# Cohabitation and Welfare Payments



## acacia (19 Jan 2009)

I am on the Back to Education Allowance, and hope to get a flat with my boyfriend who is claiming Jobseekers Allowance. So far as I know, my BTEA rate will remain the same if we are cohabiting. However, will he have to undergo another means test, and is it likely that his JA will be reduced? Neither of us has any other income.


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## Welfarite (20 Jan 2009)

Yopu will be treated as a couple for Sw purposes (i.e the joint income will be not greater than the personal rate due plus any qualified adult and child dependant rate due. Check the rates on www.welfare.ie


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## z104 (20 Jan 2009)

If you are treated as a couple for social welfare purposes does this mean you can transfer your tax free allowance to your partner if one is working?


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## Dreamerb (20 Jan 2009)

Niallers said:


> If you are treated as a couple for social welfare purposes does this mean you can transfer your tax free allowance to your partner if one is working?


No. Basically, the system equalises down - i.e. if a cohabiting couple is placed at a relative advantage to a married couple, they're generally treated as though they are married. This means that the social welfare code, in general, treats cohabiting couples in the same way as married couples (and there are a few areas where this is an advantage); the tax code does not.


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## acacia (20 Jan 2009)

I had a look at the site, and from my calculations and what Welfarite says, we would be financially worse off if living together, although at the moment we each qualify for our payments in our own right. Is this correct?


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## Welfarite (21 Jan 2009)

acacia said:


> I had a look at the site, and from my calculations and what Welfarite says, we would be financially worse off if living together, although at the moment we each qualify for our payments in our own right. Is this correct?


 
Yes, more than likely you will be worse off from a SW point of view.


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## Black Sheep (21 Jan 2009)

While SW treats a co-habiting couple on the same basis as a married couple revenue take a very different view.
Single people whether co-habiting or not will always treated as single for tax purposes. Tax credits can only be shared and moved between married couples


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