Getting married later in life can carry significant financial consequences, particularly for those relying on government benefit programs tied to marital status.
Two specific programs are at stake for a 67-year-old considering remarriage: Supplemental Security Income and divorced spouse Social Security benefits.
Supplemental Security Income, commonly known as SSI, is a federal program administered by the Social Security Administration that provides payments to older or disabled individuals with low incomes.
Marriage directly affects SSI eligibility because the Social Security Administration applies a policy known as “spousal deeming” to newly married recipients.
Under spousal deeming, the SSA treats a new spouse’s income and resources as if they partially belong to the SSI recipient, which can reduce or eliminate the monthly benefit.
If both spouses receive SSI payments, the benefit amounts typically shift from the individual rate to a lower combined couple’s rate, which means less money overall.
The financial impact depends heavily on the new spouse’s income level and total assets, so outcomes vary considerably from one couple to the next.
Divorced spouse Social Security benefits present an equally serious concern, as remarriage almost universally disqualifies a recipient from continuing to collect them.
To qualify for divorced spouse benefits in the first place, a person must have been married to their former spouse for at least 10 years and must not be currently remarried.
The moment a divorced benefit recipient remarries, those payments stop, with only very limited exceptions recognized under Social Security rules.
For a 67-year-old woman collecting divorced spouse benefits, walking down the aisle would in most cases immediately trigger the end of that income stream.
Taken together, the combination of lost divorced spouse benefits and reduced or eliminated SSI could represent a meaningful and potentially life-altering drop in monthly income.
Couples in this situation are strongly encouraged to consult a financial advisor or Social Security specialist before making any decisions about marriage.
Understanding the full financial picture ahead of time allows both partners to weigh the personal and economic trade-offs of formalizing their relationship.
