Update from the Carer Support Team
“ It ’ s great being able to help people feel better , simply by talking their problems through , straightening out their confusion and putting them in touch with the right people .”
Bev Wells , Adult Carer Support Worker
Blind Persons Allowance
If you ’ re certified blind and are on a local authority register of blind persons , or if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland and are unable to perform any work for which eyesight is essential , you can claim Blind Person ’ s Allowance .
If you can ’ t use up some or all of your allowance you may be able to transfer it .
How Blind Person ’ s Allowance works Blind Person ’ s Allowance is added to your tax-free Personal Allowance - so is an extra amount of income you can get each year without paying tax . If you are on a low income or even if you don ’ t pay any tax you may be able to transfer your Blind Person ’ s Allowance to your spouse or civil partner - see the section on transferring further on .
Additionally if both you and your spouse or civil partners qualify for
Blind Person ’ s Allowance you can each get an allowance .
Level of Blind Person ’ s Allowance Blind Person ’ s Allowance for the tax year 2013-14 is £ 2,160 - there are no age or income restrictions .
So if , for example , you ’ re 58 , registered blind with your local authority and have :
»» An annual salary of £ 12,000
»»
A Personal Allowance of £ 9,440
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Blind Person ’ s Allowance of £ 2,160
You only need to pay tax on £ 400 (£ 12,000 less the sum of £ 9,440 and £ 2,160 ).
How you get Blind Person ’ s Allowance If you think you may be able to claim Blind Person ’ s Allowance contact HM Revenue & Customs ( HMRC ) on the priority telephone number 0845 366 7887 . Lines are open from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm , Monday to Friday and 8.00 am to 4.00 pm , Saturday .
Transferring your Blind Person ’ s Allowance to your spouse or civil partner
If your tax bill isn ’ t high enough to use up all of your Blind Person ’ s Allowance you can ask HMRC to transfer any unused allowance to your spouse or civil partner . To do this :
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Complete form 575 ‘ Notice of transfer of surplus income tax allowances ’
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Call HMRC on 0845 366 7887 Lines are open from 8am to 8pm , Monday to Friday and 8am to 4pm , Saturday .
If you are making a claim to get tax back on a form R40 you can also request form 575 by ticking the appropriate box .
If you don ’ t pay tax and your spouse or civil partner does you can still transfer your unused allowance to them .
If you claim Married Couple ’ s Allowance you can to transfer this allowance to your spouse or civil partner at the same time .
6 Care for the Carers