How does Marriage Affect Social Security Benefits?

On This Page

1. Getting Married While Receiving Social Security Disability Insurance
2. Supplemental Security Income and Marriage
3. Discuss Your Options With a Social Security Disability Attorney Before Your Wedding
4. Let Berger and Green Help You With Your Disability Benefits in PA, WV, or Ohio

REVIEWED BY

C. William Kenny

January 01, 2024

Board certified by National Board of Trial Advocacy

How marriage affects Social Security benefits depends greatly on the type of benefits you receive. Depending on the circumstances, it could have no effect, reduce your monthly payment, or stop your benefits entirely. You will want to ensure you understand the unique effects in your case before your wedding.

In general, getting married should not affect your Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. However, there are some circumstances where you could lose your benefits after you get married, so you should discuss your situation with your local Social Security field office or with a Pittsburgh Social Security Disability lawyer.

Getting married—or even moving in with a significant other—could put your  Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits in jeopardy. This is because this program considers your household income and resources. You could receive less money each month or lose your benefits. 

Keep reading to learn more and get answers to many of your other frequently asked questions (FAQS) about this topic.

Getting Married While Receiving Social Security Disability Insurance

As long as you qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance based on your own work record, getting married will not affect your disability benefits. You can continue to draw your monthly benefits without interruption. Most people qualify for their SSDI monthly payment based on their own earnings record, so getting married will not affect their SSDI disability payments. There is no income or resource limit on this type of government benefit. It is paid based on the money you paid into Social Security as a worker.

The rules are different, however, if you qualify based on someone else’s work records. If your disability depends on the work record of a parent or divorced spouse, you will likely lose your benefits when you get married. You could also lose your SSDI benefits if:

• You receive them based on the work record of a deceased spouse; and
• You remarry before age 50

The rules that apply when you file for SSDI based on someone else’s work credits are complex and often challenging to understand on your own. You may want to discuss these rules and your continued eligibility requirement with someone knowledgeable about how these programs work before you get married.

If you have not yet filed and need help navigating the process, the team of Social Security Disability lawyers at Berger and Green is here for you. We help clients in Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and some parts of Ohio apply and navigate the appeals process after a denial. 

Supplemental Security Income and Marriage

The qualifications for Supplemental Security Income require Disability Determination Services to look at a person’s household income and assets when approving them for this type of federal benefit. This includes not only your monthly income and assets but also your spousal income and assets held by your current spouse.

When you get married, it increases your household income and assets. In this way, getting married could decrease your SSI payment or cause them to terminate it entirely. By adding a second income into your household, you could easily exceed the income limit for SSI payments. 

If your new spouse also receives SSI benefits, the Social Security Administration will consider the amount you should get per household based on the criteria for couples. This could reduce your benefits significantly.

It is important to note that this applies if you move in together without getting married, too. Even if you were a single-wage earner and cannot work because of your disability, SSI will consider the income and resources available to your entire household as a part of the applicable process. 

Discuss Your Options With a Social Security Disability Attorney Before Your Wedding

While we know it is important to you to marry your beloved, it is also paramount that you consider whether your marriage will affect your ability to get the maximum benefit based on your income or earnings record from Social Security Disability. 

Some of the circumstances are complex, and getting married without fully exploring its effect on your disability benefits could leave you scrambling to make ends meet. It is better to sort it out beforehand so you can know what to expect. This is especially true if most of your financial resources depend on your Social Security Disability income.  

An upcoming marriage should also be a consideration if you are considering an application for benefits, especially if you believe you might qualify for SSI or need to rely on a late spouse’s earning records for your benefits. Our attorneys can help you understand how this could affect your application, benefits, and qualifications for SSDI, SSI, or both.

Let Berger and Green Help You With Your Disability Benefits in PA, WV, or Ohio

If you have questions or concerns about what will happen to your Social Security Disability benefits if you get married, the team from Berger and Green can help. We can explain your qualifications and help you file any necessary paperwork, or we can help you fight a wrongful termination of your benefits.

For over 40 years, we have also pursued personal injury payouts for clients in the Pittsburgh area. We can review your case for free if your impairment occurred because of an accident. We may be able to take legal action against the at-fault party and recover compensation for your damages. 

The disability attorneys from Berger and Green know what it takes to get and keep your SSDI and/or SSI benefits. We can evaluate your case, answer any questions you may have, and fight to help you keep the disability benefits you need if you cannot work.

Contact us today for your complimentary consultation with a member of our team.