Note: I am a regular poster but am using an anon account for this thread.

My girlfriend's dad passed away about a year ago and in the aftermath of that, she ended up leaving her job. She started looking for work again in the beginning of 2024, but has not been successful. Since she left her job, I have been supporting her. As we are now approaching the full calendar year mark of her not having any earnings, but us not being legally married, I was wondering if there are any strategies or things we could or should be doing?

She does not have health insurance, which is scary to me. What should she do here? I have never been unemployed so I really have no idea.

Can I claim her as a dependent on my taxes for 2024?

Are there any programs she could be enrolled in that we could take advantage of? It feels a little dishonest since our household has income and a comfortable lifestyle, but if it it's legal I have no problem taking advantage of what we can.

She is actively looking for work and I think will start earning something soon, and I probably should have asked these questions long ago, but better late than never.

Also, anyone looking to hire a paralegal/eDiscovery specialist in DFW or remote?

Not something we want to do right now, but perhaps down the road.

Is she only looking for remote jobs? Is she open to any other line of work? Where are yall located?

You can't claim her as a dependent but your taxes would be lower as "married filing jointly" instead of "single".

_lefraud_ said:

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Is she only looking for remote jobs? Is she open to any other line of work? Where are yall located?

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She started out looking remote but has been looking for DFW based jobs as well. We are in Dallas. Yes, I think she would be open to another field.

permabull said:

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Does she have any money in a tax deferred IRA or 401k? If her income is near zero for the year it would be a good idea to Roth convert it since her tax rate will be extremely low

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This is a good idea, thanks.

I hired a paralegal last year in DFW. I was shocked how much I had to pay. I know the general job market isn't quite as good as it was a year ago, but I thought paralegals are still in high demand.

Can she get health coverage thru the govt marketplace for free/heavily subsidized?

Paralegals have gone the way of AI. Same w discovery assistance.

City, County, State, and Federal Government agencies. Start applying for every program they have. Food Stamps, Obamaphone, Obamacare etc. Then move onto utility providers. Put the cable and electricity in her name and see if they have programs for low-income residents.

"It feels a little dishonest since our household has income". She has no job and is not married. She has a place to live because she is sleeping with the house owner. Her household has no income IMO. Its not dishonest. Get on obamacare at the bare minimum. But even there, I think there is a minimum threshold she needs to earn to get subsidies. Figure out a way to hit those minimum thresholds.

I was banned and wanted to post on this thread and forgot about it till now.

Anon, if you are a young associate and you're shacking up with a paralegal you met at work, run as fast as you can.

Similar to interventions that are done with drug and alcohol addicts, in this scenario you are an enabler. She's not gonna have to find work if you are taking care of her. You are enabling this behavior. I bet she'd find a job if she was paying bills.

agnerd said:

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City, County, State, and Federal Government agencies. Start applying for every program they have. Food Stamps, Obamaphone, Obamacare etc. Then move onto utility providers. Put the cable and electricity in her name and see if they have programs for low-income residents.

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I was under the impression many of these are for people who either a) have kids/dependents or b) became unemployed outside of their control. I guess she and I need to do some more research on what she may qualify for.

AggieMainland said:

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"It feels a little dishonest since our household has income". She has no job and is not married. She has a place to live because she is sleeping with the house owner. Her household has no income IMO. Its not dishonest. Get on obamacare at the bare minimum. But even there, I think there is a minimum threshold she needs to earn to get subsidies. Figure out a way to hit those minimum thresholds.

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Thank you, this is great information.

CC09LawAg said:

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I was banned and wanted to post on this thread and forgot about it till now.

Anon, if you are a young associate and you're shacking up with a paralegal you met at work, run as fast as you can.

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Not the case, but I can imagine that might be a good story.

As with most things like that, it's always good until it isn't.

Glad to hear that isn't your situation.

CapCity12thMan said:

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Similar to interventions that are done with drug and alcohol addicts, in this scenario you are an enabler. She's not gonna have to find work if you are taking care of her. You are enabling this behavior. I bet she'd find a job if she was paying bills.

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I appreciate that you think you're being helpful, but this side of the equation is not what I'm trying to address in this thread. I'm not naive, I understand the role I have played in this situation.