How many days a week can your partner live with you before affecting WTC?

jomist

I don't live with my partner at the moment but he will move in permanently when he sells his house. I know that when he moves in I won't be able to claim WTC and I don't have a problem with that.

What I need to find out is how many days a week he can stay at my house in the meantime before we're considered living together 'as married'.

He is starting a job near to me soon and it would be easier for him to stay here, say 4 days a week, rather than doing the long journey home.

System

I'm afraid I don't know the answer but I would assume that if he still has his own property and associated bills, which would limit his ability to contribute to your household bills, then he could stay over quite often. Once he sells his house and can be said to be contributing fully to your household then I would think you would have to end your single claim and get a joint claim.

Gaz83

There's no black and white rule with this I'm afraid - if he's staying over 4 nights a week but you can still regard yourselves as "single" then you can do so - but if the IR decide to investigate, you'll have to justify them as to why you still considered yourself single.

jomist

So a grey area then

I'll have to bite the bullet and ring them.

Thanks for your input :beer:

real1314

Very gray, in fact as many shades of gray as their are variations in the way married people live.

e.g Married couple, he's an oil rig worker. Away from home for months at a time, but still a couple. Or he works in london, home is in Bristol. He travels to London late sunday, stays in london all week (he has a pad there) comes back after work friday, but still a couple.

They make their decision (afaik) on "balance of probability" i.e is it more likely than not likely.

nats3006

they make their own minds up!!! best letting them know!

jomist

I rang Inland Revenue and he can stay no more than 3 nights a week.

They also said they would be carrying out checks. I assured them that my tax credits are too important to me to risk doing anything to jeopardise them.

After I got off the phone to them I then wondered what sort of checks they could do. Will I be expecting visitors in the middle of the night checking what 'company' I have? :rolleyes:

How do they check? Good job I'm not going to do anything wrong - the stress of worrying would send me doolally

seven-day-weekend

Wouldn't it just be easier for him to either have a separate home, or for you to take the plunge and claim as a couple?

jomist

He has his own home about 40 miles away. He's taken a job near where I live because we will be buying a place together when he sells his house. If he moved in now before he sells his house I won't be able to get wtc and he can't make up the money I would lose and pay for his own house.

black-saturn

Yes I was told it was no more than 3 nights and he must not keep any belongings there, must not have any post there and must not contribute to any bills or food bills.