Celebrate in Liverpool Liverpool Wedding Guide 2023 | Page 20
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Why get
hitched?
WHY LEGALISING A RELATIONSHIP
IS STILL THE BEST EVER FINANCIAL MOVE
ADVANTAGES
• You will not be entitled to a widow’s or partner’s pension benefit
or a share of their pension from the state if you’re not in a legally
recognised relationship
• Most employers’ pension schemes automatically pay a pension
to a surviving partner. If you’re not a legally recognised partner,
the trustees of the pension scheme may decide otherwise
• If a partner has free life insurance from their employer a surviving partner is likely
to benefit when they die. For non-recognised partners, this will apply only where a
partner has remembered to nominate the other to receive their benefits
• Gifts that would normally attract Capital Gains Tax when they are given away or
sold – such as shares or property – are not subject to this tax when they are handed
between legally recognised partners. Non-recognised couples are liable to pay CGT
on their gifts
• … and finally, as the law now stands, you may not be permitted to register the
death of your partner if you are not married to them, or have not registered your
partnership, at the time of their death.
Maybe it’s not the most romantic reason for getting married or registering a partnership,
but you and your partner could gain big financial rewards if you legalise the relationship –
or risk losing your home if you don’t.
If someone dies leaving more than £325,000, including the value of any property he or she
owns, inheritance tax has to be paid on their estate (figures correct as of February 2020).
Further information can be found at www.hmrc.gov.uk/inheritancetax. However, this
doesn’t apply to married couples or civil partners; gifts between husbands, wives and civil
partners are free of inheritance tax.
To be sure, we always advise couples to make a will once the ceremony is over (after the
honeymoon, of course!).
You can have a quiet, no frills, no fuss ceremony at the Register Office
if that’s what you would prefer.
If you wish, you can give notice of your intention,
wait 30 days, turn up at the Register Office with 2
witnesses, have a short ceremony, sign the register,
go back to work and tell nobody. There’s no need to
change names, no need to exchange rings and you
can hide your marriage or partnership certificate
away until the day you need it.
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Once you are married, or your partnership is
registered, you can relax in the knowledge that your
financial arrangements are in much better shape.
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