Depending on what type of benefits you are receiving getting married can affect your eligibility for payments or reduce the amount of your monthly benefits. If you do get married the Social Security Administration (SSA) will determine any changes.
If you are receiving Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) getting married will have no effect on your payments. This is because DIB payments are based on what you have paid into the SSA. Since you have earned the work credits necessary to qualify for this program your spouse would have no impact on eligibility nor would getting married reduce your monthly benefits.
If you are receiving Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits and get married, most likely you will become ineligible to continue receiving benefits. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, if your spouse is also receiving DAC benefits you both will be able to continue receiving payments.
If you are receiving Disabled Widow/Widower’s benefits and get remarried prior to the age of 60 you will lose your benefits.
If you are receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments, your spouse’s income and resources will be taken into account to determine your continued eligibility. SSI is a needs based program and has strict financial qualifications. In general, in order to qualify for SSI a married couple must have less than $3000 in assets. The SSA does make some exemptions. For example, one house and one car.
If you and your spouse are receiving SSI, your payments will be changed from the individual rate to a couple rate. For 2012, the maximum monthly benefit amount for an individual is $698 and for a couple the maximum monthly benefit amount is $1048.
For more information regarding disability payments and marriage please refer to the SSA’s webpage titled “Affects of getting married on Social Security benefits.”
