# Reminder: Marriage Allowance can be backdated four tax years

> Tax · 12 April 2026

Canonical HTML: https://moneyguide.org.uk/news/marriage-allowance-claim-deadline-2026/
Markdown mirror: https://moneyguide.org.uk/news/marriage-allowance-claim-deadline-2026.md

## Summary

Couples claiming Marriage Allowance can backdate to 2022/23, worth up to £1,260 in total tax savings.

Marriage Allowance lets one spouse or civil partner transfer £1,260 of their Personal Allowance to the other, provided the recipient is a basic-rate taxpayer and the transferring partner has unused allowance. The saving is up to £252 a year.

Claims can be backdated four tax years, so a successful 2026/27 claim can also pick up the years 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 — total maximum saving over £1,200.

Applications are free at gov.uk. HMRC also issues warnings each year about copycat sites that charge a fee for the same service.

If your circumstances change — for example, one partner moves into higher-rate tax — you can cancel the allowance through the same online service.

## Related topics

- [/benefits-tax/](https://moneyguide.org.uk/benefits-tax/)
- [/family-life/](https://moneyguide.org.uk/family-life/)

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Independent UK money guidance from [Money Guide](https://moneyguide.org.uk). Information only — not regulated financial advice.