Keeping maiden name at work?

Hi everyone!

Just curious if there's anyone here with experience of choosing to keep their maiden name professionally, but change to your married name pretty much everywhere else?

I got married in October 2021, but that was a secret Covid wedding & our "real" wedding wasn't until April 2022 so I didn't go through all of the name change process right away. I'm now also due to make my ILR application in a few months so know it's the time to change my passport / BRP etc to minimise any additional fees.

I am planning on keeping my maiden name at work, though for a number of reasons. Is it really as simple as just not changing my records with HR and HMRC? I am also considering leaving my maiden name on my current account where my wages are paid in - but does that then start to get complicated if I have a joint account in my married name?

Would love to hear from anyone who has done this & how it worked (or any snagging issues to prepare for!) I'm also worried about when it comes to filing my US taxes if some of my accounts are in my maiden name and others in my married name!

Thanks

This is not actual advice as I don't know any more than you, but why not just change your name for taxes and HR and keep whatever name you want for everything else?  My name is James according to HR and taxes, but everyone calls me Jim at work.  Just do the same for last name.  Almost nobody has to even know.  If they ask why, just tell them it's personal reasons. 

I use my maiden name at work by choice and my married name on basically everything else except my passport and my visa.

It hasn't been a problem at all in terms of names on accounts being different - no one has ever asked me to explain the situation. I just declare it as "other names known by" when relevant.

To be honest, I'm torn on bothering to change it on my passport ever, just because it seems like a lot of paperwork when I already use it on everything without having to jump through any hoops. We'll see how I feel when I get to the stage you're at, which would be the logical point for me to do it as well.

The UK doesn't have the same concept of a "legal name" that the US does, which is why I see it as less urgent than I would if I lived in the United States.

I kept my maiden name for everything by preference.  No problem with joint bank accounts or utility accounts. I call myself Ms MyLastName.

 It doesn't stop people calling me Mrs HisLastName though but I answer to that too! 

I would change it legally and then ask your work to not update your email and that you'd still like to be known by MAIDEN NAME.  I do think if you start having bank accounts with different names and work documents with different names (think mortgage applications), it could be a huge pain in the ass. 

So I'd legally change it everywhere or no where.  But choose your "known by" name. 

Even though I'm super progressive and WOMAN POWER, I took my husband's name.  For one, we wanted children and I wanted us to have the same family name.  Also women usually either have their father's surname or their husband's surname.  So.... patriarchy.