Rumours had been swirling that Labour was set to fiddle with Income Tax in the upcoming Budget, with speculation mounting that tax brackets could be changed or that the percentage you pay could be altered.

Rachel Reeves is believed this week to have U-turned on those plans, fearing a fresh political backlash.

Whatever happens, right now, regardless of any changes from next April’s new tax year, there are some free allowances you can claim to shave money off your tax bill for the current financial year.

Depending on your situation, you could even boost your tax-free income up to £16,960, a significant increase from the standard £12,570 which has been in place now since 2021, and unless something changes, this is set to stay in place until at least 2028.

HMRC will allow you to claim extra tax-free Personal Allowance if you’re registered legally blind. You don’t need to be completely unable to see to be registered blind, just legally severely sight impaired (SSI).

Those who have registered as blind or SSI with their local authority can apply to HMRC to receive Blind Person’s Allowance. This is an extra £3,130 of tax allowance for the current 2025-26 tax year, and effectively means you can earn another £3,130 on top of your standard £12,570 without paying tax on it.

Earning, here, can also mean earnings from renting a property, not necessarily just normal PAYE salary. At 20% tax rate, you’d save approximately £616 in tax you no longer need to pay.

Then, if you’re married or in a legal civil partnership, you can combine the Blind Person’s Allowance with another HMRC tax scheme: Marriage Allowance.

Marriage Allowance allows you to transfer £1,260 of your Personal Allowance to your husband, wife or civil partner, giving them approximately £252 off their tax bill for the year.

If you’re eligible for Blind Person’s Allowance but your partner doesn’t earn more than £12,570, they can transfer their unused tax allowance to you, thus increasing your Personal Allowance by another £1,260, giving you a total tax free allowance of £16,960 when added to the Blind Person’s Allowance.

Alternatively, if you don’t work or earn enough to pay income tax, you can transfer your Blind Person’s Allowance to your partner, along with your Marriage Allowance, to give them the benefit of both of your allowances instead.

The government explains: “Marriage Allowance lets you transfer £1,260 of your Personal Allowance to your husband, wife or civil partner. Your Personal Allowance is the amount you can earn before paying tax.

“To benefit as a couple, you (as the lower earner) must normally have an income below your Personal Allowance – this is usually £12,570.

“Blind Person’s Allowance is added to your yearly Personal Allowance – the amount of money you can earn before you start paying Income Tax.

“You can transfer your Blind Person’s Allowance to your spouse or civil partner if you do not pay tax or earn enough to use all of your allowance.”