Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to increase uptake of the marriage allowance.

Marriage Allowance was introduced in April 2015, to recognise the importance of marriage in the tax system, and support those on low incomes by helping them keep more of the money they earn.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) ran a number of advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the savings Marriage Allowance can bring to eligible couples. The first campaign ran between October 2015 to March 2016, and the second between November 2016 to March 2017. A variety of channels were used including press, radio adverts, and digital advertising.

2.8 million couples have successfully claimed Marriage Allowance since its introduction. In 2018-19, eligible couples can receive a tax reduction of £238, or £900 if they make a backdated claim to 2015-16. Couples who have yet to claim will not lose out as they have until 5 April 2020 to backdate it. Marriage Allowance can be claimed through the personal tax account, on the GOV.UK website, or by telephone to HMRC.