Need advice. I am separated from my husband, have been for over a year. We both don't want to get back together but we are still really close friends. We both played apart in the marriage breakdown. I am a single mum studying and working part time. I am also on the pension. My ex is going to be moving in with us, we have two spare rooms for him, we are not getting back together. Will this affect the pension? He will be working full time.

6 Replies
More than likely youll need witnesses to swear in a legal document that youre not together.
On a personal level its a terrible terrible idea especially confusing for the children involved who have gone through a breakup once and then you will inevitably put them through it a second time.
Not true
Don't do it, honestly, it's too confusing for the kids and it won't help either of you move on emotionally. If the pension is your only concern, I think it would be a nightmare with Centrelink.
Being homeless... now that's confusing for the kids
Yeah true, sometimes it's unavoidable, the cost of living is ridiculous these days. Good luck IM, I hope Centrelink is kind to you, it's pretty bad when ppl doing the right thing have to worry about getting approval. All the best.
Separated for 3 years. Divorced a year. 2 kids. Still friends with ex and no affordable housing available. He moved in with us, both names on lease. I receive single carers pension, he works. We filled in Centrelink 'separated under one roof form' a few months ago, and had no problems.
Just fill it out that you do everything separately - washing, cooking, bills, childcare, sex... and make sure you have no joint accounts, insurance, etc
In our case, he pays me $200 a week to cover his room and bills, so basically he's a boarder. All the furniture and appliances are mine, nothing is shared. I'd still have a parenting plan and work out child support as if you live separately if your kids are still young.
It's more common than you think, as the cost of living is crippling single parent households. It's not always easy living with your ex but it beats living in your car...
Neither of us have a new partner so you'd need to discuss how that would work....