When are you regarded as ‘sharing a household’?
Under the AOW pension scheme, if you live with someone aged 18 or older and you both contribute regularly to the household, you are regarded as ‘sharing a household’.
What does ‘contributing to the household’ mean?
There are 2 ways you can contribute to the household:
- Contributing financially: you pay part of the household expenses, including housing costs, shopping etc.
- Contributing by providing mutual care: you help each other by cleaning, shopping, doing paperwork and cooking, and looking after each other when one of you is ill.
The financial contributions or mutual care provided must be significant and not just incidental.
Liz has an AOW pension and lives in the same house as her brother. They share the household costs. They also both do the cleaning and the weekly shopping.
Liz is therefore regarded as sharing a household. This means she will get an AOW pension at the rate for a person living with another adult.
Brian lives with Sarah. They both get an AOW pension. They are not married. They share the household costs. Sarah’s daughter, Louise (22), also lives with them. She is a student with a part-time job. She does not do much around the house.
Brian and Sarah are regarded as sharing a household.
They do not share a household with Louise. Brian and Sarah will each get an AOW pension at the rate for a person living with another adult.
Nora gets an AOW pension. She lives with her niece Anne of 49 and Anne's daughter, Emma of 29. As Anne and Emma are working, they both contribute to the regular household costs, such as the rent, gas and electricity, and shopping. They also help on a daily basis with the shopping, cooking, cleaning and odd jobs around the house.
Nora shares a household with Anne, but she also shares a household with Emma. Nora therefore gets an AOW pension at the same rate as a person living alone.
Certain situations are always regarded as sharing a household
You will always be regarded as ‘sharing a household’ if you and the other person:
- have been married to each other before
- have lived together before
- have a child together (your own child or an acknowledged child)
- have a cohabitation agreement drawn up by a notary public
- if your household has already been classed as a shared household under another Dutch law or benefit scheme