Reducing your Income Tax

In this section:

Tax allowances at State Pension age
Personal Allowance
Blind Person's Allowance
Married Couple's Allowance
Maintenance Payments Relief
Making sure you've stopped paying National Insurance

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Tax allowances at State Pension age

Tax allowances at State Pension age

As you get older there are certain age-related allowances that can reduce your tax. Some are amounts of income that you don't have to pay tax on - others are amounts that reduce your tax bill. If you are certified blind and are on a local authority register of blind persons, or if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland and you are unable to perform any work for which eyesight is essential, you can claim Blind Person's Allowance.

Increased Personal Allowance from age 65

Nearly everyone who lives in the UK gets a 'Personal Allowance' that lets them have some tax-free income each year. The allowance may increase in the tax year of your 65th birthday, depending on your taxable income. But bear in mind that your Tax Office might not know your age unless you've told them or shown your date of birth on a tax return, claim form or form P161 'Pension Enquiry'.

Find out about increased Personal Allowance

Why it's important to fill in your Pension Enquiry form

Married Couple's Allowance (includes civil partnerships)

You can claim Married Couple's Allowance if you are married or in a civil partnership and at least on spouse or civil partner was born before 6 April 1935.

It's an amount that is taken off your tax bill - so you can only claim it if you pay tax. However, if your income isn't high enough to benefit from the allowance you can transfer the surplus to your spouse or civil partner.

Read about Married Couple's Allowance and how to claim

Maintenance payments relief

You can get an allowance to reduce your tax bill for maintenance payments you make to your ex-spouse or former civil partner if:

you or your spouse or civil partner were born before 6 April 1935
you're separated or divorced or the civil partnership has dissolved and you're making the payments under a Court Order
the payments are for the maintenance of your ex-spouse or former civil partner (provided they aren't now remarried or in a new civil partnership) or for your children who are under 21

More about Maintenance Payments Relief and how to claim

Blind Person's Allowance

If you're certified blind and are on a local authority register of blind persons, or if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland and are unable to perform any work for which eyesight is essential, you can claim Blind Person's Allowance. Like your personal allowance, this is an amount of income you can get without paying tax.

If you're married or in a civil partnership and you don't pay enough tax to use all the allowance, you can transfer any unused allowance to your husband, wife or civil partner, regardless of the state of their eyesight, if they pay tax.

More about Blind Person's Allowance