I’ve been looking online for this information but can’t find it and have spent several days waiting on the phone to HMRC with no luck, so hoping someone on here can advise.
I’m the main earner in our family and my husband’s career has taken a backseat due to caring responsibilities. As such, he is earning well below the tax threshold (£12,570) and I successfully applied for marriage tax allowance. I’ve already received a rebate on previous years and a lump sum for this tax year through PAYE, plus my take home pay has risen by a nice little sum.
This year I was fortunate to be given a small pay rise, and I’ve only just realised this has now taken me into 40% tax. I used a calculator and for 2023/24 I will essentially be £240 over into 40% tax band for the whole year. So really tiny amount.
Does this mean I need to stop my marriage tax allowance?
Is there an option to pay into my private SIPP pension to take me out of the 40% tax bracket? How would that work when the tax saving is given in cash (I put £20 in and they put £5 in)? I can’t pay more into my employer pension thus reducing my taxable income because it’s a defined benefit scheme and I have to pay a set % of salary into it.
I do use the government childcare scheme for a couple of after school club sessions a week, and again, I put £20 in, government put £5. Does this count?
Is there anything else I can use to reduce my taxable income?
Thank you