Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Marriage Allowance; and what plans they have to review that allowance.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Marriage Allowance was introduced in April 2015 to recognise the importance of marriage and civil partnerships in the tax system, and support those on low incomes by helping them keep more of the money they earn.
The Marriage Allowance is effective as it gives extra financial support to those couples eligible for it. In 2018/19, 1.78m couples benefitted from the Marriage Allowance which is worth up to £250 a year. The Marriage Allowance can be backdated to 2015-16 when it was introduced. This means eligible couples can claim a total of £1,150 if not claimed before.
As with all aspects of Government policy, the Marriage Allowance will be kept under review and any decisions on future changes will be taken as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people claimed the Marriage Allowance in the 2018–19 financial year; and what steps they are taking to increase the uptake of that allowance.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Marriage Allowance was introduced in April 2015 to recognise the importance of marriage and civil partnerships through the tax system, and support those on low incomes by helping them keep more of the money they earn. There were 1.78m claimants for the Marriage Allowance in 2018-19.
The Government has taken significant steps to encourage people to claim for the Marriage Allowance. HM Revenue and Customs ran a series of both free and paid-for marketing campaigns, which ran between October 2015 and March 2017, and continue to raise awareness through ongoing communication on social media and on GOV.UK. Marriage Allowance can be claimed through the Personal Tax Account on GOV.UK or by phone to HMRC. The Marriage Allowance can be backdated to 2015-16 when it was introduced. This means eligible couples can claim a total of £1,150 if not claimed before.