Opposite-sex partners can now be legally united in a civil partnership — affording them rights and financial benefits long enjoyed by married couples. Couples often mistakenly believe they are protected by so-called ‘common law marriages’, but these do not exist.

For those couples who do not want to get married, a civil partnership can now provide many of the benefits and tax breaks that a husband and wife currently enjoy.

If anyone in a civil partnership dies without making a will, the other will automatically inherit their estate — including their home if they own it. They will also be exempt from paying inheritance tax.

If you are married or in a civil partnership and do not qualify for a state pension, you may be able to claim part of one based on your partner’s National Insurance contributions.

Workplace pension schemes are legally obliged to offer the same benefits to civil partners as married partners. Some private schemes also have to do this, although it is worth checking with your own provider.

Both civil partners have a right to remain in a home if either of them own it. This is called ‘home rights’. If you end your civil partnership, this may change, depending on what the court orders.

Civil partners, like married couples, can also pass on their home in their estate to their partner if they die — again without facing inheritance tax.