Do you have to tell tax authorities you are married?

[Flyonthewindscreen]

I thought not as women are taxed as individuals and not as part of a married couple. However I had to phone the tax office helpline with a query re registering as self employed and the advisor picked up on two surnames coming up for my NI number. I explained that I have never used my married surname for work purposes and therefore have always paid tax under my own surname but received tax credits at one point (still get child benefit) and got those under my married name.

The advisor seemed to think it was a bit dubious and said she thought it was better if I was down as my married name on all tax records. Anyway she aked for my husband's NI number, I went to get it with the phone in one hand and managed to cut her off. I phoned back, spoke to a different advisor who just said "oh, yes, I can see we have both names here" but didn't seem bothered.

Should I have told tax office I was getting married if I wasn't intending to change my name for work purposes? I have been married over 10 years now!

I think that, by claiming tax credits/child benefit under one name and paying tax under another, you got flagged as a possible fraud. In that sense the first person has a point... pick one name for financial/tax/benefit matters so they don't get confused. But, more generally, yes HMRC likes to know your marital status - it's a question on the self-assessment form - and it's not really an issue if you have a different surname to your husband.

Yes, I suppose I can see how it might have looked a bit dodgy but if they check my income tax records they can see that I earned the income I claimed I did on my tax credits claim. I never set out to deceive, I assumed my NI number linked my married and maiden names.

I was always annoyed in the past that the information I painstakingly provided on my tax return was totally ignored by the Tax Credit department and that they only went on the information provided on their claim form i.e. I had to send it all over again. I would assume therefore that they have not done anything as sensible as check your income tax records. Instead someone has made a simplistic cross-reference, found two names (two records, two accounts) operating on the same NI out of the same address, and decided to check it out.