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Tax relief on Spouse's Pension

YBR
Posts: 751 Forumite


I work full time and am a higher rate tax payer; my spouse is a stay-at-home-parent whose only income is Child Benefit.
I pay into my spouse's Stakeholder pension out of my income, and have read that I can claim Tax relief but at my spouse's rate not mine i.e. Basic rate not higher.
How do I do this - I have had to do Self-assessment tax returns the last few years but I can't remember seeing fields to enter the information into.
Would it mean doing a Tax return for my spouse also?
I pay into my spouse's Stakeholder pension out of my income, and have read that I can claim Tax relief but at my spouse's rate not mine i.e. Basic rate not higher.
How do I do this - I have had to do Self-assessment tax returns the last few years but I can't remember seeing fields to enter the information into.
Would it mean doing a Tax return for my spouse also?
Decluttering awards 2025: 🏅🏅🏅🏅⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️, DH: 🏅🏅⭐️, DD1: 🏅 and one for Mum: 🏅
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Comments
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She will pay 2880 into the pension, they don't worry about where the money comes from. It was automatically be made up to 3600, no input needed from youNo.79 save £12k in 2020. Total end May £11610
Annual target £240000 -
I pay into my spouse's Stakeholder pension out of my income, and have read that I can claim Tax relief but at my spouse's rate not mine i.e. Basic rate not higher.
Hopefully you are not paying in more than the maximum £2880 allowed for someone who is not earning more than £3600.
It is your wife who claims the tax relief, not you as it is her pension. The Stakeholder pension company would have claimed basic rate tax relief of £720 automatically on a payment of £2880 to make the total gross amount of £3600 into the pension. This can be done annualy, evey new tax year.0 -
I pay into my spouse's Stakeholder pension out of my income, and have read that I can claim Tax relief but at my spouse's rate not mine i.e. Basic rate not higher.
How do I do this - I have had to do Self-assessment tax returns the last few years but I can't remember seeing fields to enter the information into.
Would it mean doing a Tax return for my spouse also?
Either the article you read was incorrect, or possibly you misread it? Either way, you can't claim tax relief of any sort for pension contributions made to a pension other than your own. As others have already pointed out, the pension provider will claim relief on behalf of your wife (even if she is a non-taxpayer) and add it to her pension pot.0 -
Thanks for your replies. I have a much better understanding now.
Interesting to note you all assumed I'm the husband, the spouse being "she". Not the case, but that doesn't affect the answer.Decluttering awards 2025: 🏅🏅🏅🏅⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️, DH: 🏅🏅⭐️, DD1: 🏅 and one for Mum: 🏅0
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