Living Together Agreement

Five states allow for civil unions: Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Vermont and New Jersey. California, District of Columbia, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin allow for domestic partnerships while Hawaii allows for a similar relationship known as reciprocal beneficiaries.

Domestic Partner: The State of Rhode Island extends health benefits to same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners of eligible employees. To qualify for coverage, employees must meet the requirements and provide the verification information listed on the Domestic Partner Affidavit.

Rhode Island is one of the few states that still recognizes common law marriages, or marriages that are not officially registered or otherwise formally established.

A domestic partnership is a legally-recognized relationship that offers non-married couples the same or similar benefits as those provided to married couples. Not all states recognize domestic partnerships within a legal context.

Cohabiting couples have no legal duty to support each other financially, either while you are living together or if you separate. Nor do you automatically share ownership of your possessions, savings, investments and so on. In general, ownership is unaffected by moving in together.

Alaska law is somewhat unsettled in the area of non-traditional marriages and marriage-type partnerships.However, in Alaska, cohabitation alone creates no property interests. An unmarried domestic partner of either sex may not have the same opportunity to a fair property settlement as a married person.

Where is common-law marriage allowed? Here are the places that recognize common-law marriage: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, New Hampshire (for inheritance purposes only), Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and the District of Columbia.

If a cohabiting couple splits up, they do not have the same legal rights to property as a married couple. In general, unmarried couples can't claim ownership of each other's property in the event of a breakup. This applies to big investments (such as a house) and smaller items (such as furniture).

Serious intent to enter into the husband-wife relationship. parties conduct also must be of such a character as to lead to a belief in the community that they were married. Neither party is married to another person.