Committed Intimate Relationships: Love Isn’t Enough
Washington doesn’t have common-law marriage. You could live with someone for 30 years, share a home, raise kids, and introduce each other as husband or wife—but when it comes to inheritance, Washington law doesn’t see you as “married.”
Instead, Washington recognizes something called a Committed Intimate Relationship (CIR). A CIR isn’t automatic, and it’s not nearly as simple as checking a box. It’s a legal status that must be proven in court, often after one partner has died. The judge considers a list of factors: cohabitation, duration, purpose of the relationship, pooling of resources, and intent of the parties. Basically, it’s like your entire relationship being graded by someone who never met you.
Now, imagine this:
You’ve been with your partner for decades. Everyone thinks of you as a married couple. You both know you’re committed for life. Then one of you dies without a will. The surviving partner assumes the law will protect them. After all, “we were basically married.” But the law doesn’t know what you know.
Without a will, Washington’s intestacy laws decide who inherits—and they’re brutally rigid. That means your estate might skip right past your partner and land in the lap of a distant cousin you’ve never met. The partner who shared your life could end up with nothing unless they march into court, hire a lawyer, and convince a judge that your relationship qualifies as a CIR. Even then, it’s no guarantee. If the judge isn’t persuaded? Game over.
The takeaway:
If you’re in a committed relationship and not legally married, don’t leave it up to a court to decide. Make a plan. Write a will. Create a trust. Put it in writing. Because love may be enough for you—but it’s not enough for the law.
To learn more about Washington’s Committed Intimate Relationship Estate Planning, please contact Beresford Booth at info@beresfordlaw.com or by phone at (425) 776-4100.