Who Qualifies for Domestic Partner Benefits?

Many companies offer benefits for domestic partners.

Employee benefits can encompass health insurance, dental and vision care, retirement benefits, and life insurance. These things are offered, in addition to their wages or salary, to an employee, their spouse, and children. In some cases, domestic partners can qualify as well.

History

Traditionally, the spousal benefits plans offered by most employers only applied to employees who were legally married. According to the Human Rights Campaign, this is changing. The number of employers that offer benefits to non-married domestic partners is constantly rising and includes most of the Fortune 500 companies.

Requirements

Currently, there are no set requirements or definitions of domestic partner used on a widespread basis. Each employer can create its own definition of "domestic partner" for benefits eligibility use. According to Find Law, most employers that extend benefits to domestic partners require that the two people be in a committed, exclusive relationship, be financially interdependent, be of legal age to marry.

Significance

Domestic partner eligibility has significance with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community as same-sex marriage is not recognized in every state. In states where same-sex marriage is not recognized, these couples rely on domestic partner benefits to receive equal treatment.

References

• Human Rights Campaign: Domestic Partner Benefits
• Human Rights Campaign: Domestic Partner Benefit Eligibility
• Find Law: Domestic Partner Benefits