Martin Lewis says married couples will wake up to cheque worth £1,006

Martin Lewis has explained how married couples are waking up to a cheque worth over £1,000. The BBC Sounds and ITV star's team at Money Saving Expert have shared details of the Marriage Tax Allowance perk which can hand married couples handy cash.

MSE said: "Get a cheque for up to £1,006 when you claim the Marriage Tax Allowance. Claiming tax allowances isn't traditional Christmas fare, but it is a quick way for two million eligible couples not currently claiming to get an up to £1,260 tax refund - for many this will include a cheque for over £1,000.

"To get it, you need to first be married or in a civil partnership." Then, MSE says one needs to be a NON-taxpayer (earning under £12,570/yr) and the other needs to pay 20% basic-rate tax (earning £12,570 to £50,270/yr; applies to earnings of £12,570 to £43,662 in Scotland).

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MSE adds: "If eligible, the non-taxpayer can transfer 10% of the amount they can earn tax-free each year to the taxpayer, so they pay less tax. Better still, this can be backdated for up to four years if you were eligible then. Full help, pros and cons in claim £1,260 of Marriage Tax Allowance."

MSE said: "When will you get the cash? For this year's allowance, worth £252, the taxpayer's tax code is changed, so they pay less tax during the year. However, if you're eligible for backdating, worth up to £1,006, that's paid as a cheque or bank transfer taking around six weeks, so you could have it by early December."

Marriage Allowance lets you transfer £1,260 of your Personal Allowance to your husband, wife or civil partner. This reduces their tax by up to £252 in the tax year (6 April to 5 April the next year), HMRC explains on its website.