Living Together - what's the definition?

[Tinker]

I know it sounds like a stupid question but I was wondering. Having filled in my Tax Credits form and Electoral role form, blithely ticking 'no other adults in household' option, I wondered how living together is defined. My boyfriend stays at mine, usually, about 5 to 6 nights per week. It can often be the whole week as well. Only times he doesn't stay are if I go away for the weekend or I need to do an essay and need to concentrate. But we'd never class ourselves as living together, he hasn't offcially moved in, he doesn't contribute toward the household bills except food/drink. But would the Inland Revenue see it this way? How do they decide?

Thanks

Does he officially live somewhere else? Where does his post go to? If he has put himslef on electoral register/is paying council tax somewhere else then he's not "living with" you

I would say that you were right to tick that option. I would think that if he doesn't live with you full time and he pays no bills then he cannot be classed as a co-habitant. But then I am not a tax expert and I suspect this could be a bit of grey area

I don't know the IR definition but I'd think he's only officially living with you if:

• He pays half the rent/mortgage and bills
• He's on the electoral roll there
• Doesn't have anywhere else to live

After all, you could dump him and kick him out at any time and he would have no say in the matter so I wouldn't have thought he qualified as living with you. Plus he has his own place presumably. But if he's staying that much why isn't he living with you? (don't answer that if you don't want to, it's a cheeky question!)

Well, morally, I agree with WWW. However, I used to be something of an expert on the benefit system (having done nothing but read all the rules for a few weeeks when I was unemployed) and I suspect the tax office will see you as living together. The rule for claiming benefits used to be if you shared 4 or more meals a week (I'm almost sure of this). The benefits agency also used to send out people to look for tell-tale signs like an extra toothbrush in the bathroom (and they still do, I think).

So I don't know. Perhaps a trip to the CAB is in order?

Thanks everyone for the replies. lucy123 - that's what I had in mind really when asking the question. That's it's not quite that clear-cut.

www - it seems, well, so grown-up

Well, here you go, the official line is here!

Thanks www, that makes it a lot clearer????

doesn't it! it's quite definately not what the dss have been using since 1977 though.

i was told that you could live separately in the same h ousehold so long as you each did your own washing!!

Tinker, from your original post I would say you could be on dodgy ground with your Tax Credits if they decide to check you out... being at your place 5 or 6 nights a week is practically full time... Bear in mind that as it's a new system there is a brand new compliance team just waiting to go...

Tallulah - thanks for that, food for thought. It seems such a grey area to me. He hasn't stayed at all this week since I'm meant to be studying (ha!). Plus, being a little disingenuous, he certainly wasn't staying with me last year, which is what my income is based on. I feel fairly sure, atm, that I'm on safe ground if I was investigated but it's at what point it becomes unsafe that I'm puzzled about.

Does he have his own accomoodation? If not I would have thought you were on dodgy ground.

If your claiming housing benefit you are allowed a man to stay no more than 4 nights a week, if more you have to let them know, perhaps it has the same bearing?!

I think that if he isn't contributing to Tinker's bills and pays rent elsewhere the Inland Revenue would have a hard time "proving" that he lives there. Especially since the point of the tax credits is to help with low income coupled with the high expenses of children. Tinker still has these issues since, her dp is not contributing to her expenses.

Thanks again for your views everyone. It's really hard to clarify but I tend to agree with Sofia, he's not contributing to household expenses or childcare, he's like a non-paying guest