Personal tax allowance

For tax year 6 April 2023 to 5 April 2024 the standard Personal Allowance for tax purposes is £12,570.

For example, Fred has earned an income of £15,000 in the current tax year and is entitled to the full Personal Allowance of £12,570. What this means is that Fred only pays income tax on £2,430 of his earnings. This is calculated by deducting the Personal Allowance from his earned income, which is £15,000 - £12,570.

In some circumstances you may be entitled to the Marriage Allowance. This lets you transfer £1,260 of your personal allowance to your husband, wife or civil partner. This could reduce their tax by up to £252 in the tax year.

To benefit from this, the lower earner must have an income below the Personal Allowance.

The good news is that you can backdate your claim to include any tax year since 5 April 2017 for any years in which you were eligible for the Marriage Allowance.

[Only applicable to England & Wales]

For more information including the rules for Scotland see Marriage Allowance.