns ≤ £12,570 (or has no taxable income).
  • The recipient earns between £12,570 and £50,270 — i.e. pays tax at the 20% basic rate.
  • You must be legally married or in a civil partnership (cohabiting doesn't count).

In Scotland the recipient can also be a starter, basic or intermediate-rate taxpayer (income up to the higher-rate threshold of £43,662).

The transferor sacrifices £1,260 (10% of the £12,570 Personal Allowance) which is added to the recipient's tax-free amount.

If the recipient is a basic-rate taxpayer, that's £1,260 × 20% = £252 per year in tax saved. The transferor only loses tax-free income they weren't using anyway.