Love, Marriage and Taxes

J

johndoe

Guest
Hi All,

This might seem like a strange query, but here goes. My partner and I are planning to elope next year (FYI: elope = get married in secret). Now, nobody else except for the marriage officer and two witnesses (we will pick them up on the day) will know we are married, and this is how we want to keep it, for about 5 or 10 years. Currently, we don't live together, but will be moving in together sometime soon after we marry. Apart from the other technical details which we are sorting out, we were wondering what are are legal requirements when it comes to taxation. Above all else, we want our wedding kept secret. That means declaring ourselves 'single' on government forms. We are getting married abroad. Are we gonna get in trouble by lying like this on the official forms?

Thanks,
JD.
 
Not being funny, but why would you lie on legal forms. No-one you know will know your private business?
 
I agree with Sunsparks.

You really should do it by the book in terms of legalities. Too dangerous otherwise in the event of something happening to either or both of you.
 
sun_sparks said:
Not being funny, but why would you lie on legal forms. No-one you know will know your private business?
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http://www.askaboutmoney.com//showthread.php?t=9291

This post says we can 'forget' to tell Revenue we are married, and therefore go for separate assessment. I am interested to hear from others who may have also forgotten (for 5+ years) to pass on this information.

ned_ie said:
Too dangerous otherwise in the event of something happening to either or both of you
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Something like what? We will still be in possession of a marriage certificate to prove we were married. Is this what you mean?
 
If you are going to declare yourselves single for tax purposes and you don't want anyone to know you are married, why are you bothering to get married in the first place ?
 
There are many more reasons to get married than tax benefits......
 
That's very true, but then why ask questions about the legal documents here.

The answers are clear:

Yes, you can declare yourselves single for tax purposes.

For other legal documents, it depends on the circumstances surely? So long as you're not lying, what's the problem? And if it's a Government document, no-one is going to be skywriting the news for all your friends and family to see...

 
is there not a legal requirement now in place to inform government that you are going to get married in 3 or 6 months?
 

From an income tax perspective there is no need to tell the taxman as you can simply remain as singly assessed.

If only one of you are working or one spouse is getting very small income or there are children, it would be worth your while telling the taxman that you are married.

Obviously for inheritance tax it would also be an issue but assuming you don't die together and as long as the other spouse is aware of the marriage there shouldn't be a problem.

You'd obviously have to disclose your marriage when buying a property.

I'm intrigued - why the secrecy?
 
if you are married you can both still retain tax treatment as single persons if you wish. as it is more beneficial to be treated as a married couple, the revenue automatically jointly assess people once notified of the marriage unless you elect otherwise.

there is no obligation to notify the revenue that you are married, so in your case you don't need to. however, if you were to try to claim benefits down the line while not disclosing your married situation (e.g. single parent benefits) you would be commiting fraud.
 
There are tax benefits in being married. Whether you tell them or not is your own business. It could mean you pay more income tax, and with the rules on claimimg back now favouring Revenue, you wont be able to claim back after 4 years. Mind you in reverse they can go back as far as they want.
 
Thanks all.

I mainly wanted to know that we would not be legally obliged to notify Revenue. I appreciate the insigt into the other issues that we hadn't thought of, ie. inheritance tax etc. We also don't plan on buying a place anytime soon.

As for why we are doing it in secret, we decided that spending 15K on a three week blowout holiday would be far nicer than paying a similar amount on giving our friends and families a day out and ourselves a big headache. We have been 'dating' for 6 years now, we know we will get married, everyone else expects us to get married, so we thought we'd do it ourselves, keep it secret and then enjoy the look on their faces when they realise that the party they thought was a long overdue engagement party is actually a 10 year anniversary party!

Seriously though, lots of people close to us got married or are getting married in the next 2 years and we have seen the stress that goes into making sure everyone else has a nice day. We'd rather channel our energy (and hard earned cash!) into making sure WE have a nice 3 WEEKS! It is great fun planning and organising it, but there are all these grown-up considerations we need to keep in mind since we can't consult our friends and family.
 
Johndoe

>>so we thought we'd do it ourselves, keep it secret and then enjoy the look on their faces when they realise that the party they thought was a long overdue engagement party is actually a 10 year anniversary party!<<

Does it bother you that some of your close family will probably be really angry with you?
 
Did something rather similar myself - me, my man and our daughter went off to Gretna Green - told no-one. Hubby pulled a couple off the street for our witnesses. Fantastic day!! Turned up at my in-laws 9 hours later with our wedding photos (extra £45 for same day collection) Had a big family gathering the following night paid for by my father-in-law.

Been married 4 years this August - still use my maiden name (for most things) and we're both taxed individually. No hassles with the tax man or the bank. Used my married name for house deeds.

Agree with a previous poster that the 'family' WILL be very p****ed off at the subterfuge.

Why not announce get both mums and dads together for a meal after your 'holiday' and drop the bombshell over a few bottles of wine!! They'll get over it a lot better than not knowing for 10 years!
 
annR said:
Does it bother you that some of your close family will probably be really angry with you?
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No, that wouldn't bother us in the least. It is our life, not theirs. Don't get me wrong, its not that they wont approve or anything, but in the end, us getting married is about US, not them. I am the last on my side, my partner is the first on their side to get married.

ACA said:
Why not announce get both mums and dads together for a meal after your 'holiday' and drop the bombshell over a few bottles of wine!! They'll get over it a lot better than not knowing for 10 years!
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Its a nice thought but it doesnt fit in with our rebellious streaks

We are at the stage in our relationship now where friends and family are expecting an announcement "any minute now". We feel that by keeping it our secret for a few years, it will be more special. We know its selfish, but then, why wouldn't it be, we are committing to each other, not all of our friends and family.
 
I know ye haven't lived together yet, so that might be something to do with your thoughts, but my fiance and I are planning our wedding at the moment. We've lived together now for 6 months, having been together for 7 years. Like you say, it is expected after a while.

However, for us getting married is about SHARING our day with our family and friends. It's a celebration of us starting a life together. Living together is OUR time. A day with those closest to us in not a sacrifice, but rather an excuse to party.

(And yes, there can be hassle associated with weddings, but you can put your foot down there if you wanted.)
 
It all sounds a bit childish TBH.
Do you really think it is that much of a big deal whether you get married or not to your friends?
Surely they have a life of their own to worry about!

On the taxation issue you can be assessed as single people no problem.
For official forms such as mortgage applications where it asks marital status I would imagine it is wrong to lie.
But then I hardly imagine the bank officials will feel cheated out of a big celebration when they find out you got married in secret!
 
Folks-please stick to the tax aspects of what the OP is proposing.

The issue of what to tell family/friends is best left for a separate thread, and possibly Shooting The Breeze.
 
LOL! It was getting a bit mad alright. I think everyone is different in their personal choices, and TBH we aint gonna change our mind based on the comments made on this forum or by anyone else. We've decided what we are gonna do and thats that.

My original worries are put to rest though and I thank ALL the contributors for their respective tupences. I was hoping we wouldn't have to make some sort of declaration or something WRT our taxes upon our return. I am happy to see that we wont. I understand that on any forms where it matters, ie. mortgage applications etc., we will need to actually tell the truth. My aim wasn't to go out of my way to lie (we'll be doing enough of that as it is!), but rather be as tight with the truth as possible.

Thanks again all for your thoughts and "best wishes"

JD
 
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