As the world progresses in its definitions of relationships and partnerships, it becomes clear that marriage is something that many people do not subscribe to. In 2019, the number of unmarried couples living together is 17 millionthat’s 7% of the total adult population of America.
If you are not sure what a domestic partner is, and how it differs from a married couple, keep reading our short guide below.
Alternative Marriage
There are many reasons a couple might decide that marriage is not for them. Maybe they have been married and divorced once and they do not want to undergo that process again. Or maybe their family situation is complicated because of alimony payments and they do not want another marriage to complicate things.
Whatever the reason, some couples decide that a domestic relationship is better for them. That’s not a legal formation accepted in all states, and that is why some domestic partners will write a personalised cohabitation agreement to describe how finances, debt, and other assets are handled in their relationship.
Legal Formation
If you do not want to marry your partner, but you still want to create a legal bond between you, then a domestic relationship is a terrific way to do it. Whether your country accepts it as legal or not may not matter if you are not doing it for legal reasons, but for private reasons.
In some states, domestic partnerships provide several benefits such as:
- tax benefits
- added to your spouse’s medical health insurance
- hospital and jail visit rights
- right to inheritance
- family sick leave and bereavement leave
There are some downsides too, such as no access to social security benefits after death or the failure to file joint taxes. That’s why you need to talk to your partner and to a lawyer before starting a relationship or marriage marriage according to customary law. This is particularly important if you have kids from your relationship.
It’s fairly easy to form a domestic partnership – you will apply at a designated government office or courthouse.
Unlike the Civil Union
Civil unions are primarily for same-sex couples, and it extends the legal rights of marriage to them. Civil unions aren’t equivalent to marriage and just a few states recognize civil unions (similar to domestic partnerships).
Domestic Partner – Here’s Another Way to Declare Your Partner
As time goes on, and partnerships become more complicated and diversified, domestic partners and other legal forms will only become more common. It’s all the time a good idea to stay on top of such legalese if you are ever caught in the middle of a relationship like that.
Never enter into such a partnership without consulting a lawyer. Make sure you are clear about your rights in the relationship in the event of a breakup.
We hope this article was useful to you. There are many other related articles on relationships on our website, so keep reading.
