# Newly married - increase in allowances?



## terry605 (Jun 21, 2011)

Hi,

I have been working in the UAE at an oil company for the past 6 months...my contract contains the standard base salary plus allowances. 

Last week I got married and now need to move out of my current accommodations to something larger... Can I go to my employer and ask for an increased housing allowance? My contract was negotiated on the basis of me being single, obviously now my expenses have increased considerably...

Many thanks for your inputs in advance!


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## Lenochka (Apr 19, 2008)

you can always ask.....

I doubt though that you'll get very far with this request


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## EmilieTS (Dec 28, 2011)

Well I think you should at least ask, all they can do is say no. I think they might agree though. 
At my husband's old job it was the same situation, he was only getting a single housing allowance cause we weren't living with him. But he did manage to ask at his new job, where he gets a lot more because we are with him now, and they told him that single applicants get significantly less. That would indicate to me that they do take it into consideration. The housing allowance I am saying, not the salary.


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## tootall (Aug 5, 2010)

My company provides three different rates for allowances. One for singles, one for married and finally one for married with children. One of my colleagues got married last year but he had to wait for his current lease to expire before he was allowed to change rates and move to a larger place. Ironically he just got transferred to a new country and got a very nice place but is now getting divorced so next year when his lease runs out he will have to move to a smaller apartment!


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

terry605 said:


> ...Can I go to my employer and ask for an increased housing allowance?


It depends on which oil company.

If it is an International company, then you just need to inform HR and the new allowances should be applied once your current (housing) contract expired. Other benefits (i.e. COVA, etc) should be adjusted immediately.

You could push on the housing to be effective immediately so you could move to a larger place, but the cost of breaking contract / moving house might be pushed back to you since you will be breaking the current contract. All up to your company HR policy...

For local company, I wouldn't know since I have never worked for one but the chance would be much smaller (I imagine).


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