Blind Person's Allowance 2026/27: Eligibility and How to Claim
Blind Person's Allowance is an extra tax-free allowance for people registered blind or severely sight impaired, added on top of the standard Personal Allowance. It is widely under-claimed. This guide explains exactly who qualifies, how to register the claim with HMRC, and how to transfer unused allowance to a spouse or civil partner.
Blind Person's Allowance increases the amount of tax-free income you can receive each year, on top of your standard Personal Allowance of £12,570. It works in exactly the same way as the Personal Allowance — it is not a cash payment, but a reduction in the income on which you are charged tax. It is one of the most under-claimed allowances in the UK tax system, because many eligible people are unaware it exists or assume it applies automatically once registered with their council.
Who Is Eligible
England and Wales: You must be registered as severely sight impaired (blind) with your local council
Scotland and Northern Ireland: There is no exactly equivalent formal register, so you can claim if you are unable to do any work for which eyesight is essential, supported by evidence such as a letter from a consultant ophthalmologist
The allowance is specifically for severe sight impairment — being registered only as partially sighted or sight impaired (a less severe category) does not qualify
How to Claim
If you pay tax through PAYE, contact HMRC directly — by phone, post, or via your online Personal Tax Account — providing evidence of your registration or eligibility. HMRC will then adjust your tax code so the allowance is applied automatically through your payslip, meaning you do not need to wait until the end of the tax year to benefit.
If you complete a Self Assessment tax return, you claim the allowance directly within the allowances section of the return for each relevant tax year.
Transferring to a Spouse
If your income is too low to make full use of the allowance — for example, if it already falls below your standard Personal Allowance before adding the blind person's element — you can transfer the unused portion to your spouse or civil partner, even if they are not themselves eligible for the allowance in their own right. This is a separate transfer from the Marriage Allowance (which moves part of the standard Personal Allowance between spouses) and the two can potentially be combined, subject to each one's own eligibility rules.
Worked Example
David is registered severely sight impaired and works part-time, earning £30,000 a year, taxed at the basic rate. He successfully claims Blind Person's Allowance, increasing his tax-free allowance above the standard £12,570 Personal Allowance. The extra allowance saves him 20% of the additional amount in income tax each year — money he was entitled to but had never claimed before checking his eligibility.
David's wife has no taxable income of her own. Because David's income is high enough to use his full allowance, there is nothing to transfer to her in this case — but had his income been lower, he could have transferred the unused portion to reduce her tax bill instead, if she had taxable income to offset it against.
Common Pitfalls
Assuming registration automatically triggers the tax allowance. Registering with the council does not automatically inform HMRC — you must separately contact HMRC to claim the tax allowance.
Not backdating a missed claim. Many people only discover the allowance years after becoming eligible; backdated claims within the time limit can recover a meaningful amount of overpaid tax.
Forgetting the spouse transfer option. If your own income is too low to benefit fully, failing to transfer the unused allowance to a spouse or civil partner wastes a genuine tax saving.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Blind Person's Allowance?
Blind Person's Allowance is an extra amount of tax-free income added on top of your standard Personal Allowance, available to people who are registered blind or severely sight impaired. In 2026/27 it increases the amount of income you can receive before paying income tax, in the same way the Personal Allowance does, so it directly reduces your tax bill rather than being a cash payment.
Who is eligible for Blind Person's Allowance?
In England and Wales, you qualify if you are registered as blind or severely sight impaired with your local council. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, where formal registration schemes work slightly differently, you can still claim if you are unable to perform any work for which eyesight is essential because your sight is so bad, even without a formal register, provided you can obtain suitable evidence (such as a letter from an ophthalmologist) confirming this.
How much is Blind Person's Allowance worth in tax savings?
The allowance is added to your tax-free Personal Allowance, so the actual cash saving depends on your marginal rate of tax. A basic-rate taxpayer saves 20% of the allowance amount, while a higher-rate taxpayer saves 40%. Because it is an addition to your tax-free allowance rather than a fixed cash benefit, the pound saving is higher for higher-rate taxpayers, unlike some means-tested benefits.
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How do I claim Blind Person's Allowance?
If you are employed and pay tax through PAYE, you can claim by contacting HMRC directly (by phone, post, or through your Personal Tax Account online), and HMRC will adjust your tax code to include the allowance, so you receive the benefit automatically through your payslip rather than at year end. If you complete a Self Assessment tax return, you claim it directly on the return each year in the allowances section.
Can Blind Person's Allowance be transferred to a spouse or civil partner?
Yes. If you cannot use all of your Blind Person's Allowance because your income is too low to benefit from it fully, you can transfer the unused amount to your spouse or civil partner, even if they are not themselves blind or sight impaired. This transfer is made by contacting HMRC and is separate from, and can be combined with, the standard Marriage Allowance transfer of part of the Personal Allowance, provided the eligibility conditions for each are met.
Can I backdate a claim for Blind Person's Allowance?
Yes, you can generally claim the allowance for previous tax years if you were eligible but did not claim at the time, within the normal time limits for correcting your tax affairs (typically up to four years after the end of the relevant tax year). HMRC will need evidence of your registration or eligibility covering the years being claimed, so keep your local council registration certificate or supporting medical evidence.
Is Blind Person's Allowance the same as Personal Independence Payment or Attendance Allowance?
No. Blind Person's Allowance is purely a tax allowance that reduces the amount of income tax you pay — it has no effect on your entitlement to disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Attendance Allowance, and claiming or not claiming one does not affect eligibility for the other. Many people who are registered blind claim both the tax allowance and relevant disability benefits, since they serve entirely different purposes.
Does registering as partially sighted (not severely sight impaired) qualify for the allowance?
No. Blind Person's Allowance is specifically for people registered as severely sight impaired (blind), not those registered as sight impaired (partially sighted) under the less severe category used by local authorities. If your certification is for partial sight impairment rather than severe sight impairment, you do not qualify for this particular allowance, though other forms of support may still be available.
Do children who are registered blind qualify for the allowance?
The allowance itself is a reduction in the taxable income of the individual claiming it, so it only has practical value for someone with taxable income to offset — most children have little or no taxable income, meaning the allowance would have no immediate cash effect. However, a parent or guardian managing a blind child's financial affairs should still register the child with the local council where eligible, since the allowance becomes valuable once the child begins earning taxable income as an adult, and other support may also depend on registration.
What evidence does HMRC need to approve a Blind Person's Allowance claim?
In England and Wales, a copy of your certificate of registration as severely sight impaired from your local council is normally sufficient evidence. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, where there is no exactly equivalent formal register, HMRC will generally accept written evidence from a consultant ophthalmologist confirming that your eyesight is so bad that you cannot do any work for which eyesight is essential. Keep this evidence available, as HMRC can ask to see it when processing a claim or during a compliance check.
Disclaimer: This guide is for general information only and does not constitute personal financial or tax advice. Always confirm current eligibility and figures with HMRC or a qualified adviser before making a claim.
