Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 section 161J

Calculation of means— couples

Section 161J sets out the rules for calculating a claimant's means when determining blind welfare allowance, particularly where the claimant lives with a spouse.

• Where a claimant and their spouse share the same household, their combined means are treated as belonging entirely to the claimant.
• An exception applies where both partners receive blind pension or both meet the qualifying conditions: the claimant's means are then taken as half the combined total.
• A spouse includes a husband or wife living with the claimant.
• A spouse also includes an unmarried man and woman cohabiting as if married.