Civil Partnerships Rights

A civil partnership ceremony, like a wedding, is a special occasion. It gives same sex couples the chance to formalise their relationship and give each partner certain rights, just like marriage does.

 

Here are some examples of rights enjoyed by civil partners:

  • If your civil partner dies intestate (i.e. without leaving a Will) you will be entitled to a share in their estate
  • You will be entitled to the equivalent of a widow or widower's pension on your civil partner's death and the same state pension benefits as a spouse.
  • Civil partnerships are treated in the same way as married couples for tax purposes: there is no inheritance tax payable on gifts in Wills to civil partners, and no capital gains tax on a transfer of assets to your civil partner
  • You have rights on the breakdown of your civil partnership, just as you would do if you were married and divorcing. See our section on divorces for more details.

Pre-registration agreement

It is possible to protect your financial position before entering into a civil partnership by entering into a 'pre-registration agreement' which is a document that seeks to determine how your assets should be divided if the civil partnership is dissolved or regulate their financial affairs during the civil partnership.
What if things go wrong?

See our children section for more details

Request A Callback

Enter your details below and we will call you back

This data will only be used to process your query. Read our privacy policy

If you would like to have a chat about your options or how we may be able to help you please contact a member of the team, complete our call back form or contact us directly at your local office.

Your Family Law Team

Oluwapelumi (Amanda) Adeola

Partner

Oluwapelumi (Amanda) Adeola specialises in private Family Law. She moved to the Northeast from London after completing her Legal Practice Course and trained…

Andrea Hewitson

Partner

Andrea is a specialist Family Lawyer with over 30 years’ experience. She undertook her law degree at Northumbria University and went on to study for…

Alex Clancy

Senior Associate

Alex began her career as a Family Law Clerk at Watson Woodhouse Solicitors after graduating from Teesside University in 2004. She spent her first year…

Cheryl Whyte

Senior Associate

Cheryl joined BHP Law in January 2023 as a Senior Associate to help expand the public aspect of the firms growing Family team. Cheryl qualified…

Charlotte Brown

Associate

Charlotte joined BHP Law in February 2024 as an Associate Solicitor to help expand the child law aspect of the firm’s growing family team. Charlotte…

Maariyah Zaman

Solicitor

Maariyah is a newly qualified Solicitor specialising in Family Law, predominantly public children law. Maariyah started her career as a legal secretary…

Nicole Shaw

Trainee Solicitor

Nicole joined BHP Law in January 2023 as a Trainee Solicitor having worked at VCW Law for nearly five years within the Family Department. Nicole commenced…

Gillian Mitchell

Chartered Legal Executive

With over 20 years experience as a Chartered Legal Executive specialising in Family Law, Gillian joined BHP Law's family team in October 2020 bringing…

Leanne Walker

Chartered Legal Executive Advocate

Leanne made the change from the procurement sector to law, having completed her part-time Open University law degree with upper second-class honours in…

Latest Family Law News & Insights

Our Awards & Accreditations & Associations