Blind Person's Allowance Calculator

Blind Person's Allowance is an extra slice of tax-free income for people registered as severely sight impaired. For 2026/27 it is worth £3,250, up from £3,130 in 2025/26, and it sits on top of the standard Personal Allowance of £12,570, so £15,820 can be earned before income tax starts. In cash terms that is £650 a year for a basic-rate taxpayer and £1,300 for someone paying the higher rate. Scottish taxpayers save at the Scottish rates instead, for example £1,365 at 42%.

Qualifying depends on where you live. In England and Wales you must be registered with your local council as blind or severely sight impaired and hold a certificate saying so, usually the Certificate of Vision Impairment completed by a consultant, or a similar document from your doctor. In Scotland and Northern Ireland the test is different: you qualify if you cannot do work for which eyesight is essential. The calculator treats the tick box as meeting whichever test applies to you.

Getting registered starts with an eye test by an NHS ophthalmologist, usually after a referral from a GP or an optician. If you meet the definition, the consultant completes the Certificate of Vision Impairment and the local council adds you to the register. The test is visual acuity of 3/60 or less on the Snellen scale, or 6/60 with a very restricted field of view. Being partially sighted falls into a different category and does not carry the allowance. NHS eye tests have been free for everyone aged 60 and over since 1999.

Once you are registered the allowance is yours for life and does not need renewing each year. Claim it through Self Assessment or by contacting HMRC, either online or on 0300 200 3301, and tell them the date you were registered, because the allowance can be backdated by up to 4 tax years.

Where income is too low to use the allowance, the unused part can go to a spouse or civil partner, who does not need to be registered blind. Form 575, the notice of transfer of surplus income tax allowance, does the job. Someone earning £10,000 uses their Personal Allowance but none of the £3,250, so the whole £3,250 can move across, and a higher-rate spouse saves up to £1,300 a year. This is a different scheme from Marriage Allowance, which is worth £252 a year, and the two are easily confused.

Sight loss opens other doors as well. In 2026/27 Personal Independence Payment pays up to £114.60 a week for daily living and up to £80.00 a week for mobility, £194.60 in total at the enhanced rates. Attendance Allowance, for people over State Pension age who are not on PIP, pays £76.70 at the lower rate or £114.60 at the higher. A blind person's railcard costs £20 a year and takes a third off fares, directory enquiries are free, and both a Blue Badge and the disabled band reduction for Council Tax, which charges you at the band below your own, are worth asking about. Over-75s on Pension Credit get a free TV licence, and the RNIB runs a free helpline.