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When seniors re-partner

I was chatting to a 74-year-old lady, Ms E, recently about her new romance. A long-term divorcee, she is enjoying a new relationship that looks promising, and they are starting to talk about moving in together. She is 74, he 80 - a long-term widower. They have both been independent for a long time, and have their own families with grown children and young grandchildren.

Whilst a new relationship is exciting to someone who has been alone for a long time, Ms E is worried. She owns her house which has a small mortgage on it, and claims a part age pension. She has little else, and supplements her income by taking in boarders. He owns his house outright, and has around $100,000 cash.

“What will happen to my pension?”, she asks. “If he moves into my house, what happens if I die? Will he get my house? Do I need to update my will?”

It is a good thing that she’s thinking about these matters now rather than later. As we spoke, I realised she was misinformed and harbouring a strong trust in the knowledge of her neighbour. She was quite convinced that she would lose her pension and her house and for these reasons was getting ready to walk away from her new love interest.

She is right to be concerned. Just what ARE the issues to watch out for when seniors or the elderly re-partner? Many – in fact most I would say - would wish to maintain separate financial arrangements at this stage in their lives.

Unfortunately, the law may see it differently. Let’s look at the impact on the age pension, and some estate planning issues.

What happens to the age pension if they move in together?

If one or both members of the couple claim an age (or any other means-tested) pension, then the first thing to look at will be the impact. Will Centrelink or the Department of Veteran’s Affairs actually consider them a couple? There are several aspects that Centrelink will take into consideration, and you can read more here.

It is possible to request that you continue to be assessed as singles, and these requests are considered on a case by case basis. This may be worthwhile if possible.

Assuming Ms E and her beau are considered to be a couple if they move in together, that certainly will mean a reassessment for both of them. In most cases, this will result in a reduction of their age pension, especially where (as in this case) they both own their own homes.

If he moves into her house, his home, worth around $1 million, will be treated as an investment property and assessed as an asset to both of them. If he rents it out, the rental income will count towards their combined income for the Income Test.

Both will go from being full single rate age pensioners ($860 per fortnight each), to being close to losing the age pension altogether. They will have to live on the rental income from his house and his cash savings.

What if Ms E moves into his house, renting her house out? That’s a little better. Her home is worth $700,000 with a $120,000 mortgage, net value $580,000. They will qualify for around $342 a fortnight each.

If they are considered by Centrelink to be singles, the one who moves out of their house will be the one most affected. In this case, the beau would lose his pension altogether if he moves in with Ms E due to the assets test. Alternatively, Ms E would continue to qualify for around $500 a fortnight if she moves in with him.

These questions must be carefully considered. There are other scenarios, such as if they sold one or both of their houses and bought a new place together, or they may rent out their houses and rent somewhere else together. All of them come with their own estate planning issues.

A quick note for those with grandfathered account-based pensions: remember that in order to keep the grandfathering, you must continually qualify for income support payments for the grandfathering to continue. Keep this in mind when sorting through these issues.

Will the new beau steal the house?

The short answer is: if they are living together as a de facto couple, then they may have a claim on each other’s estate.

Often the risk of claims occurring do not come from the couple themselves, but from the children of the survivor. Strong influence from an opportunistic beneficiary can be hard for a bereaved elderly person to resist.

The best frontline protection is for the couple to put in place a Binding Financial Agreement ensuring that they have no claim on each other’s assets. This may be a little costly with most local lawyers charging at least $300 an hour, but will help to ensure no nastiness down the track, and shoo away those pesky offspring.

In cases where the co-habitation is genuinely just about companionship, living as friends and flatmates, without a Binding Financial Agreement in place it would be up to the courts to decide the status of the relationship in the event of a claim. In this case, a letter signed by both parties kept with the will can be helpful. It would not be the only thing the court would rely on, but serves as a good indicator of the intentions of the couple. How Centrelink is treating them would be another indicator for the courts to consider.

A new relationship is exciting, no matter what age, and now that I’ve completely ripped the romance out of it, I wish Ms E and the beau many happy years together, comfortable in the knowledge that they have protected themselves, each other and their beneficiaries.

 

Alex Denham is a Financial Services Consultant and Freelance Writer. This article is general information and does not consider the personal circumstances of any individual and professional advice should be obtained before taking any action.

 

5 Comments
Sue
July 31, 2024

It seems very out of date to be penalised for having a sexual relationship and living in the same house. The loss of finances making one partner dependent on their partner is not healthy especially if it is a new partner - if a person moved in with a retired sister, retired friend or retired stranger this would leave the home owner with same pension and both with finances independent (if a sister or friend moved in leaving her own owned home this could reduce their income but not as much as if in a relationship ) there needs to be a better way as this keeps new couples apart -when moving in with people could free up housing and reduce social isolation and care needs - i suggest a trial time especially for a new relationship so people can try living together maybe for 1 to 2 years before loosing their income, reducing risks of being dependent in an unhealthy relationship while maintain their dignity and independence

Jason
June 18, 2024

So sad. We live in a post cohabited partner world. It's all about money. I love the story about the wealthy retiree who married a younger, low net value person recently from overseas. He formed an elaborate prenup and strategically gifted his kids. The deal was that she got to keep the home if she stayed and looked after him until he died. They were both quite happy with each other, and the financial arrangement. Aaaaah, the joys of being wealthy.

Patricia
May 13, 2015

The client is always right no doubt - you serve the person paying your fee. But many elderly romances are about money and property - nothing else - and involve improper if not legal undue influence. An elderly widowed gent afraid of frail old age targeted by a cunning, vivacious, late middle-aged woman seeking free accommodation and a pot of gold for the future, maybe also a visa - his assets, age and loneliness make him a prime target, and she is skilled, convincing - against all reason and common sense he believes he has at last found True Love, and showers her with trust, access and power. She has done this before, and will do it again - she is in effect in the business of taking advantage of elderly gents.
There are robust historical reasons why the gent is morally only a guardian of the assets supporting him the adult children have been happy to wait and pleased to see him enjoying them. But the adventuress will stay just a few years and take a fair chunk or even all of them - whether during their short life together or through divorce or death - and it will be her gormless descendants who scamper off laughing with the inheritance always destined for the gent's children and grandchildren.
Your advice assumes this is a good outcome - you are eager to help the imposter destroy or steal the wealth created for the faithful and long-suffering generations who were caring for the gent before she appeared.
Don't wait to see the horror of this very common scenario unfolding in your own family, before you apply your professional skills considering an ethical approach to it.

Ramani
May 09, 2015

Alex's excellent insight into the implications of cohabitation when the romantic Sally sallies forth into the life of a rheumatically harried Harry is mandatory reading for those exposed to such twilight risks.

Wearied by wisdom, the impending suitors are less likely to be so swept off their balance by romance, as to ignore the highlighted (economic) facts of life, even if their gait and balance are not what they used to be in their salad decades.

Unless you hail from Hollywood or its national equivalent, a pre-nuptial is not usual for those who are young both at heart and of body. What they save in lawyers' fees at the beginning, they eventually cough up at the family law Court, bit by every six-minute-billable bit. Karma!

Alex's article reminds me of a memorable passage in a Richard Gordon (of the famous Dr series - though like Catherine, not privy to a senior date, this emphatically carbon dates me) novel: the young medical couple are advised to meet a lawyer prior to their tying the knot. Trained to cover every eventuality, however remote, the lawyer takes them with gusto over the awry possibilities: infidelity, murder on the marital bed, 'issues' (as in kiddies), financial skulduggery and occasional flings. With the doctors thus discomfited and rendered febrile, he then wishes them off heartily as does our Alex (with an invoice to cheer them up further).

Schadenfreude? Enjoyable, as long as I am not the focus of attention.

Catherine
May 08, 2015

Great article, Alex! I really enjoyed it (despite not being a dating senior myself!)

 

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