Being eligible for a marriage tax claim means that there is potential for you to get a tax discount and pay-out! This year, our law firm and its tax specialists have been focused on helping our clients understand if they could be eligible for this type of claim. Tax claims may seem a little complicated, but if you have a legal specialist on your side, they can help you understand how you could get a valid pay-out in a reasonable time. Our tax specialists will make sure to guide you through the tax claims process and speak to HMRC on your behalf. That way you can sit back, relax and wait your pay-out to be sent to you in the post.
Now, we have many blogs on the basics of marriage tax claims and PPI tax claims, however, we want to use this blog to try and answer some specific questions that you may have when you make a marriage tax claim. One of the biggest ones you may have is whether or not your claim could be affected by your job. The pandemic has seen us all go through some difficult times. Therefore, you may be feeling a little unsure about whether you are employed, are currently furloughed or perhaps are on the hunt for new employment.
Either way, our staff will be here to guide you throughout your claim with expert advice. So, why not get started with your claim today? Click the button below to visit our marriage tax claim page.
Can I make a marriage tax claim during the UK lockdown?
As the UK has just gone into its third lockdown, it is crucial that people stay home as much as they can and only go out for essential travel. This will hopefully prevent Covid-19 from spreading from person to person. Due to this lockdown, a number of non-essential retail providers have been forced to close until the government believes it is safe for them to re-open. This is why you may be wondering how Gowing Law Solicitors is still conducting business. Well, currently, all of our staff and legal specialists have actually been working remotely since April 2020. That’s why you will find that we have experienced no struggles or claims disruptions with this new lockdown. Instead we are focused on helping you sort out your claim to make sure you get a pay-out that you deserve.
How can Gowing Law Solicitors help you?
With that said, another fear you have about the current lockdown is that the lockdown will prevent you from having a valid marriage tax claim. You can’t leave the house and you may have too many private issues that requires more focus than a tax claim. However, if you do have the time to make a tax claim then we recommend that you work with us to make sure that you get a pay-out. Gowing Law Solicitors can keep in contact with you through phone calls, emails and video calls.
If we do require you to sign any paperwork then we can give you social-distancing help to make sure it is handled responsibly. However, for a marriage tax claim, you can rely on your solicitor to do all of the hard work for you. All you need to do is give them a few key details about your marital status and how much you earn/pay in tax and they can go forward with your claim! It’s that simple and only takes a few minutes to fill out marriage tax self-assessment. So, why not get started today? You can relax and stay at home and let our tax specialists do all the hard work to get you your money back.
What is a marriage tax claim all about?
Before we jump into whether or not your job will affect your marriage tax claim, let’s have a brief discussion about the basics of the claim itself. Marriage tax claims are also known as a tax break. Throughout your lives, you and your partner are going to be paying tax each year for public services, any businesses that you own and any additional welfare projects. A marriage tax claim will allow you to transfer over a small portion of your personal savings allowance to your partner (or vice versa) to receive a discount on the tax you pay. It may also entitle you to a refund of any excess tax that you (or your partner) has paid over the last few years.
What could make me eligible for a marriage tax claim?
Before we jump into whether or not your job could affect your marriage tax claim, there is one more thing we need to cover. That is your eligibility to have a successful tax break. There are three criteria that you need to fulfil if you are going have a claim. Keep in mind that you will need to be able to say yes to each of the criteria if you are going to have a valid claim. This includes paying a certain amount of tax.
Check out the infographic below to get an idea of how you could be eligible for a marriage tax claim:
As you can see, the tax you pay does play a big part in whether or not you could make a valid tax claim. The reason why you and your partner need to either pay no tax or basic tax is due to the fact that a PSA transfer needs to happen. The lower earner will most likely have an excess allowance that can be transferred to the basic tax payer, who has not gone over their allowance. The transfer will allow the higher earner to get a discount on their tax. They will even be allowed to backdate their claim for up to 4 years. Take a look below to get an idea of how much you could earn as an overall pay-out:
- £212: 2015-2016
- £220: 2016-2017
- £230: 2017-2018
- £238: 2018-2019
- £250: 2020-2021
Will my job status affect my marriage tax claim?
Now that you understand a little more about marriage tax claims, it’s important that we go back to the original question that you came to this blog to be answered: Will my job affect my claim? In this case, yes it could.
As you saw before, both you and your partner will need to fall into certain tax brackets. That way you can successfully make the claim. To be more specific, one partner will need to pay basic tax and the other must not be paying tax. That way the PSA transfer can be made without any problems. However, if one of the partners suddenly has a change in income, it is likely that this will change the amount of tax they pay. It is therefore likely that they may no longer be eligible to make a claim.
During this pandemic, many people have unfortunately lost their jobs or have been put on furlough in order to keep them in employment. That is why you may feel unsure about whether or not it is worth making a claim. If you are worried about how your sudden job change may affect your claim, it’s best to ask your legal counsel about it. They can let you know if it’s worth pursuing the claim or if it would be best to cancel it.
What should I do if my job status changes when I make my marriage tax claim?
Don’t panic! The changes may not affect your claim immediately. However it does depend on how far along it has gone. If HMRC has agreed on a pay-out, you will not have anything to worry about. Instead it will be sent out to you as planned. However, if your solicitor is still speaking with HMRC on your behalf and negotiating the pay-out, you may find that it changes depending on which tax bracket you have moved to.
It’s important to tell your solicitor as quickly as possible if your wage or tax bracket changes. This is because it could have an effect on your claim. The faster you tell your lawyer, the faster they can make alterations to your claim or let you know that they can no longer progress with the claim.
Can I make a marriage tax claim if I am self-employed or work on a zero hours contract?
Yes you can! Overall, the amount of wage you and your partner get will affect your eligibility to make a claim. However, if you pay basic tax and your partner does not then you could get a successful tax break. It doesn’t matter the type of job you have. You should be able to get a pay-out, as long as you and your partner fall into one of the tax categories. If you still feel a little uncomfortable about making a claim ask your solicitor for help. They can give you personalized advice. Our solicitors will make you feel comfortable before you decide to move forward with your claim.
Will I be able to make a claim if I am on furlough?
Yes! You should be able to. Although your furlough may have reduced your wage, you are still in employment. You signed a contract that shows how much you should be earning per year. Your claim can be based on your original pay. Therefore you can use your contract to show that you do fall into a certain tax bracket. Our solicitors can then move forward with your claim and work with HMRC on your behalf.
If your wage is constantly changing due to the pandemic, it is also worth bringing this up with your solicitor. You need to be able to prove that you fall into a certain tax bracket. That way you can claim the discount, so inform your lawyer of what is happening to you. They can advise you on the best way to proceed with the claim.
Gowing Law Solicitors can help you with your marriage tax claim
Here at Gowing Law Solicitors, we want to make sure that you feel comfortable. That way you will feel good about making a marriage tax claim. You may feel uncomfortable due to the pandemic and the lockdown. It’s completely understandable. Everyone has their own personal problems to contend with; that’s why we want to give you peace of mind when it comes to your tax claims. Our solicitors can offer you free advice and consultations to answer all of your questions. If you are happy to work with our lawyers, feel free to let us know! We can offer our legal services on a “no win, no fee” basis. That means you will never need to pay any hidden fees. Therefore, you will always come out on top.
If you are ready to speak to us about your claim, call us today on 0800 041 8350, email info@gowinglaw.co.uk or use our claims checker. From there, one of our legal specialists will get in contact with you. This will be as quickly as possible to help you claim your pay-out.
Learn more about marriage tax claims in our blog
Here at Gowing Law, we are extremely proud of our blog. We keep it updated with the latest content about legal claims, UK law and seasonal events. Our law firm’s blog talks about the basics of different tax and personal injury claims. You will find that we also write about important themed day to raise awareness of them. We also add content about our giveaways and firm updates. For instance, recently we have created a brand new set of advertisements. These are for our PPI tax claims and marriage tax claims. If you didn’t catch the advert, you can find it below:
We also write about our latest charity events and our brand ambassador (Michael Owen). Make sure to keep a close eye on our social media. That way you can see our latest giveaways, videos and company updates. You can find links to them at the bottom of this blog.
Gowing Law looks forward to seeing you in our next blog.
