What Benefits are Covered? 

Many domestic partner benefit plans offer only minimal, low-cost benefits.  Examples of these benefits include:

• Sick leave;
• Relocation expenses;
• Access to company property; and
• Permission to attend company functions. 

The benefit of greatest importance to most employees is health and medical insurance.  Many employers hesitate to extend such benefits to domestic partners unless they are required to do so, for fear that the cost will be too high.  Studies have shown, however, that the increased cost of adding domestic partner coverage to a health insurance plan is less than many employers may expect. This is because participation in domestic partner benefit pans tends to be low, and those employees who do participate tend to be younger and healthier.  Furthermore, for same-sex domestic partnerships, there is less risk that a health insurance plan will have to cover the high costs of pregnancy and childbirth. 

Tax Consequences

Federal income tax laws do not treat domestic partner benefits the same as benefits offered to married couples.  Ordinarily, an employee whose partner receives domestic partner benefits must include the cost of those benefits as taxable income.  This means that the employee must pay tax not only on the premium paid for the benefits, but must include the portion of the cost of the benefits paid by the employer as taxable income.  The exception is for partners who are legal dependents, as defined by the Internal Revenue Service.  In order to be a legal dependent, a partner must live in the same household as the employee, and must receive over half of his or her support from the employee. 

Legal Help with a Domestic Partner Benefits Issue

Thousands of employers now offer domestic partner benefit plans, and as these plans become more popular, the rules and rights under them will continue to change and evolve. An experienced employees' rights attorney will be able to give you current advice on domestic partner benefit plans, and your rights as an employee or domestic partner under such a plan.

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