| For each additional spouse who is a member of the same household as the claimant and one or more of the members are State Pension age or over | 121.60 | 127.35 |
| If the claimant is a member of a polygamous marriage and all of the members of the marriage have attained pensionable age on or after 1 April 2021 | Rates 2025/26 | Rates 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| For the claimant and the other party to the marriage | 346.60 | 363.25 |
| For each additional spouse who is a member of the same household as the claimant | 119.50 | 125.25 |
Section 57 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.
This law makes bigamy a criminal offence punishable by up to 7 years in prison. Additionally, the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 confirms that a marriage is void if either party was already lawfully married at the time.
Primary Legal Sources:
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Offences Against the Person Act 1861 (Section 57): This is the criminal statute. It states that anyone who, being married, marries any other person during the life of the former husband or wife is guilty of a felony.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/24-25/100/section/57
Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 (Section 11): This civil law states that a marriage is “void” (legally non-existent) if it is polygamous and was entered into by a person domiciled in England and Wales.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1973/18/section/11
House of Commons Library – Polygamy (2023): This is a clean, non-technical briefing that confirms polygamy is illegal and explains how the U.K. handles marriages that took place abroad.
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn05051/
Polygamous marriages are not legal if performed in the UK.
However, the UK can recognise some polygamous marriages that were legally contracted overseas in countries where polygamy is lawful.
This has to STOP ✋️ it should be illegal here regardless if it's legal in another… pic.twitter.com/17wqsdCBFI
— Richie Taylor (@RWTaylors) May 11, 2026