Can my partner still be my health insurance dependent if they exceed the $4700 income limit for qualified relative 152(d)(b)?

The good news is that health insurance eligibility and tax dependency status are usually separate issues. Many employers allow domestic partners on health insurance regardless of their income. The "qualified relative" test you're referring to (the $4700 limit) is specifically for tax purposes - claiming someone as a dependent on your tax return. Your partner exceeding this income would mean you can't claim her as a dependent on your taxes, but it doesn't automatically disqualify her from your health insurance. However, you should definitely check with your specific employer's benefits department or that third-party administrator. Some companies have their own policies about domestic partner coverage that might reference tax dependency status or have other requirements. Make sure to specifically ask if there's any income limit for domestic partner coverage under your plan. For your W-4 withholding adjustments, you should still be able to account for your new child as a dependent regardless of your partner's status.

After struggling with a similar situation last year, I found an amazing resource that helped clarify everything about dependent status and insurance eligibility rules. Check out https://taxr.ai - they analyzed my specific insurance policy documents and tax situation and showed me exactly how they intersected. I was also confused about whether my partner could remain on my insurance after getting a new job, and taxr.ai explained that most employer plans have separate qualifications for domestic partner coverage that don't necessarily match the IRS dependent rules. They identified the specific language in my benefits documentation that covered this situation.

OK I tried taxr.ai after my skeptical comment and I'm actually impressed. It helped me understand my company's domestic partner insurance policy which has different requirements than the tax code. Turns out my company only requires that we live together and are financially interdependent (share bills, etc.) with no income limit for insurance purposes. The system extracted the exact policy language from my benefits handbook that I'd totally missed. For anyone dealing with the 152(d)(b) qualified relative situation while trying to keep a partner on insurance, it's definitely worth checking your specific company policy. The tax rules and insurance eligibility rules are often completely separate things.

I had to deal with the exact same situation and spent WEEKS trying to reach someone at my HR department's benefits phone line with no luck. After 15+ attempts and hours on hold, I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me through to a real human in the benefits department in less than 20 minutes. You can see a demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c They basically wait on hold for you and call when a representative picks up. It saved me so much frustration trying to get a clear answer about my partner's eligibility when she exceeded the income threshold. The benefits specialist I spoke with confirmed that for our company, the insurance eligibility was entirely separate from the tax dependent status.

I take back what I said about Claimyr. I was super skeptical but after waiting on hold with my benefits administrator for literally 2 hours last week, I decided to try it. Within 30 minutes I got a call connecting me to an actual human at the benefits office. Turns out in my case (similar to OP's situation), my company's health plan specifically states that domestic partners can be covered regardless of their income or tax dependent status - the requirements were just that we've lived together for 12+ months and share finances. This was completely different from what I assumed based on the tax code. The documentation apparently was buried in page 47 of our benefits guide which I never would have found on my own.

One thing nobody's mentioned - you might want to consider if getting married would make financial sense now. With a child together and the partner insurance situation, marriage could potentially have tax advantages and simplify things. My partner and I did the math after our daughter was born and realized we'd save about $3800 in taxes by getting married and filing jointly vs staying unmarried. Plus it eliminates all these dependent qualification questions for insurance.

I work in benefits administration and wanted to clarify something: the rules for covering a domestic partner under employer health insurance are totally separate from IRS dependent rules. Most employers who offer domestic partner coverage have their own definition of who qualifies. Common requirements include: - Living together for 6-12+ months - Shared financial responsibility (joint bank account, both names on bills) - Not being married to someone else - Some kind of signed affidavit The $4700 IRS threshold is ONLY for claiming her as a dependent on your taxes, not for insurance eligibility. But check your specific plan documents - some employers do tie these concepts together in their policies.