Newlywed - tax question

O

Outlaw

Guest
I have a question which I hope someone can help me with. I have tried phoning revenue, but can't get through to them. I have recently got married and am trying to find out what is the best thing to do regarding my tax situation. I have a "good salary" and would be paying the higher tax rate. My husband is disabled and is currently not working. He receives weekly disability benefit. I am worried that if we go to revenue and change being taxed as a married couple that he will lose his benefit. It is difficult enough for him not working at the moment and having me as the main earner, but I wouldn't want his benefit to be taken away from him.
Any advice would be appreciated!
 
My understanding of this type of circumstances are that you opt for joint assessment and you declare as the assessable spouse. You therefore claim all the credits for a married person. You will have to declare your husbands income. If he is on long term ie over a year the first 6 weeks is allowed tax free, the remaining is taxable. He is allowed a PAYE credit of 1270 p. a. This results is a very small tax bill.
In practice you have to pay this tax, you get the benefit of 2 PAYE credits and the marraige allowance. Revenue will issue you with a Tax certificate and deduct 20% amount of the Annual disability benefit (ie 46 weekly payments) in respect of the credits allowed and increase the cut off point by the full - Annual disability benefit (ie 46 weekly payments. Bit of a mouthfull and difficult to explain if you don't have a tax cert in front of you.
If you do declare for Joint assessment you (both) should be better off as you will be gaining the benefit of the marriage credit.
 
Thank for your reply - I will try to get in touch with Revenue and get this sorted out!
 
You will stay on individual taxation for the remainder of the tax year in which you got married and any refund of tax overpaid can be claimed by writing to them with copies of your P60s for that year and any other relevant details (e.g. date of marriage, marriage cert etc.). After that you can choose from one of the three type of married taxation with joint/aggregated normally the most beneficial for most couples - especially those where one spouse pays 20% tax and the other pays 42% when taxed individually. Revenue have a good [broken link removed] on this. There is no rush on this right now as I mentioned earlier.
 
However, Clubman, you should be aware that once the Revenue find out that you have got married, they will put you on joint assessment automatically for the following year,
unless you write in advance of the year starting and informing them otherwise.
 
Yes - but (a) they need to be notified by sending in a marriage cert etc. and (b) joint/aggregated assessment is normally the most beneficial treatment for most couples anyway.
 
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