Is your partner cheating on you?

David Koch offers some tips on how to budget successfully.

Keeping financial secrets from a partner is a dangerous move. Picture: Thinkstock Source: ThinkStock

SNEAKY partners are hiding their spending habits from their loved ones and even lying about their income.

Experts say being untruthful to a partner about finances is destined for disaster and the key to a successful relationship both in love and money is being open and honest from the beginning.

New results show one in three Australians (33 per cent) admit to scouring their partner's credit card statements — and females are the worst offenders.

About 37 per cent of women admit to checking their partner's plastic spending habits compared with men (30 per cent) new research by insurer Budget Direct shows.

And when it comes to income levels, about one in 10 admits to lying to their partner about how much they earn.

AMP financial planner Dianne Charman says keeping financial secrets from a partner is a dangerous move and urged couples to be honest.

Couples should be open about finances and agree on shared goals, say experts. Picture: Thinkstock Source: Supplied

"Money tends to be an issue if you are not open,'' she says.

"If you are in a partnership and you want to achieve goals together then you should be open and transparent about these things from the start."

Charman says setting up a budget and working out financial goals together is a good plan of attack and doing the opposite rarely succeeds.

"Keeping secrets doesn't tend to work,'' she says.

"As an adviser, I find it's very difficult to deal with a couple if they are not on the same page."

The findings also showed about 15 per cent of respondents hide purchases from loved ones.

They most commonly hide spending on clothes (69 per cent), shoes (55 per cent) and entertainment (50 per cent.)

Budget Direct spokeswoman Margueritte Rossi says realistic financial goals can help stamp out disputes.