The benefit partner (toeslagpartner) is the person with whom you apply for a benefit, such as the healthcare benefit (zorgtoeslag) or the rent benefit (huurtoeslag). It’s not possible to have multiple benefit partners. Spouses or registered partners are automatically each other’s benefit partners. The concept of benefit partner is broader than the term partner. If you’re not married and there’s no registered partnership, you can still have a benefit partner. For instance, adult children, siblings, parents, and friends can also be your benefit partner.
This is the case in the following circumstances:
1. You’ve entered into a cohabitation agreement at the notary’s office
2. You have a child together
3. One of the two partners has recognized the other’s child
4. You are pension partners
5. You co-own a property (with or without a mortgage)
6. You or one of your cohabitants has a resident child under 18 (unless the cohabitant is a subtenant)
7. You are each other’s tax partner for income tax
8. You live with someone who was also your benefit partner last year
Multiple Benefit Partners
From the above situations, it’s clear that adult children, siblings, parents, and friends can also be benefit partners. It’s even possible that multiple people qualify to be your benefit partner. For example, you’re a tax partner with one person while you have a child with someone else. The above situations are ranked in order of importance. The person with whom you’ve made a cohabitation agreement at the notary’s office automatically becomes your benefit partner. If you don’t have a cohabitation agreement, it’s checked if you have a child together, and so on.
Exceptions
There are exceptions where one is not considered a benefit partner. For instance, during a legal separation. The benefit is then no longer received jointly, which of course affects the amount of the benefit.
Partner at a Different Address or Nursing Home
If your spouse or registered partner temporarily lives at a different address, you remain each other’s benefit partners. An exception to this is the rent benefit.
Nursing Home
For benefits, you remain benefit partners when the spouse or registered partner is admitted to a nursing home unless you request the tax office otherwise. If the admission lasts longer than a year, the partner is not a benefit partner for the rent benefit. This also applies to admissions in, for example, a psychiatric institution.
Let Taksgemak handle your benefits application and your income tax return. Then you don’t have to worry about it.
