Separate current accounts 'make sense for tax reasons'

Couples should bank separately for tax reasons, it has been said.

Maintaining separate current accounts is sensible for couples who are married or cohabit due to tax reasons, a specialist believes.

Some people may decide it is a good idea to operate a joint account with their spouse in order to make it easier to pay outgoings such as gas and electric bills, but Justin Modray of Candid Money feels that keeping financial independence is still advisable.

For instance, Mr Modray explained that "if one partner is in a higher tax bracket than the other", less tax will then be paid on interest earned if money stored in savings accounts is kept in the other person's name.

"When holding a savings account jointly there's also more temptation for each partner to dip into it," he added.

Research published by first direct earlier this week (May 9th) revealed that 58 per cent of couples keep their money separate when moving in together.

Meanwhile, a large proportion of Britons are worried about the effect an increasing level of inflation is having on the wellbeing of their savings accounts, new research has shown.

According to a study published over the weekend (May 14th) by BM Savings, some 52 per cent of people are concerned that money they have stored in accounts such as ISAs or fixed rate bonds will be impacted on as inflation continues to rise.

It seems that older members of the population are more acutely aware of the problems this trend could cause, with 69 per cent of those over the age of 65 indicating they are uncomfortable about how it is going up consistently.

By comparison, just 30 per cent of people between 18 and 24 answered the same.

John Bianco, head of products at BM Savings, commented: "Consistently putting money away is a great way to ensure savings are there for upcoming summer holidays."

This follows on from Annie Shaw of Cash Questions stating that more Britons are using accounts following the recession.
Annie Shaw, editor of online resource Cash Questions, believes that while such banking options are still perceived as useful for those running a household together - as they make payments for bills like gas and electric easier - many are now abandoning them.

Ms Shaw explained that the "legal dangers" of joint accounts are putting the majority of people off, through fear of becoming responsible for "obligations such as direct debits" or if it runs into an overdraft.

"There is an increasing tendency for people to want to look after their own money," she added.

Recently, Ms Shaw noted that more Britons are now recognising the importance of using savings accounts as opposed to spending in the wake of the recession.