Most couples don’t get married for the tax breaks(!), but there are some financial benefits to saying ‘I do’.

Away from today's royal wedding, marriage has become a bit of a political issue over the years with a number of debates about whether successive governments are doing enough to encourage it and figures certainly show that the number of couples tying the knot are declining. And while most couples have more important things than tax breaks to think about, there are still some financial and tax benefits for married couples and those in a civil partnership that are worth knowing about.

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Most married couples don’t bother with a pre-nup but changes proposed by the Law Commission could mean they become more popular.

Updated 26th April 2011.

Most people don’t get married thinking they’re going to end up getting divorced, but around 40% of marriages do break up. If you do get divorced there’s a lot of uncertainty about what it means for your finances (except in Scotland where the rules are clearer). At the moment only a minority of couples have a pre-nup, but the Law Commission’s proposals could change that.

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Prenups aren’t currently legally binding in England or Wales, but today’s judgement does mean they’ll be given more weight.

Reviewed 26th April 2011.

The Supreme Court’s judgement today is an important one because it means that prenuptial agreements will be taken into account by courts in England and Wales when couples get divorced. It would need a change in the law for prenups to become legally binding in England and Wales but this is a step towards that and since the judgement, the Law Commission has started consulting on making pre-nups legal.

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