Married couples allowance

Sunrise27

My father in law passed away in january and we have been sorting out his finances etc. 
We let the tax office know and my mother in law has received a very small tax refund. My father in law always thought he was a non tax payer but now I know more about his finances i have realised that his income was just slightly above the personal allowance , meaning he paid tax but we didn't realise 
A few years ago my Dad  who is also a pensioner and married was told he had to pay tax but i found out about married tax allowance that altered his tax code ( i think ) and meant he didn't have to pay tax, ( his only income was his pension the same as my mum ) should my  mother and father in law have been claiming married tax allowance and If so now my father in law has passed is there anything we can do ,? 

Alter_ego

Perhaps you are referring to Marriage allowance? You can transfer part of non taxpayers personal allowance to spouse.

p00hsticks

Alter_ego said:

Perhaps you are referring to Marriage allowance? You can transfer part of non taxpayers personal allowance to spouse.

Possibly, but if one or other of the couple was born before 6/4/1935 there is a more generous Married Couples Allowance

https://www.gov.uk/married-couples-allowance.

If we are talking about Marriage Allowance, then whether or not it would have been  beneficial would depend on the mother-in-laws income - if she receives enough pension to be paying tax herself then there is no point in applying. It would be her that would have had to apply to transfer some of her allowance to her husband.

According to the link here

https://www.gov.uk/marriage-allowance

she can still claim - even though her husband has since died - for tax years 2017-18 onwards.

She needs to phone the HMRC helpline

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/income-tax-enquiries-for-individuals-pensioners-and-employees#marriage-allowance

Sunrise27

Thank you p00hsticks that's exactly what I'm thinking of. Her only income was her pension and don't think she's a tax payer - pretty sure of it 
So would she possibly get some sort of refund?
My father in law was born in 1933 

sheramber

Sunrise27 said:

Thank you p00hsticks that's exactly what I'm thinking of. Her only income was her pension and don't think she's a tax payer - pretty sure of it 
So would she possibly get some sort of refund?
My father in law was born in 1933 

As he was born in 1933 then married couples allowance would be more  beneficial as per the link given above
https://www.gov.uk/married-couples-allowance.
I would think your father in laws executor or who ever is administrating his estate would have to apply for the allowance.

If you do not fill in a Self Assessment tax return each year

Contact HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) with details of your:

• marriage or civil partnership ceremony
• spouse or civil partner - including their date of birth

The best time to phone HMRC is as soon as the lines open. You can try dialling a few minutes beforehand as often the phones are answered by staff who start early.
If not, you will be at the front of the queue when they do open.