18 August 2008
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has launched a campaign
highlighting the need for unmarried couples to get information and
advice about their legal and financial rights, as the government is
concerned that too few people are aware of them. That includes not
knowing their rights to pension benefits if their partner died or
they split up.
According to a recent survey, half the country believes that
couples who have lived together for a while have the same rights as
married couples or civil partners. The government points out that
so-called 'Common Law Marriage' does not exist and has not been
legally recognised in the UK since 1753. Another myth is that if
you have a child with your partner, that confers legal rights.
Typically, pension schemes will pay out a lump sum and/or a
regular pension to a dependant when a scheme member dies. But
schemes only automatically pay benefits out to spouses or
registered civil partners. An unmarried partner often needs to
demonstrate they were financially dependent on their partner to
claim pension rights when their partner dies.
For advice on non-pensions rights, follow the links through the
MoJ Press Release at -
http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/newsrelease150808b.htm
