MARTIN Lewis has revealed a quick trick that could see married couples receive a £1,000 cheque.

Speaking on his website, the money-saving expert reminded those in marriages or civil partnerships that they may be able to claim back money through Marriage Tax Allowance.

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This allows eligible people to transfer £1,260 of their personal tax allowance to their spouse or civil partner.

To be eligible, one partner must be a non-taxpayer – earning under £12,570.

The other needs to pay a basic 20% basic tax rate – which applies to earnings between £12,570 and £50,270 in the UK.

If these conditions are met, the non-taxpayer is entitled to transfer 10% of their tax-free allowance to the taxpayer – meaning less tax is paid overall.

This could result in a tax refund of up to £252 for around two million couples across the UK.

And, in even better news, the refund can be backdated up to four years – meaning families could be receiving a cheque of over £1,000.

Mr Lewis said: “Claiming tax allowances isn’t traditional Christmas fare, but it is a quick way for two million eligible couples not currently claiming to get an up to £1,260 tax refund.”

Government figures show that 2.28million couples applied for the benefit in 2022/23 year.

And HMRC estimates that a whopping 2.1 million may be missing out – despite being eligible.

Steve Webb, partner at pension consultants LCP, told The Sun that the benefit is “well worth claiming”.

He added that with personal allowances frozen until 2026, couples should be sure to “access all the tax-free income that they can”.

How to apply for marriage allowance

You can apply for marriage allowance online by visiting the gov.uk website, and it is free to do so.

The person who earns the least should make the claim.

However, if either of you gets other income, such as dividends or savings, you may need to work out who should claim.

You can call the Income Tax helpline if you’re unsure.

Changes to your personal allowances will be backdated to the start of the tax year, which is April 6, if your application is successful.

To be eligible for the allowance the following must apply to your and your spouse:

• You’re married or in a civil partnership.
• You do not pay income tax or your income is below your personal allowance (usually £12,570)
• Your partner pays Income Tax at the basic rate, which usually means their income is between £12,571 and £50,270 before they receive Marriage Allowance

If you only pay income tax at the basic rate and believe you’ve been wrongly denied marriage tax allowance, you can appeal the decision directly to HMRC.

You and your partner will get new tax codes that reflect the transferred allowance.

Your tax code will end with ‘M’ if you are receiving the allowance and ‘N’ if you are transferring the allowance.

You can read more about tax codes and how they work here.

You’ll need to call the marriage allowance enquiries helpline to speak to an agent and explain the issue.

You must cancel your claim for marriage allowance if you and your partner divorce or your income changes. You can do this online.

Courtesy of Sofitel

Ushering in a new era of French-inspired luxury and understated grandeur, the five-star Sofitel Sydney Wentworth Sofitelsydney.com.au has officially unveiled its $70 million refurbishment, with final completion set for November. The rebirth of this Sydney, Australia icon coincides with the Diamond Jubilee of the global Sofitel brand, celebrating 60 years of embodying French art de vivre all over the world.

Created by Qantas Airlines in 1966, Sofitel Sydney Wentworth has a storied history. Central to the hotel’s new vision was to reignite the hotel’s original jet-set glamor when it opened as Australia’s premier five-star hotel for an international clientele of royals, movie stars, and dignitaries. Modernizing that golden era for the 21st century, the new refurbishment encompasses 436 guest rooms and suites, the opulent Sofitel Club Millésime VIP lounge, health and wellness center, public spaces including the grand entrance lobby, and state-of-the-art conference and event spaces. 

The hotel embodies the essence of what management calls “Modern Heritage.” The building was originally designed in a post-war minimalist style, opening with a modernist interior, and was the largest brick structure in the southern hemisphere. The redesign seeks to capture the essence of this modernist era through a contemporary lens, celebrating the building’s unique heritage and re-igniting the hotel’s glamorous past.

Courtesy of Sofitel

Entrance & Lobby

The new grand entrance features a bronze façade that welcomes guests to a revitalized lobby where historic charm meets modern elegance. A striking lighting feature illuminates the way — inspired by the Sofitel ritual of being taken to your room by candlelight. The open-plan ground floor lobby provides subtle nods to the building’s 1960s heritage in a series of lounge settings. Interactive stations let guests manage their stay and enjoy a streamlined arrival process with just a few taps, while the new online concierge app puts all hotel services directly at guests’ fingertips via their phones. 

Courtesy of Sofitel

Sofitel Club Millésime

An exclusive check-in experience occurs at the Sofitel Club Millésime, an eclectic lounge soft furnishings. Club members (or those purchasing a day pass) can relax, entertain or work with business and concierge facilities, showers, and all-day food and drink from breakfast to afternoon tea, to Apéro Chic hors d’oeuvres and evening drinks. Platinum members of Accor’s loyalty program can access the lounge during their stay, free of charge.

Courtesy of Sofitel

Rooms & Suites

The essence of Sofitel luxury lies within the 436 beautifully appointed rooms and suites, all gracefully curving around the terrace. MySmart lighting sets the mood, in-room dining manages cravings, a pillow menu and premium Sofitel MyBed™ creates comfort, and the luxurious heritage-listed bath with French Balmain amenities provide indulgence. In-room extras include a Nespresso machine, and a Wellness Bag — a portable travel gym complete with a roller, yoga mat, resistance bands, handles, and ankle straps – for guests to use in-room or at outdoor landmarks such as the Botanic Gardens or Opera House, situated just outside the hotel.

Courtesy of Sofitel

Conferencing & Events

From contemporary meeting rooms to the iconic Wentworth Ballroom, Sofitel Sydney Wentworth has over 15 event and conference spaces. The Wentworth Ballroom has hosted some of Sydney’s most legendary events, and is one of the city’s largest ballrooms. With an original 1960s mirrored ceiling, it offers a grand setting for events of up to 750 guests. The highlight of the technological upgrade is the installation of one of Australia’s largest LED screens in the Grand Ballroom, complemented by digital screens and LED upgrades throughout all meeting spaces. New additions in all event spaces feature state-of-the-art lighting, presentation, and staging technology. Event dining is guided by newly appointed Michelin-trained Executive Chef Bektas Özcan.

Courtesy of Sofitel

Restaurants & Bars

A new dining precinct offers four distinct venues within the hotel. The tilda channels restaurant has a Australiana vibe, while bar tilda revives the hotel’s timeless allure with nostalgia-inspired cocktails and the soulful sounds of a nu jazz band. Delta Rue serves up a lively mix of Vietnamese-French flavors and energy, while Wentworth Bar provides a rooftop view from its all-weather terrace.

Located in the heart of Sydney’s central business district, Sofitel Sydney Wentworth is conveniently just twelve kilometres from Kingsford Smith Airport, is near key transport hubs, and is just minutes from iconic landmarks such as the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and the fashion district. The hotel is also known as Sydney’s “Hotel of the Arts” after 20+ years partnering with the Art Gallery of New South Wales, plus Opera Australia, the Australian World Orchestra, and the Australian Youth Orchestra.

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Boeing factory workers voted on Wednesday to reject the aircraft maker’s latest offer and stay on the picket line, dealing a blow to the new chief executive’s plan to stabilise the business.

Among members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 who voted, 64 per cent rejected the latest deal. Management had increased a pay rise offer to 35 per cent over four years and improved proposals on retirement benefits.

The union’s 33,000 members in Washington state have been on strike for almost six weeks. The vote pushes back the date that Boeing can recommence making most of its commercial jets and begin repairing its finances. “The strike continues,” the union said.

Ending the strike is critical to Boeing’s recovery, said Bank of America analyst Ron Epstein.

“This rejection adds further uncertainty, costs and recovery delays,” he said. “We anticipate further concessions of wages will be required for a deal to pass.”

Boeing declined to comment on the vote.

Chief executive Kelly Ortberg said earlier on Wednesday that ratification of a contract and ending the strike was a critical part of his plan to stabilise the company. One analyst has estimated the strike is costing Boeing $50mn a day.

Union members last month voted 96 per cent in favour of going on strike, rejecting a first tentative agreement negotiated by IAM District 751’s bargaining committee that offered a 25 per cent pay rise.

Wages of Boeing factory workers have risen just 4 per cent over the past eight years, while inflation has skyrocketed. Many workers are still angry over a bruising fight in 2014 that cost union members their traditional defined-benefit pensions.

“This contract struggle began over 10 years ago when the company over-reached and created a wound that may never heal for many members,” said IAM District 751 president Jon Holden. “We have prepared for years to bring this membership back to a position of power and leverage, and we are there.”

While the latest offer included “tremendous gains”, he said, “we have not achieved enough to meet our members’ demands”.

Acting US labour secretary Julie Su helped broker the latest offer. Besides a 35 per cent pay increase, it would have improved retirement benefits, without restoring the defined-benefit pension, which some workers had demanded and Boeing strongly opposed. It also included a one-time $7,000 bonus and ongoing performance bonuses.

Ben Tsocanos, aerospace director at S&P Global Ratings, said the rejection raised the risk of a protracted strike if the obstacle was the reinstatement of the defined-benefit pension. “A longer strike delays Boeing’s recovery and increases financial pressure on the company and its [credit] rating,” he said in a note.

Boeing, which is one notch above junk with all three rating agencies, has said it prioritises maintaining an investment-grade rating.

The vote came the same day that Boeing reported a $6bn net loss in the third quarter and Ortberg laid out his plan for a turnaround.

Ortberg said ending the strike was the first step to stabilising the business, which has burnt $10bn in cash this year, and that he was “very hopeful that the package we put forward will allow our employees to come back to work”.

Boeing plans to cut 17,000 jobs over the coming months as it tries “to align [the workforce] with our financial reality”.

Boeing shares were down 2 per cent in midday trading on Thursday to $153.80.

Additional reporting by Philip Georgiadis

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The gap between university entry rates for disadvantaged students and their peers in England has reached its highest level since records began in 2005.

Twenty-nine per cent of students who had received free school meals progressed to university by the age of 19, compared with 50 per cent of their peers, in the academic year 2022-23, according to government data.

The disparity in the progression rate climbed to 21 percentage points — up from the all-time low of 17 percentage points in the academic year ending in 2014, data released on Thursday showed. Free school meals are provided to children from families that receive certain welfare benefits.

The data reflects the disruption to learning caused by the Covid-19 pandemic compounded by rising living costs, which disproportionately affected outcomes for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, said analysts.

“There is a long-tail of impact on those from disadvantaged backgrounds and so we could see the picture get worse as the attainment gap in schools has widened,” said Carl Cullinane, director of research and policy at social mobility charity the Sutton Trust.

“The pandemic and the cost of living crisis are going to cast a long shadow over the economy. Many people have said it is a ticking time bomb for social mobility,” he added.

The share of students on free school meals going on to university by age 19 fell for the first time on record in 2022-23. However, the progression gap has been widening for the past three years as entry rates for other students grew at a faster pace during the pandemic years.

The gap in progression rates to the top-ranking universities reached a record 11 percentage points in 2022-23, despite a rise in the share of free school meals students who were awarded places. 

More than 6 per cent of free school meals students went on to study at the high tariff universities by the age of 19. This was a record high but far lower than the rate for their peers, which reached almost 17 per cent.

Cullinane said that high tariff universities had boosted their intakes in recent years, but the bulk of the additional students were from more advantaged backgrounds.

“Universities have been focused on areas-based measures of disadvantage and tried to protect admissions from these groups because they did not have data on which students had access to free school meals,” he added.

The Russell Group, 24 research-intensive universities, said it was committed to increasing opportunities for disadvantaged students with “bold” access and participation strategies but acknowledged that challenges remained.

“Gaps in prior attainment in school shape students’ life chances for years to come, impacting on their access to higher education and jobs,” it added. “A joined-up, cross-government approach, involving universities, schools, colleges and other partners, will be the most effective way to address the wider social, cultural and financial barriers.”