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Income Tax

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Income Tax is tax on your taxable income. Your taxable income has to be over a certain level to be taxed. There are allowances and reliefs you may be able to claim on your taxable income that could reduce your Income Tax bill.

What is counted as taxable income?

Most types of income will be added together to calculate how much tax you must pay. Some forms of income are not taxable and are not taken into account when calculating whether you have to pay tax.

Income that would be taxed includes:

  • earnings from employment and self-employment
  • interest from savings (excluding Individual Savings Accounts, ISAs)
  • most pensions income
  • State Pension
  • contributory Employment Support Allowance
  • income from shares (dividends)
  • rental income
  • income paid to you from a trust.

Income that is not taxable includes:

Contact HM Revenue & Customs (see 'Useful website') for further information about which types of income are taxable and which are non-taxable.

Allowances for 2010/11

Your tax allowance(s) represents the amount of income you can receive without paying tax. Everyone is entitled to a personal allowance and some people are entitled to other allowances as well. You cannot be ‘paid’ any unused allowance.

The main allowances are listed below and then described. The higher allowances for people of 65 and over may be reduced if someone’s gross income is more than £22,900.

Civil Partnerships were introduced in December 2005. Same sex couples who register a civil partnership are now treated in the same way as married people for Income Tax purposes.

 Allowances for 2010/11
 Personal allowance Age under 65 £6,475
Age 65-74 £9,490
    Age 75+ £9,640
Married Couple’s Allowance One or both aged 75 and over £6,965
Minimum amount of Married Couple’s Allowance £2,670
Blind person’s allowance £1,890
Income limit for age-related allowance £22,900

opens link in new window Download our Income Tax factsheet (PDF 212 KB)

opens link in new window Download Planning for retirement: money and tax factsheet (PDF 275 KB)

See information relating to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
Age UK Advice:
0800 169 6565
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        Downloads

        What is a download?

        A download is a document (like a research report, a leaflet, or an application form) that can be transferred from our website to your computer. You can download a file, view it on your screen, print it, or save it to your computer.

        What is a PDF?

        PDF stands for ‘portable document format’.

        Most downloads on this website are PDFs. We use this format to ensure that the document looks the same on everyone’s computer (website pages, by contrast, appear differently depending on how people have got their computer set up).

        How do I download a PDF?

        Computers use a program called Adobe Acrobat Reader to download PDFs. If you try clicking on a link to download a PDF and it doesn’t work, you will need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader onto your computer.

        How do I install Adobe Acrobat Reader?

        The process is quite straightforward and is free.

        1. Go to opens link in new window http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/
        2. Click ‘Download’.
        3. Wait for the window to offer you the option to ‘Run’, then choose this option.
        4. Click ‘Next’.
        5. Click ‘Install’
        6. Wait for the window to offer you the option to ‘Finish’, then choose this option.

        How do I change a download?

        PDFs cannot be changed. If you need to be able to type into a downloaded document (for example, if we are offering a letter template that you need to put your name on) we will provide it as a Microsoft Word document rather than a PDF. You can then download it, type into it and save it to your computer.

        How do I print or save a download?

        Downloads will open on your computer in a new browser window.

        Inside this window (below all your web browser menus), there will be a toolbar with options for you to print or save the document.

        Close the browser window to return to the Age UK website.

        Can my screen reader read PDF downloads?

        We have made every effort to make our PDFs accessible to screen readers. Here is an overview of your accessibility options available in Acrobat Reader. Please ensure that you have downloaded the latest version of Acrobat Reader from the Adobe Reader website to ensure that they are included in your version of the programme.

        You can use Adobe Reader to read a PDF out loud with the following shortcut keys:

        • Read the document: Shift +Ctrl+Y
        • Read the open page only: Shift +Ctrl+V
        • Read to the end of the document: Shift+Ctrl+B
        • Pause: Shift+Ctrl+C
        • Stop Shift+Ctrl+E

        You can also convert a PDF into a web page by following these steps:

        • Copy the URL (web address) of the document (right-click on the link and select ‘Save target as’ or ‘Copy link’).
        • Open the Adobe online conversion tool in your browser and paste the URL into the URL box.
        • Tick the HTML box on the Format option and click ‘Convert’.

        You can convert a PDF document into a text file for use with other software and hardware such as Braille printers by opening the PDF and choosing ‘Save as text’ from the File menu.

        Useful website

        • HM Revenue & Customs help ensure that the money is available to fund the UK's public services. They also provide targeted financial support to families and individuals. Visit their ‘Contact us’ section to enquire about taxable income.

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