{"id":3484,"date":"2026-09-08T19:39:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T09:39:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chipkie.com\/au\/?p=3484"},"modified":"2026-09-08T19:40:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T09:40:01","slug":"protecting-assets-from-de-facto-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chipkie.com\/au\/blog\/2026\/09\/08\/protecting-assets-from-de-facto-claims\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting Assets From De Facto Claims: 2026 Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

By The Chipkie Team<\/strong>, Personal Finance Editorial Team  \u00b7  Last updated 7 September 2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Every year, thousands of Australian parents hand money to an adult child for a home deposit, a business, or a renovation, and almost none of them write it down. Then the child’s relationship ends, and the money is suddenly on the table. Protecting assets from de facto claims is not about hiding wealth or being cynical about your child’s partner. It is about making sure a court can see, years later, exactly what the money was: a loan to be repaid, or a gift that has now become part of a divisible asset pool.<\/p>\n

Under the Family Law Act 1975, de facto couples have substantially the same property rights as married couples in every state and territory except Western Australia, which runs its own regime under the Family Court Act 1997 (WA). If your family money is undocumented, it is exposed.<\/p>\n

Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n