Louise Higham, Financial Planning Director at Evelyn Partners, comments on the increase in the number of adults who have never married or been in a civil partnership and the tax benefits they may be missing out on.

New data from the 2021 Census has revealed that the proportion of adults who have never married or been in a civil partnership has increased every decade from 26.3% in 1991 to 37.9% in 2021, whereas the proportion of adults who are married or in a civil partnership (including separated) has fallen from 58.4% in 1991 to 46.9% in 2021.

Louise Higham, Financial Planning Director at wealth manager Evelyn Partners, says: “It does seem that many younger and middle-aged couples are increasingly content with just living together. The total number of cohabiting couples has increased from around 1.5 million in 1996 to around 3.6 million in 2021, an increase of 144%. In 2021, 22% of couples who lived together were cohabiting rather than married or in a civil partnership.

“While they may not feel the need to formalise their relationship in law, such couples must recognise that they are foregoing significant tax benefits and possibly financial security by doing so. This is even more the case now than in recent years thanks to many tax allowances being either slashed or frozen, as announced in Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement.” 

Full release: More adults foregoing the tax benefits of marriage and civil partnership

✉️ Adrian Lowery, Evelyn Partners, 0203 818 6679