Has anyone had a good outcome splitting from unmarried partner?

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My niece has been with her partner since she was they left school, she's now 47 and has 3 children, older ones have left home but still has 15 year old at home with her (all with her ex). She hasn't worked since the youngest was born as she has additional needs (mostly fine day to day now) and her ex actively encouraged her to be a SAHM.

Her ex has multiple properties, very successful business and a lot of hidden cash (as well as unhidden), but she seemingly has nothing of her own. She is on the mortgage of their main property and did historically put money into in but there is still a huge mortgage on this one. He said he will make sure she's okay but hasn't said specifically what he means.

She is totally devastated, she thought they were happy and this came from nowhere, although I hate to say it but we (me and her mum) suspect there is someone else. She is looking for a job but doesn't really have many workplace skills. I have told her to see a lawyer but she's sticking her head in the sand a bit and keeps saying he'll look after her, but I think this is just her being in denial.

I know she is incredibly vulnerable financially and mentally and as they're unmarried I really worry for her. Has anyone else been through something similar.

Thank you.

So have been a tax dodge to ‘pay’ her a salary below the higher v tax threshold to get money out of the business at a lower rate.

She needs a job and the equity out of the house she owns with him. I doubt she’ll get anything else beyond three more years of child support.

I would also be concerned about a tax investigation.

What a mess!

Women who aren't the higher earner shouldn't have kids outside of marriage. End of. This is why.

I wonder if he’s said they are married to save tax

I mean we don’t know what’s going on but if she’s on the payroll and working - or not working - then he’s up to something with tax allowances. He might need to be very careful about that which will be in her favour

You are asking what you could have done? She needed legal advice before she committed herself, her future and her finances.

I’m 48 and knew at 18 about the legal benefits of marriage.

My niece has been with her partner since she was they left school, she's now 47 and has 3 children,

You’ve had 30 years to advise her. 30 years to warn her about the risks of having (multiple) children and at least 15 to warn her about the risks giving up work.

Not illegal at all.

Lots of Ltd company owners do this - it gives them an extra route to extract money from the company reducing corp tax, and uses the partner’s unused £12k tax free allowance.

Also works with children.

It’s only ok if the partner is actually doing something for the money which wasn’t the case here.

I doubt employing children in the same way would work either - might raise a few questions about child labour and the skills the child is bringing to the company.

Well, as you say, the whole situation is a complete mess and that’s the only sure fire thing she actually owns. I’d be finding that out (or an approximation) as a matter of some urgency. If there is £100k equity, then that’s £50k each-would that be a deposit in a house/flat?

If there’s more like £700k equity, she’s in a far better situation.

would partner need to be married to qualify? I know couples who have done this but they have been married

No, you cannot have a salary that you claim against the company’s profits to reduce the corporation tax when that person is not doing any work for the company. Whether you’re married to that person is irrelevant.

There are multiple sources confirming this, these are just a couple I found on Google.
https://caldwellpenn.com/can-you-employ-family-members-to-save-tax/

https://thecooperway.com/wealth-management/can-i-pay-my-spouse-an-income-from-my-company-in-the-uk/

It’s not ok whether they are married or unmarried.

Maybe she posts his tax return for him.

I was in a relationshionship from 18 to 31, never married. We jointly shared our home and I bought him out. From that lump sum i deducted money for jobs on the house that I had paid 100% for and also a deposit I gave him for his car. He left with practically nothing.

Our savings and pensions were our own. We had no children but i kept the dog so he was in his familiar home and favourite human.

Unless married there are no rights except child maintenance.

I was the higher earner with a strong pension, it was not in my interest to marry. When our family solicitor read my fathers will she strongly advised my sister and I never to marry, as a divorce could result us losing half of my dad's hard earned money.

We need to be open about marriage being a legal agreement and not a big love story. We've been sold a lie and need to keep the two separate- they are not the same. Love and marriage are different.

My advice to your neice is to get the separation legally sorted asap. The longer it goes on the more the other party starts rowing back and withholding money.

Well she needs to gather all the paperwork on all properties and the company and then pay a lawyer for advice. If millions are involved it could be worthwhile paying 50k to lawyers .....
She can go land registry website and pay to access the deeds of each property What is Schedule 1 Children Act 1989? | Weightmans share.google/8iuKReVJLXw9ixcJf

The partner has clearly put your niece down as an employee in order to reduce his tax bill.

I'd suggest she gets evidence of this - she might HRT be able to use it as leverage if he starts fucking about.

I say this all the time on MN threads, but in eg Australia, this simply isn’t allowed. Once you’ve cohabited together for two years, you both have rights, and courts don’t let the man ditch the women who gave up her career to raise their children be left with nothing just because they didn’t marry. But whenever I say that, lots of poster pile in and say it’s not fair to have legal consequences foisted on you by legislation and these women are solely to blame because they were so naive as to give up work and have children with a man who wouldn’t marry them. And while I agree women who let that happen are naive, naïveté isn’t a crime you should be punished for by being left with nothing after you dedicate years to what you believe to be a joint enterprise of raising a family together and the stay at home mum generally doing all the domestic work that enables the man to focus on his career and make al the money.

Why the surprise
If people want the benefits of marriage they need to get married

It’s not the law in England

Thank goodness this isn’t the case here. Why should anyone be forced to support someone who didn’t work, against their choice.

Support yourself, whether you’re a man or woman, until you both choose to marry and take this joint responsibility.

Having a kid does not entitle you to be looked after for life. This especially applies to the people who never had a proper job in the first place.

How does it work with male and female housemates? Or same sex housemates for that matter?

She should see a lawyer, but she needs to keep it a secret. From his perspective she should be just as meek and compliant as ever.

point out to her that if this man had any intention of taking care of her, he would have married her legally. He is lying. She needs to start lying too.