Updated: October 7, 2025
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Adding your girlfriend or boyfriend to your health insurance depends on your insurer's domestic partnership requirements and state regulations. You'll need official documentation proving shared finances and cohabitation, such as utility bills, joint bank accounts or a co-signed mortgage.
Only 11 states recognize domestic partnerships for health insurance. Even if your state allows it, your insurance company determines specific qualification requirements.
Adding your girlfriend or boyfriend to your health insurance policy depends on state regulations. Eleven states recognize civil unions or domestic partnerships. Some insurers also recognize domestic partnerships, extending coverage to your unmarried partner when you provide required documentation. To qualify, you need to prove a committed relationship with shared financial responsibilities, such as joint bank accounts or co-signed lease agreements.
Health insurance plans for domestic partners cover the partner as a dependent, similar to a spouse. You can also add children living in your home. However, tax implications differ from spousal coverage. Employer-sponsored plan premiums are pre-tax for yourself and your spouse, but post-tax for a domestic partner. The IRS also considers employer-paid coverage for domestic partners as taxable income, taxing the employer's portion of the partner's premium as imputed income.
A domestic partner for health insurance is someone you're in a long-term, marriage-like relationship with but aren't married to. This applies to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples.
Domestic partner qualifications vary between insurance companies and states, but most require that you:
You can add your partner's children to your health insurance if your relationship qualifies as a domestic partnership with your insurer. You'll need to prove your domestic partnership status and financial responsibility for the children.
Your insurance company requires documentation showing your domestic partnership status and the children's dependent status, including financial support records or legal guardianship papers. The children must be under 26 to qualify as dependents, though a few states extend this to 31.
Eleven states recognize domestic partnerships or civil unions for legal purposes, with different qualification rules.
Washington limits domestic partnerships to same-sex couples or opposite-sex couples where one partner is over 62. Oregon requires both partners to be at least 18 with one living in Oregon - they expanded to include opposite-sex couples in 2024. California also expanded beyond same-sex couples to include opposite-sex partners.
According to the National Conference for State Legislatures, here are the states that recognize these relationships:
Five states recognize civil unions:
Six states plus Washington, D.C. recognize domestic partnerships:
Hawaii also has “reciprocal beneficiaries,” similar to domestic partnerships but with different eligibility rules.
Adding your partner to your health insurance requires understanding your insurer's requirements, your plan type and the enrollment process. Contact your insurer if you have questions about coverage.
Confirm with your insurance provider whether your plan allows you to add a partner. Some policies cover only legally married couples, while others recognize domestic partnerships or civil unions.
You'll need proof of domestic partnership or civil union, evidence of shared financial responsibilities (like joint bank accounts or lease agreements) and sometimes an affidavit of domestic partnership. You must also demonstrate cohabitation and a committed relationship.
You can add your partner during the annual open enrollment period. If you've recently entered into a domestic partnership or experienced another qualifying life event (like moving in together), you qualify for a special enrollment period.
Adding a partner to your plan affects your premiums and out-of-pocket costs. If you have insurance through an employer, the employer-paid portion of your partner's premium is taxable income.
After gathering necessary documentation and understanding the financial implications, add your partner to your plan by completing enrollment forms and submitting them to your insurer within the designated time frame.
Review your coverage specifics, including network restrictions if you're on an HMO plan, and how you'll share out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and copays. Plan types like PPO, POS or EPO plans have fewer network restrictions but higher costs.
Only add your partner to your health insurance if it makes financial sense and you're in a stable, long-term relationship. Consider their healthcare needs, what it'll cost you and whether they have better coverage options elsewhere.
Here's what to think through before making this decision:
Adding your partner to health insurance can be confusing. Here are answers to common questions about domestic partnerships and coverage requirements:
Your girlfriend or boyfriend may qualify as a domestic partner for health insurance, depending on your insurer's rules and your state's laws. Each company and state has different domestic partnership requirements.
Yes, your partner will get the same benefits you do under your policy. Everyone covered by the plan gets the same benefits unless you change them during open enrollment or after a qualifying life event.
You can add your girlfriend if you live together and meet your insurer's domestic partnership requirements. Most insurers require proof you share financial responsibilities and cohabitate.
You can add your boyfriend depending on your insurer's domestic partnership rules. You'll need to provide evidence of shared living expenses and a stable relationship.
You may be able to add your fiancé under domestic partnership rules, though this varies by insurer and state. Some companies treat engaged couples differently than other unmarried partners.
You don't always need to be married to share health insurance. Many plans cover domestic partners or people in civil unions, not just married couples.
Not all health insurance companies let unmarried partners share plans. Policies vary widely between states and insurers; some only cover married couples or registered domestic partners.
About Mark Fitzpatrick
Mark Fitzpatrick, a Licensed Property and Casualty Insurance Producer, is MoneyGeek's resident Personal Finance Expert. With over five years of experience analyzing the insurance market, he conducts original research and creates tailored content for all types of buyers. His insights have been featured in publications like CNBC, NBC News and Mashable.
Fitzpatrick holds a master’s degree in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He's also a five-time Jeopardy champion!
Passionate about economics and insurance, he aims to promote transparency in financial topics and empower others to make confident money decisions.
