Marrying a Partner on SSI Can Trigger Benefit Cuts at 67
Getting married after 67 can cost your partner key federal benefits. Know the rules before you say 'I do.'
Marriage is supposed to be a celebration — but for couples where one partner collects Supplemental Security Income or divorced spouse benefits from Social Security, a trip to the altar can quietly drain monthly income. If your girlfriend is 67 and receiving both SSI and divorced spouse benefits, putting a ring on it could change her financial picture dramatically.
SSI is need-based, and the Social Security Administration treats a spouse's income and assets as available to the recipient once you're legally married. That means your finances get folded into her eligibility calculation the moment you say 'I do.' If you earn or own too much, she could lose her SSI check entirely — no phase-out, just a hard cut.
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Divorced spouse benefits add another layer of risk. A person can collect up to 50% of an ex-spouse's Social Security benefit if they haven't remarried. The keyword is "remarried." Walk down the aisle and that benefit stops. Period. Depending on what her own retirement benefit looks like versus the divorced spouse benefit, that could be a significant monthly loss she can't get back.
The four years you've already lived together haven't triggered these rules because cohabitation alone doesn't count as marriage under federal benefit law. But some states recognize common-law marriage — if yours does, and you've held yourselves out as married, the SSA could potentially view your relationship differently. Worth checking your state's rules before assuming you're in the clear.
Bottom line: before you make it official, run the numbers with a Social Security-savvy financial planner or elder law attorney. The cost of one consultation is almost certainly less than the monthly benefits she could lose permanently. Continue reading at MarketWatch.com
