Blind Person's Allowance: £3,250 tax-free in 2026/27

Blind Person's Allowance is an extra slice of income you do not pay Income Tax on. It is added on top of your Personal Allowance, not instead of it. For the 2026 to 2027 tax year the allowance is £3,250. In 2025 to 2026 it was £3,130.

Who can get it?

Eligibility depends on where you live. In England and Wales you qualify if you are registered as blind or severely sight impaired with your local council — usually on the certificate of a consultant ophthalmologist. Scotland and Northern Ireland have no register: there you qualify if your eyesight is not good enough to do work for which eyesight is essential. Being "sight impaired" (formerly "partially sighted") does not on its own qualify you.

ADV · A001ONLYWAY JEWELRY — gold, silver and platinumRings, chains, bracelets, earrings and pendants. Delivery across the UK.Advertise here

What does it mean in practice?

The Personal Allowance in 2026/27 is £12,570. Blind Person's Allowance adds another £3,250 to it, so you only start paying Income Tax once your income passes £15,820. At the 20% basic rate that is worth up to £650 a year.

A worked example

A pensioner receives £15,000 a year. Without the allowance, £2,430 (the amount above £12,570) would be taxed — £486 of tax. With the allowance, the tax-free threshold rises to £15,820 and the tax falls to zero. That is £486 saved, repeated every year the registration stands.

What if your income is too low to use it all?

This is the key feature. If your income is too low to use the whole allowance, you can transfer the unused part to your spouse or civil partner — even if they are not sight impaired themselves. The transfer is arranged through HMRC, so a household does not lose the allowance when one partner has little or no taxable income.

How do you claim?

The allowance is not given automatically — you must claim it from HMRC. You will need your registration details (in England and Wales) or evidence from your doctor. You can claim by phone, through your personal tax account on GOV.UK, or on your Self Assessment return if you file one. You can also claim for earlier years if you were eligible but did not apply, and HMRC will refund the overpaid tax.

What else registration brings

Being registered as blind or sight impaired also opens the door to other help — a TV Licence discount, Council Tax reductions and travel concessions. Blind Person's Allowance itself covers only Income Tax, and you have to claim it separately.