June 21, 2026 at 1:21 am

Her Boyfriend Objected to Her Using Unemployment Benefits for Travel — Now They’re Fighting Over It

by Sarrah Murtaza

Man in grey shirt upset

Pexels/Reddit

Having different values and goals can really mess up a relationship.

This guy shares how he didn’t want his girlfriend to use government allowance for her travel plans.

Check out how things got tense between the couple.

AITA getting mad at my gf for wanting to commit government fraud?

I’m (28M) from Europe but I live in Korea, and have been dating my gf (30F) for over 3 years. She is a wonderful person and I can’t wait to marry her one day.

We never really fight or argue, but with that said we got into an argument today.

This is where everything gets tricky…

She recently quit her job with nothing lined up, which is a bit dangerous but it was causing her a lot of stress with overtime, demanding bosses etc.

Fair enough.

She also has over a years salary saved up since she still lives with her parents who pay for everything (no rent, no groceries, no phone bill, etc.)

She said she was planning to take at least a few months off work to travel, relax and do whatever while she still had the chance.

UH OH…

Again, fair enough. But, over the phone she excitedly told me about her plans to claim jobseeker’s/unemployment benefit.

I asked her if she really needed it, and she said “no but it’s free government money so, why wouldn’t I”? My reply was that I didn’t know the process here in SK but surely she needs to actually apply for jobs to be eligible, at least that’s where it works where I’m from.

She said that I was right, but she was just going to apply for 1 job a month, something that she stood no chance of getting, and that’s technically enough to get it.

She said it’s fine because apparently many young South Koreans do this.

He wasn’t expecting that!

My argument was that it’s fraud, especially in her privileged position as the money should be given to those who really need it and are actually looking for a job.

Especially from my point of view since there’s a lot of hate towards foreign residents right now, with a lot of it coming from the “they come into our country and take all our benefits”, and here in front of me the woman I love is siphoning those exact benefits while planning to laze around doing nothing/travelling.

I lol’d and said I would tell my mom since my mom thinks she’s an absolute angel and she exploded in anger at me.

He’s unsure about the whole thing.

My point of view is that if you’re ashamed enough to get mad about it, you know deep down that it’s wrong and you shouldn’t be doing it.

AITA?

OUCH!

That sounds like a tricky situation!

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a mom who is irate after she gave a group leader money for her daughter’s lunch, only to have him pocket the cash and ask all of the kids to pay their own way.

Let’s find out how the Reddit community responded to this one.

This user thinks if the GF is a tax payer than this shouldn’t be a problem.

Screenshot 2026 06 20 211804 Her Boyfriend Objected to Her Using Unemployment Benefits for Travel — Now Theyre Fighting Over It

This user thinks the girl isn’t entirely wrong here.

Screenshot 2026 06 20 211846 Her Boyfriend Objected to Her Using Unemployment Benefits for Travel — Now Theyre Fighting Over It

This user thinks this guy is being very judgmental towards his girlfriend.

Screenshot 2026 06 20 211858 Her Boyfriend Objected to Her Using Unemployment Benefits for Travel — Now Theyre Fighting Over It

This user thinks things like these vary from culture to culture.

Screenshot 2026 06 20 211912 Her Boyfriend Objected to Her Using Unemployment Benefits for Travel — Now Theyre Fighting Over It

This user thinks this couple is no longer compatible.

Screenshot 2026 06 20 221200 Her Boyfriend Objected to Her Using Unemployment Benefits for Travel — Now Theyre Fighting Over It

There’s nothing a good conversation can’t solve!

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a person who abandoned their own D&D campaign when their friends stopped paying attention.

Sarrah Murtaza | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Sarrah Murtaza is a contributing writer for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and interpersonal drama. With nearly six years of experience in digital publishing, she excels at identifying compelling, community-driven conversations and elevating them into highly engaging narratives.

Sarrah brings a unique, narrative-focused approach to her journalism. Drawing on her professional background as a screenwriter and director, she has a sharp editorial eye for human conflict and motivation. This allows her to transform everyday online dilemmas and relationship dynamics into well-structured, empathetic stories that resonate deeply with readers.

As a dedicated remote professional, Sarrah uses her location independence to travel the world, bringing a diverse and exploratory perspective to her writing. When she isn't crafting stories, she can usually be found exploring a new city or working on her latest creative project.

Connect with Sarrah on Instagram and read her extended essays on Medium.