Martin Lewis reveals how Brits can get up to £2,000 boost over next two weeks by cashing in on Govt rewards

MARTIN Lewis has revealed how Brits can claim up to £2,000 worth of free government bonuses - if they act fast.

The consumer expert, who presented the finale of the ITV Martin Lewis Money Show tonight, has revealed how households can cash in on end of year tax rewards.

Martin warned that the "the clock is ticking" for married couples, first time buyers, people working from home, and those with savings in the bank.

He also explained how you could save money on your TV licence and council tax ahead of price hikes in April.

We explain everything he rounded up:

Marriage tax allowance

Savers have a few weeks left to claim a £250 refund if they were married in the 2016-2017 tax year, Martin revealed tonight.

The tax break allows people with an income of £12,500 or less to transfer up to £1,250 of their Personal Allowance to their husband, wife or civil partner - if their income is higher.

Martin said: "This can be backdated up to four years - which means the clock is now clicking to claim for the 2016 year.

"It's worth £250 a year but this is your last chance to claim for the 2016 to 2017 tax year. It takes just two minutes to file a claim on the government website."

Last year, it was estimated how 1.78million couples out of 4.2million eligible ones are missing out, according to Government figures. 

Uniform tax rebate

If you wear a uniform to work, you could be able to to claim some money back - as long as your employer doesn't pay for your uniform.

You could get £60 back in total if you claim for up to five years of expenses.

It works by claiming a tax refund on the current standard flat-rate expense allowance for uniform maintenance, which is £60 per year.

If you're a basic-rate taxpayer, this means you'll get 20% of that £60 as a rebate, which works out at £12 each year.

But for higher-rate taxpayers, the amount you could get back is £24.

Martin said: "If you wash the uniform yourself, you could get up £60 back in the form of a uniform tax break if you backdate it for the full four years."

You may be able to claim tax relief on the cost of repairing or replacing tools needed to do your job, or cleaning specialist clothing.

You could be entitled to more depending on the type of work you do.

For example, pilots and uniformed flight desk crews can claim back up to £1,022 a year. Cabin crew can claim up to £720 a year.

People in the Army, RAF or Royal Marines can claim back up to £100 a year.

Lifetime ISA

Martin also urged Brits under the age of 40 to make the most of a yearly £1,000 government bonus through a Lifetime Isa (Lisa) account.

A Lisa pays a bonus if you use the savings towards your first home or retirement.

You can save up to £4,000 each tax year and the government will then add a 25% bonus, effectively giving you free money.

For example, if you save £1,000 a year, the government will add in £250, and if you save the full £4,000 you'll get an extra £1,000 on top.

If you opened a Lisa at age 18 and saved the maximum amount for 32 years you'd get £32,000 of free government cash.

Martin said: "For 2020, the tax year is ending which means it's your last chance to put £4,000 in and get the £1,000 bonus.

"This is also a warning for parents. The Lifetime ISA rule means you have to have it for a year to get the bonus.

"If you're a parent and your child is hoping to buy a home one day - possibly in the next few years - open one now, you only need £1 to get started."

Cash or stock and shares ISA allowances

Martin also said now is the time to make sure you've used up your ISA allowance for the year if you have lots of savings.

An ISA (individual savings account) is a type of savings account where you don't pay any tax on interest.

Each year you get an allowance which is the total amount you can save into it each year to take advantage of this tax benefit.

You can save up to £20,000 each year into an ISA and if you don't use it up you can't carry it over to the next year.

You can split your £20,000 allowance across four different types of ISA but not into more than one ISA.

However, it's worth noting that if you're a basic-rate taxpayer, you can earn £1,000 in savings interest per year with no tax thanks to the personal savings allowance (PSA).

This covers any interest you earn from bank accounts, savings accounts, credit union accounts, building societies, corporate bonds, government bonds and gilts. 

Martin says normal savings accounts can pay more than an ISA, so it's worth shopping around for the best rates.

Martin said: "My advice is to opt for the account that pays highest returns, don't just focus on your ISA options."

Work from home tax relief

If you've worked from home at any point over the last year during the pandemic, you could claim a tax relief of as much as £125.

Essentially your employer can effectively pay you £6 a week extra tax-free to cover expenses.

But with many firm struggling right now, it's more likely you'll instead claim tax relief on the £6 a week.

The rebate is worth around £60 for a basic rate taxpayer or £125 if you're a higher rate payer.

Martin said: "This is in the form of work from home tax relief - and it applies even if you've worked just one day from home in the past 12 months."

The government says you cannot claim tax relief if you choose to work from home.

You may also be able to claim tax relief on equipment you’ve bought, such as a laptop, chair or mobile phone.

TV Licence fee

The TV Licence is rising by £1.50 a year from next month, from £157.50 to £159.

But Martin warned there are millions of pensioners who are aged 75 who don't need to pay it at all.

People over the age of 75 are entitled to a free colour licence if they claim pension credit.

Also, if you're not watching live TV, you might be able to avoid the charge.

For example you can watch catch-up TV and on demand previews through services including ITV Player, All 4, My5, BT Vision/BT TV, Virgin Media, Sky Go, Now TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku and Amazon Fire TV.

You can also watch video clips that aren't live through YouTube.

You can't watch or download programmes on BBC iPlayer without a TV licence.

Council tax

Council tax is also rising next month - but Martin said thousands, including students and people who live alone, could be eligible for a discount, or a refund.

In England the average band D council tax bill for 2020/21 was £1,818. Paying just 50% of this would mark a £908 saving.

But you could save even more than this if you're found to be in the wrong council tax band completely.

Martin has previously urged Brits to check if they can lower their council tax bill by thousands of pounds.

But do your research first - as you could end up paying more money if you're found to be in too low of a band.

Martin Lewis has warned 200,000 women could be owed £13,500 in pension payouts.

The MoneySavingExpert founder has also revealed the cheapest broadband deals starting from just £13.

The Sun has also looked at eight Martin Lewis money-saving tips that could save you £9,243.