# Income tax while cohabiting, any extra tax credits?



## NDK (7 Dec 2015)

Hi, I'm looking for some help relating to income tax when not married with 3 kids.
I work full time and earn 30K, My partner doesn't work and just looks after our 3 children at home. I can't use her tax credits because we're not married and she can't claim anything because she's cohabiting with me. I've looked at it and know I'd be much better off on the dole but have been working for 17 years in a factory and don't intend stopping anytime soon. I don't know much about my entitlements, I do still pay a chunk of tax and I suppose my real question is, are there any ways of offsetting the amount of tax I pay, are there any credits I can claim for my dependents and partner which I'm not aware of? Are there any other tax credits which I may claim that are not obvious to someone who doesn't really know much about the tax system. Any help here would be much appreciated


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## Monbretia (7 Dec 2015)

Are you getting FIS (Family Income Supplement)?


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## NDK (7 Dec 2015)

Hi i get 44 euro fis a week, it just that i payed 5600 euro tax last year on the same money so i was looking for ways of reducing that, if i was on the dole i would get 188 +122+29+29+29 and 22.50 fule allowance a week  plus all the other benefits i am not married so i can't clam my partners tax credit .
i am just wondering what i should be claiming.
Thanks for any advice


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## Monbretia (7 Dec 2015)

There is very little in the line of tax credits other than the basic ones which offer any reasonable amount of tax savings, do you work in a job where flat rate expenses credits apply?  Again though that's only a pittance in the overall scheme of things, I presume you claim any medical expenses.   While it's a very poor reason to do it, getting married is the most tax effective thing you could do.


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## NDK (7 Dec 2015)

Thanks, I haven't claimed flat rate expenses or medical expenses, I'm in the process of setting up my revenue on line account now.
I know what you say about getting married but it's a pretty crap reason to be forced to marry just to get tax credits, They treat us as a couple to deny my partner getting any benefits and then treat me a single to deny me using her credits. Thanks for your advice, I really appreciate it.


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## TomOC (7 Dec 2015)

Claim the flat rate expenses and medical expenses by end of year as you can only go 4 years back.
www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/leaflets/flat-rate-expenses.xls


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## Branz (8 Dec 2015)

NDK said:


> They treat us as a couple to deny my partner getting any benefits and then treat me a single to deny me using her credits. Thanks for your advice, I really appreciate it.



The first bit here is SW driven and the second bit is revenue driven.

Rather than p**s in on top of the Revenue on this forum:  have you written to them, setting out your family circumstances and asked to be deemed her tax credit: its not a lot against the 5,600 but as they say: every little helps.
Unless they have got very scrooge, it has worked in the past for me with clients in the same boat


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## Monbretia (8 Dec 2015)

Has this really worked?  I have never come across anyone who has managed to get the married credit while not married.   Are there exceptions made to this rule, this is serious news if there is, I know lots of people who could benefit from this.


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## Mrs Vimes (8 Dec 2015)

It used to be the case about 10 years ago whereby if a couple were cohabiting and one was caring for children the working cohabitant could claim one parent family credit even while cohabiting. Not quite as much as married credit but would go some way towards evening things up for OP.

It was granted on a concessionary basis however.

As I said, this was the case about 10 years ago, no idea whether it still pertains what with the changes to OPFC and all.


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