living together

What does living together mean for purposes of DWP? ,I have a friend who helps out doesnt live here with me but does stay On occasion of I'm.not well. Walks my dogs helps me out as I'm unable to do so on a regular basis Have a 13 year old son who lives with me

I'm now being investigated as they think since he's helping me we are living together!

Help

Hi N,

In case you are not aware, your real name appears to be showing in the forum, if you want to change this then follow the instructions in the following FAQ

My full name is showing, how can I stop it?

The actual phrase used is 'Living together as husband and wife' which is certainly more than a friend, or carer, staying over to help sometimes. There is no hard and fast rule about how often someone can stay, things that will be looked at are (and you don't need to answer here on the forum!) - what are the sleeping arrangements? does the other person have a home of their own (rental agreement etc can help prove this)? is your address used for their post or any financial affairs? do you have any joint bank accounts etc? would people who know you class you as a 'couple'?

If you are able to, you might find it helpful to get face to face advice from CAB or similar.

I'm afraid we do not have the set-up for personal messages. It doesn't really matter what your answers are to my questions, just be aware that this is the kind of thing DWP will look at and see if you can get together any evidence in support of your status.