To hate it when people say 'if you're not married you're legally single'

[DrunkOnCalpol]

Because it's not true, there is no law defining the marital status of unmarried people. If you're not married, legally you're just not married, but that description doesn't enable people to put unmarried couples down so effectively.
Some laws treat co habiting couples the same as married, some don't. Yes people should be informed of the legal differences, but there's no need for some people to essentially say serious unmarried relationships don't exist.

I am a little confused by many of the responses... living with partner/ cohabiting is a marital status on many, many forms that we must have all filled out and there are many laws that take into account this status. Yes, you don’t have the same protection as married people and certainly don’t have the same claims on assets in your partner’s name etc. Of course it isn’t the same as being married, but it isn’t the same as being single either (granted there are some situations where here is no cohabitation option, in which case single is the closest thing, but it isn’t across the board). Try cohabiting and claiming benefits as a single person, see what happens...

There is no UK law or legal status for couples who are living together or cohabiting. Legally you have no more rights legally than if you were just two friends living together.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/living-together-marriage-and-civil-partnership/living-together-and-marriage-legal-differences/

The word 'single' is one such antonym of 'married' Unmarried is also, but that has no bearing on legal issues though.

The opposite of married is "not-married", the opposite of single is not married (it's in a couple or some other poly-amorous situation) but of course I've never heard anyone say otherwise until this thread, so it seems a bit academic to me.

Hi Aragog,

I don't think you've understood what you've linked to. It says:
"Generally speaking, you will have fewer rights if you're living together than if you're married."

"technically", "legally", "officially"... These words don't have a fixed meaning in this context.

Yes it is worth noting that marriage gives you protections that cohabiting doesn't. But as other posters have pointed out there are many areas of law which don't make that distinction. It's not unreasonable to object to people trying to "but actually" you into being single if, in the normal sense of the word, you aren't.

(For the record I am married but used to find it intensely frustrating that my employer had me tick a box that said single in my HR record.)

@dinosaurglitterrepublic

The point is that if you’re not married or civilly partnered - you’re legally single. You as a single person because you haven’t entered into the marriage contract.

but you are legally single?

I can just imagine what the DWP would say if you claimed benefits as a single person while living with your partner because "technically I'm single guv"

It’s true. You are legally single, though.

Pretty sure there would be a lot of pissed off partners if their other halves slept with someone else and said "well legally/technically we are single".

I can't remember the last time I filled a form in that didn't have cohabiting as an option. Most people live together and are committed prior to marriage, that's if they choose to marry at all.

It's binary, though - either you aren't married or you are.

Here's a little legal exercise! Read edited highlights of s.1 Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. It's the list of people who can apply to challenge your will after you're dead.

^Application for financial provision from deceased’s estate.

(1)Where after the commencement of this Act a person dies domiciled in England and Wales and is survived by any of the following persons:—

(a)the spouse or civil partner of the deceased;

(ba)any person (not being a person included in paragraph (a) or (b) above) to whom subsection (1A)below applies;]

(1A)This subsection applies to a person if the deceased died on or after 1st January 1996 and, during the whole of the period of two years ending immediately before the date when the deceased died, the person was living—

(a)in the same household as the deceased, and

(b)as the husband or wife of the deceased.^

You'll see that cohabiteees have exactly the same rights as spouses.

I think it just means of youre not married, your relationship dosn't mean anything in the eyes of the law. It's not personal.

I don't think you've understood what you've linked to. It says:
"Generally speaking, you will have fewer rights if you're living together than if you're married."

I was referring to the legal status of cohabiting rather than being married, as mentioned by the OP ... that there are laws and legal infrastructure in place which refer to married couple, or those in civil partnerships, but not for those who live together as an unmarried couple. That in law, in most cases, a cohabiting couple are treated as 'single' individuals, unlike a married couple.

You may hate it but it's true. So you're hatred is irrelevant.

Its true though. You either married or not.

That’s the point of getting married, it’s not a romantic thing (alone) it’s a civic thing. If you’re not married you are legally single. The state doesnt care about anyone’s facebook relationship status.

"Its true though. You either married or not."
I'd agree. But it's not true to say your either married or you're single, I think that's the argument.

You're not married, you're single. Get over it or get married or do that civil partnership thingy.

You'll see that cohabiteees have exactly the same rights as spouses.

I don't think that that is always an automatic right though. It is someone who can challenge the will and apply for financial provision, rather than it happening automatically, if no will was in place for example.

If you're not legally married, then yes, your status is officially 'single

Yep. It can't be anything else

You are legally single. This has important consequences for things such as survivor rights, insurance rights, separation rights, parenting and children's rights, etc.

Often the protection afforded to "common-law" couples is not as comprehensive as the protection afforded to a legally married couple.

You hate it when people say that? Who has ever said it? I’m 43 and no one has ever made a point of saying, “If you’re not married you’re legally single.” To me. I’ve never overheard anyone saying it.

In any case it’s true. The official choices are married or single. There’s no ‘cohabiting with long term partner’ option.
If you’re not married you are legally single. Sorry to say it. I know how you hate that.

Fiddlesticksakimbo, I don't think that specifies "cohabiting couple", though. It could apply to siblings, parent and child, or just friends sharing a house. As far as I know (and I could well be wrong) there's nothing in law which distinguishes a cohabiting couple from any other cohabitees.

This is getting a bit crazy!
^single
/ˈsɪŋɡ(ə)l/
adjective

unmarried or not involved in a stable sexual relationship.^

According to this definition it is possible to be unmarried, but not single!