Ask Jasmine 5: “Can I recover marriage allowance?”

Hiya Jasmine, 

Can you please advise; I spotted an advert on Wales Online’s news feed a few weeks ago telling me I could be eligible for a married man’s allowance tax rebate. I filled in some forms online but did not give my authority to get any potential rebate on my behalf, they came back and told me I was entitled to about £1200,00 and if I gave them my authority they would pursue the marriage allowance rebate for me. 

On checking the small print, it seems they take about 40% or more for doing the job. 

They’ve been chasing me ever since for my ok to go for it. If this is legit, is there any reason I can’t recover the money direct from HMRC myself? And if so, how? 

Thanks in anticipation. 

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Hi there, 

Unfortunately, there are numerous companies who are offering their services to claim your marriage allowance on a commission basis, when in fact claims can be made at no cost to the applicant. I am very impressed that you took the time to read the small print. 

I have over £10,000 in a Halifax Savings Account, and the interest is still showing on my statements as 0.01%. Surely this can’t be right, as I know the Bank of England has increased interest rates this year? 

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Hi there, 

Good to hear from you. I know what you mean – it does seem very unfair to give you such a low interest rate. 

However, the bank isn’t tied to any particular rate. Many banks and building societies increase their interest rates as the Bank of England raises the base rate, but only if they want to attract more money from customers. Other institutions may have enough money to lend out so they don’t make it more attractive. There’s no law that says they have to raise or lower rates, unless they have a product that is specifically linked to the Bank of England base rate. 

The thing for you to think about here is whether you want to stay with the Halifax. You might want to move to a bank that is offering a better rate, although there is not a lot to choose from!  

All the best. 

Hello Jasmine, 

Your MISS MONEYSAVER page in the Saturday Daily Mail is most useful and as you state – ‘Got a question?’. Yes, I have, and trust you can assist. I work, my wife does not. For this tax year 2022/2023, she has transferred 10% of her personal tax allowance to myself. 

In a recent copy of the Daily Mail, an article about tax cuts states, “[Liz Truss] wants an expansion of marriage tax-break rules to allow couples to transfer their full income tax allowances to the earning partner.” 

Can you comment on the implications of this? Would I receive the whole of her current £12,570? 

Thank you for your time. Regards. 

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Liz Truss has indeed said she wants to review family tax and tax allowances. As you rightly say, currently anyone who is married or in a civil partnership who earns less than the current tax threshold of £12,570 can transfer 10% of their tax allowance to their partner. Liz Truss wants to look at allowing people to transfer or share the whole of their tax allowance, which would indeed – theoretically – mean that you would be able to use all of your wife’s tax allowance, as she does not work. 

However, I must stress that this proposal lacks detail. I have looked at a number of sources and read interviews with Ms Truss and it is unclear to me whether this is a benefit she thinks should be available to anyone who is married or in a civil partnership, or whether it will be restricted to those who are parents and carers. She has been quoted as saying that people should not be penalised for looking after children or elderly relatives, which would imply this is a family tax pledge. 

We will watch this story as it develops and update the MoneyMagpie website with the latest information, if and when it becomes available. 

I have spoken to a couple of professionals (a tax specialist and an accountant), who think this is a very good idea, so let’s hope, if she wins, she is true to her word and that it benefits everyone. 

Kind regards. 

Dear Jasmine,

Recently I read the article regarding how you help a lady to get her money back. I am in the same situation, though I paid on my debit card not credit card.

On the 4th April 2017 I purchased my funeral plan for the sum of £3,595.00 which of course will now not be paid when I eventually depart from this mortal coil.

My question is, can you help or would it be better going through my bank – Santander – on this matter, in hopes that I can get my money back?

I am an 80yr old widow and I purchased this plan in good faith, so that my daughter would not have the worry of trying to pay for a very small funeral.

Please advise if there is anything I can do. 

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I am sorry to read about your situation. You are correct, I was able to help the lady you read about as she paid using her credit card and her payment was therefore covered by the Consumer Credit Act. 

You do, however, have a few options available to you. As you suggest, you can try contacting your bank to see if they can offer any help or advice. You could also make a claim as a creditor to FRP Advisory; however Safe Hands have stated they do not have the funds to provide full refunds. But they are exploring the possibility of transferring funeral plans to an alternative provider. Otherwise, you might only get 10-20% of your original payment back.  

You should have had a letter with the details on how to claim as a creditor? If you haven’t received the letter, you can phone the administrators on 0800 640 9928 or email safehands@frpadvisory.com. 

Kind regards. 

Dear Jasmine, 

I have enjoyed reading your columns over the last two weeks and both have struck a chord with me and my wife… so thank you. 

Can I please pick your brains? We were subject to a flight cancellation on June 17 with Aegean Airlines, and have submitted a claim under EU 261 for flight cancellation redress. 

It has now been more than 6 weeks since its submission to Aegean headquarters in Athens, and despite a 30-minute hold and 5-minute conversation being reassured the claim is being processed, we have not heard or received anything. 

What would you do with an overseas provider? 

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Aegean should have issued your refund by now, although I have seen reports of refunds taking up to 60 days.