ESD overpayment waiver form confusion - do I include boyfriend's income if we have a child together?

When I completed my waiver application in 2025, I was told by an ESD agent that 'household income with spouse or domestic partner' specifically means legally married spouses or registered domestic partners. Since you're neither, you should only include your income on the form. The presence of a child doesn't change your legal relationship status for these purposes.

NO NO NO dont listen to that person!!!! ESD counts EVERYONE in your household for these waivers!!! My sister tried to only list her income (not her boyfriend's) and they DENIED her waiver and said she committed FRAUD by not disclosing all household members!!! They care about who ACTUALLY lives with you not just legal papers!!!

The form is specifically asking for legally defined relationships - either spouse (marriage) or domestic partner (legally registered). Since you don't fall into either category, you should only report your income. However, if you receive any child support from your boyfriend, that would count as your income. I'd recommend calling ESD directly to confirm, but as we all know, getting through to them is nearly impossible. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) last month when I had questions about my overpayment waiver. They got me connected to an ESD agent in about 15 minutes instead of spending days calling. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 It was worth it to get a definitive answer straight from ESD.

i think what matters is if you file taxes together or separate. do you guys file together? if separate then just put your income

The overpayment waiver form is actually looking at your household's financial ability to repay. While the specific language mentions spouse/domestic partner, what they're really asking is: who contributes to your household finances? Since you have a child together and presumably share expenses, I think including his income would be more accurate. But that's just my two cents.

I recently went through this exact situation with ESD! The official rule is that you only include legally recognized relationships (marriage or registered domestic partnerships) on the household income portion. I called and confirmed this with three different ESD representatives because I was confused too. They told me the form language is outdated and doesn't account for modern family structures very well. Just put your individual income, and if they need additional information, they'll request it during the review process. Make sure you're thorough with the financial hardship explanation section - that's what really matters for these waivers.

just wondering how much is your overpayment? mine was $4200 and i got it reduced to $1500 with the waiver

After seeing all these responses, I want to clarify something important: there's a difference between the overpayment waiver form (which is what you're asking about) and other ESD programs like continued assistance that might look at total household size/income. For the waiver form specifically, you only include legally recognized relationships. If you're concerned about making a mistake, definitely try to speak with an ESD representative directly. The advice about using Claimyr is good - I've used it twice when I needed to get through quickly.