Last week, we wrote a blog post answering a question that was sent to us through Facebook. We received some great feedback and readers have suggested that they’d like us to make this a regular thing. Please feel free to let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. Tell us what questions you’d like us to answer next week! Today’s question is:
Question: How will marriage affect my disability benefits?
Getting married may affect your disability benefits in a variety of ways. This is largely dependent on what type of benefits you receive—Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
If you receive SSI benefits, you likely already know that eligibility is determined based on your income and financial resources. Once you get married, the SSA will “deem” a portion of your spouse’s income to your record. Essentially, this means that they will consider your future husband or wife’s income to be your income as well. This may significantly reduce your monthly payment or even cause the SSA to terminate your benefits altogether.
It is important to note that, if you live with your significant other but are not yet married, the SSA may still decide to deem some of your partner’s income to your record.
If you receive SSDI on your own earnings record, getting married will have no impact on your benefits—no matter how much money your future spouse earns. If you receive SSDI based on someone else’s earnings record, your benefits could be affected in the following ways:
- If you receive SSDI benefits under an eligible parent’s record, getting married will cause your benefits to be terminated. The only time benefits will not be terminated in this circumstance is if you are marrying another disabled adult child.
- If you are currently receiving SSDI benefits on the work record of an ex-spouse, your benefits will be terminated if you remarry. This also applies to individuals who receive SSDI on the record of a deceased ex-spouse who remarry before age 50 if disabled, and before age 60 if not disabled.
Before you make any decisions regarding marriage or disability benefits, you should always consult with an SSA representative. That way, you can avoid unknowingly compromising your benefits. Please feel free to leave additional questions or comments in the section below and we will try our best to answer each of your questions.
Submitted By: Molly Clarke
Blog comments
In reply to If i receive disability, not by Adriana (not verified)
Hi Adriana,
Hi Adriana,
If you receive SSDI benefits, then getting married will not affect your benefits.
In a relationship with a
In a relationship with a woman and she is currently receiving SSDI for her child. We’d like to get marry, will this affect her benefits she receives for him? Also will living together affect it as well?
In reply to In a relationship with a by Maria (not verified)
Hi Maria,
Hi Maria,
It's likely your income will affect the child's SSI once you are married. The SSA looks at household income so if you exceed the limits then the benefits may be reduced or stopped.
Hi, My daughter receives SSI
Hi, My daughter receives SSI and I was wanting to know how it will be affected if I was to get married?
In reply to Hi, My daughter receives SSI by Ashley (not verified)
Hi Ashley,
Hi Ashley,
Once your daughter gets married, the SSA will deem her spouse's income as apart of hers, which could affect her benefits.
If I work but my fiance draws
If I work but my fiance draws disability benefits, will his benefits decrease after we get married?
In reply to If I work but my fiance draws by Melissa (not verified)
Hi Melissa,
Hi Melissa,
Social Security Disability Benefits are based on work credits and not on income therefore his benefits should not change. Contact your local SSA office for more details on your specific case.
hello. Me and my boyfriend
hello. Me and my boyfriend are both on ssi and I’m on ssdi from my dad side would I still be able to get married. We are already living together. I was just wondering would they touch any of our disability check if we get married? I Would really appreciate it if you get back to this message thank you and have a good day
In reply to hello. Me and my boyfriend by Amanda (not verified)
Hi Amanda,
Hi Amanda,
If you or your boyfriend are receiving SSDI then marriage will not affect your benefits. If you or your boyfriend are receiving SSI then marriage may stop or reduce your benefits because your household income impacts eligibility.
My son has autism. he is on
My son has autism. he is on SSI. He also has a genetic disorder. I do get child support for both of my kids. If I were to get married would that make my son lose his benefits by any chance. I am just looking for info just incase ya know. Thanks again
In reply to My son has autism. he is on by Andrea (not verified)
Hi Andrea,
Hi Andrea,
If your son is under 18 then there is a chance he may. The SSA looks at household income, so your spouse's income would now be part of the household income. If collectively you are over the limit then his benefits may be stopped or lowered.
My husband gets SSDI. We just
My husband gets SSDI. We just got married June 1st. Will he loose his benefits because of my income?
In reply to My husband gets SSDI. We just by nmwashington88 (not verified)
Hi There,
Hi There,
He will not since he is on SSDI benefits, which is based on his disability and not income.
Hi, I am permanently disabled
Hi, I am permanently disabled. I've been this way over 10yrs.... I'm only 43. What would happen if I got married???
In reply to Hi, I am permanently disabled by Angie M Clark (not verified)
Hi,
Hi,
Disability benefits are based on work credits and not income. Therefore your benefits should not change, however it is always a good idea to contact your local SSA office to make sure.
My gal an myself would like
My gal an myself would like to get married, will this effect my disability
In reply to My gal an myself would like by Anonymous (not verified)
Hi There,
Hi There,
If you are receiving SSI then marriage might. If you are receiving SSDI then marriage will not impact your benefits.
i have a child who receives
i have a child who receives ssi she has autism.her dad is not in her life. i got married and my husband wants to adopt her. will i get her ssi taken away if he adopts her
What if one person get ssi
What if one person get ssi and the other one gets ssdi what happens?
In reply to What if one person get ssi by Mary (not verified)
Hi Mary,
Hi Mary,
The person on SSDI--Their benefits won't be affected as their benefits are based on their own record.
The person on SSI--Their benefits may be affected, because the SSA will deem the other's person's income as apart of their own, which could reduce how much money they receive from SSI benefits.
my husband had to handle his
my husband had to handle his fathers estate, there was money in his name for a while but was later divided among family all my ssi was took away from me because of this ,can I get my ssi back
In reply to my husband had to handle his by lynn smith (not verified)
Hi Lynn,
Hi Lynn,
SSI is based on income and resources. The inheritance is often considered income which is why your benefits were lost. I would talk to your local SSA office to go over the details of your case.
I receive SSI and I want to
I receive SSI and I want to marry my fiance that's in prison would that affect my benefits even though he doesn't have any income
In reply to I receive SSI and I want to by Juanita (not verified)
Hi Juanita,
Hi Juanita,
It's possible that it may go down because any income that your future husband gets will be considered apart of yours once you get married.
I just received my SSDI ...
I just received my SSDI ....have been married for 32 years...does my husbands income or future income effect my SSDI
In reply to I just received my SSDI ... by Lyndi (not verified)
Hi Lyndi,
Hi Lyndi,
SSDI is based on work credits and therefore should not be affected by the income of your husband.
My boyfriend receives SSDI
My boyfriend receives SSDI and he has been receiving it since he was 17 years old. We are thinking about getting married since we have been together for over 7 years now. How will this affect his SSDI?
In reply to My boyfriend receives SSDI by chell (not verified)
Hi There,
Hi There,
Your boyfriend's SSDI will not be affected, as his SSDI is based on his own record and not on income.
I am on disability and my
I am on disability and my fiance and I are planning on getting married shortly. I also get disability payments for my kids. Will any of that change with marriage.
In reply to I am on disability and my by Mel (not verified)
Hi Mel,
Hi Mel,
SSDI is based only on work credits and therefore should not be affected by a marriage. However, I would talk to your local SSA office to go over the more specific details of your case.
if I'm wanting to get
if I'm wanting to get married would i loss my ssd or my Medicare
In reply to if I'm wanting to get by marsha felmlee (not verified)
Hi Marsha,
Hi Marsha,
Getting married will not affect your SSDI or Medicare.
I draw sssi my soon to be
I draw sssi my soon to be husband still works can my check be cut off if I marry him.
In reply to I draw sssi my soon to be by Tammy (not verified)
Hi Tammy,
Hi Tammy,
SSI (Supplemental Security income) is based on income and therefore has an income cap that your household must remain under to qualify. The following link should give you a little more information based on your situation:
https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/text-income-ussi.htm
SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) on the other hand is based on your own work history and is not affected by your income. If you have more questions about your specific situation, I would recommend contacting your local SSA office.
If he's 67 draws ssdi
If he's 67 draws ssdi and she's 66 draws ssi and ssdi what would they lose if they get married
In reply to If he's 67 draws ssdi by Louise (not verified)
Hi Louise,
Hi Louise,
Only SSI would be affected by household income. The following link will give you a little more information on the income limits.
https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/text-income-ussi.htm
My boyfriend is receiving ssi
My boyfriend is receiving ssi and we would love to get married. I work as well. what can we do.
In reply to My boyfriend is receiving ssi by Krista (not verified)
Hi Krista,
Hi Krista,
SSI is dependent on household income and therefore his payments could be affected. The following link should tell you a little bit more about income limits.
https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/text-income-ussi.htm
If I am on ssi and my
If I am on ssi and my boyfriends not can I get married without affecting my benefits
In reply to If I am on ssi and my by Shantika Richardson (not verified)
Hi Shantika,
Hi Shantika,
SSI is affected by household income and therefore it can affect your benefits if your household exceeds certain income levels. The following link will explain income limits in a little more depth.
https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/text-income-ussi.htm
I recommend contacting your local SSA office and they will be able to look at your incomes and provide a more specific answer.
I receive Ssdi on my own
I receive Ssdi on my own earning records and recently married a man that is disabled and receives ssi can that be taken away from him on what I draw? I think they have already took 8$ from him but we don’t live together yet? Plz help
In reply to I receive Ssdi on my own by Sally (not verified)
Hi,
Hi,
SSI is based on household income and therefore marriage can change the amount of his SSI payments. I would contact your local SSA office and they will be able to look at the incomes of both you and your spouse to give you a more specific answer.
Im getting ssdi and just got
Im getting ssdi and just got married can i loose my benfits. He doesnt have any income yet.
In reply to Im getting ssdi and just got by Jenny (not verified)
Hi Jenny,
Hi Jenny,
SSDI is based only on work credits and therefore household income should not affect your benefits.
I have been getting ssdi
I have been getting ssdi sense I was 18 I want to get married and I'm 23 but I keep getting different answers I had a baby with the man I love what can I do so I wont lose my ssdi
In reply to I have been getting ssdi by Mariah (not verified)
Hi Mariah,
Hi Mariah,
Since you are receiving SSDI your benefits should not be affected. SSDI is based on your work history and not household income.
Can I marry someone who is
Can I marry someone who is getting ssa and ssi. I get ssd
In reply to Can I marry someone who is by Anonymous (not verified)
Hi There,
Hi There,
Since SSI is based on household income, your spouse's benefits may be reduced or stopped once you are married.
Seems the article is outdated
Seems the article is outdated since marriage is marriage no matter gender now & that's the federal law that SS must obey. That means gays have exactly the same rights & duties in the article as it shows a straight couple does. Hope that helps in nearly 2020.
In reply to Seems the article is outdated by Brad (not verified)
Hi Brad,
Hi Brad,
Thank you for pointing out our mistake. That was an oversight on our part and will be fixed shortly.
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