Can rental income be paid to someone else?

Rental income is shared in accordance with the percentage split of the beneficial interest. For most owners, this is whoever is named on the legal title, however you can transfer rental income to someone else via a deed of assignment. The transfer of beneficial interest to anyone who isn't your spouse could trigger a tax liability for the disposal.

How do HMRC find out about rental income?

HMRC will find out about the rental income split from your tax return, that needs to be filed online by the 31st January every year, for the previous year ending the 5th April. If you are married, jointly own a property and share rental income in unequal shares, then you must file a deed and a Form 17 tax declaration to HMRC. If you fail to file a Form 17 with a deed, then HMRC will reverse your declaration and you'll be liable for tax on an equal share of the rental income. Read more here - Form 17 Income Tax Declaration for Married Couples.

Can I gift my rental property to my wife?

Yes you can and this is very common. If you both are named on the legal title and the mortgage, then draft a deed of assignment, file a Form 17 to HMRC and then you can share the rental income with your wife. The deed is what gifts the rental property to your wife.

Can I receive rental income from property I don't own?

Rental income can be received from a rental property you don't own using a Deed of Assignment. Once the deed is signed and witnessed, then you can receive the rental income in your shares when they are next paid by the tenant. The deed doesn't need to be registered, although you're advised to register a Form B restriction at the Land Registry to stop the property being sold without you knowing.

Transfer rental income to spouse via a gift with a deed of assignment - husband and wife

Whether assigning using a deed, severing a joint tenancy or a transfer of equity, we have it covered with our panel of solicitors.

Find out how you could transfer rental income to your spouse in time for your next rental payment.

How to transfer rental income to spouse

by:

Andrew Boast

Last Updated: 21/11/2024

Read by:

19,578

6 min read

Husbands and wives benefit from being able to transfer rental income from a buy to let property between each other, without triggering Capital Gains Tax or Additional Rate of Stamp Duty, where they gift the equity for no consideration. You can transfer rental income to your spouse for HMRC declaration using the following processes:

Deed of Assignment. Whether you are both named on the title or not, you can assign the beneficial interest to your spouse using a deed of assignment.
Sever Joint Tenancy and Draft a Deed. Where you own a buy to let as joint tenants, you need to sever the joint tenancy to be tenants in common and then share the rental income using a deed. You'll need to file a Form 17 and attach the deed to declare to HMRC what your actual shares are to the rental income.
Transfer of Equity. Where the property is solely owned, you can add your partner onto the legal title following the transfer of equity process. Where there is a mortgage, you'll need mortgage lender consent and most likely have your spouse's name added to the mortgage.
Sale and Purchase. This is the most costly option, as the current owner is removing themselves completely from the title of the property and their spouse will be the new owner. This type of transfer rental income to spouse would normally be a part of a divorce settlement.

You are liable for tax, in the share you own, on the day the rent is paid. You must file a tax return and pay your tax to HMRC by the 31st January, for the previous year's rental income received from the tenant up to the 5th April. The sooner you action the above, the sooner you can declare the rental income in the shares you want.

What tax is payable on transfer between spouses?

Capital Gains Tax

Capital gains tax is payable on the disposal of any property that isn't your Principal Private Residence (PPR) and you can only have one PPR. The CGT rules are different depending when you dispose your rental property to your spouse. Under the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 - S.58 - Husband and Wife it states: "If, in any year of assessment, and in the case of a woman who in that year of assessment is a married woman living with her husband, the man disposes of an asset to the wife, or the wife disposes of an asset to the man, both shall be treated as if the asset was acquired from the one making the disposal for a consideration of such amount as would secure that on the disposal neither a gain nor a loss would accrue to the one making the disposal".

Additional Rate of Stamp Duty Land Tax

The 3% additional rate of SDLT applies to any second home where the transfer consideration is over £40,000 - the consideration could be the mortgage share taken on or any money changing hands. HMRC state "For transfers on and after 22 November 2017, the higher rates rules disregard transactions solely involving the transfer of interests between spouses or civil partners while they are treated as living together on the date of purchase. ‘Living together` takes the definition in section 1011 of the Income Tax Act 2007. A married couple or civil partners of each other are treated as living together unless they are separated under an order of a Court, or they are separated by a formal deed of separation, or they are in fact separated in such circumstances that the separation is likely to be permanent".

Normal Rate of Stamp Duty Land Tax

You could trigger the normal rate of stamp duty, when splitting rental income for tax purposes, if the mortgage debt taken on by a spouse who is named on the mortgage is in excess of the current rate of SDLT. The current rate for SDLT is as follows:

Property Price	Standard Rate of Stamp Duty
£0 - £125,000	0%
£125,001 - £250,000	2%
£250,001 - £925,000	5%
£925,001 - £1.5 million	10%
Over £1.5 million	12%

What are the costs to transfer rental income to spouse?

Type of Process	Cost	Timeframe
Deed of Assignment	£299 INC VAT	1 to 3 working days
Sever a Joint Tenancy Including a Deed	INC VAT	1 to 3 working days to draft the deed and 1 to 3 weeks for Land Registry to Sever the Joint Tenancy.
Transfer of Equity	From £363 INC VAT, leaseholds will cost more. If both parties need representation, this may be more as well.	4 weeks for a freehold, 8 weeks for a leasehold (subject to lender consent).
Sale and Purchase	From £800 INC VAT per transaction, leaseholds will cost more.	8-12 weeks for a freehold, 12+ weeks for a leasehold (subject to new lender for financing).

Frequently Asked Questions

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Written by: Andrew Boast

Andrew Boast FMAAT is a qualified accountant, conveyancing specialist and author with over 25 years of experience in the UK property sector. Since beginning his career in 2000 within established SRA and CLC-regulated conveyancing solicitor firms, Andrew has overseen the legal journeys of more than 75,000 clients.

He is the author of the property guide 'How to Buy a House Without Killing Anyone' and a frequent contributor to mainstream UK media on legislative updates, property law, first-time buyer guides, conveyancing best practices, and stamp duty changes. Andrew specialises in resolving complex title issues, property conflict disputes, and property tax options, streamlining the enquiry process to reduce transaction times and maintaining a client-friendly focus.

Reviewed by: Caragh Bailey

Caragh Bailey is a Lead Property Content Specialist at SAM Conveyancing, having joined the firm in 2020. With a portfolio of over 150 technical conveyancing, house survey and mortgage guides, she has become a primary authority on the end-to-end sale and purchase process.

Caragh specialises in complex legal workflows, including Help to Buy redemptions, equity transfers, shared ownership structures, trust deeds for tax planning, and joint ownership disputes. Her expertise extends to leasehold reform and RICS home surveys, where she provides clear, factual guidance on independent legal advice for specialist mortgage products and intricate ownership structures.

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