Living permanently separated
Living permanently separated means that 2 people who are married or in a registered partnership no longer live in the same house but in separate houses.
When are you regarded as ‘living permanently separated’?
You are regarded as living permanently separated if:
- you or your partner no longer wants to live together, and
- you live as though you were not together / not married, and
- this situation is permanent.
You and your partner will also be regarded as living permanently separated if either of you has submitted a divorce petition to a court.
If your divorce does not go through after all, please let us know.
We will assess your situation
If you inform us that you are living permanently separated, we will assess your situation. It is not enough that you live at different addresses. For example, we also look at whether:
- you have permanently stopped living together at the same address
- you are still in contact with each other and, if so, how often and for what purpose
- you have separate finances
- you still do things together, such as going on holiday or visiting family
- you take care of each other in some way, for example you help each other if you are ill or have to go to the doctor, or you do gardening or shopping for each other
Care regarded as necessary will not be taken into account. This is the case if you or your partner cannot manage without permanent assistance.