Alyssa Lane
Getting married can affect your disability benefits, depending on the type of benefits you receive. If you are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, your eligibility is based on your work record and whether you meet the Social Security Administration's (SSA) definition of disabled. In this case, getting married will not affect your benefits. However, if you are receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, your spouse's income may be evaluated, and your benefits may be impacted if your combined income exceeds certain limits. Marriage can also affect other benefits such as Medicaid, SNAP, housing, and survivors or divorced spouse benefits. It is important to understand the specific rules and eligibility criteria for the type of disability benefits you receive before making any decisions regarding marriage to ensure you are aware of any potential changes to your benefits.
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What You'll Learn
Medicaid and Medicare benefits
Marriage can affect an individual's Medicaid and Medicare benefits, depending on the type of benefits they receive and their spouse's income and assets.
Medicaid Benefits
Medicaid is a needs-based program with income and asset limits that vary based on the specific program, marital status, and state. When an individual is married and applying for Medicaid, their income and assets are considered jointly with their spouse. This means that even if only one spouse is applying for Medicaid, their eligibility is determined based on the combined income and assets of both spouses. The income limit for married couples applying for Medicaid is generally higher than that for a single person but not significantly so. For example, in 2025, the income limit for a single person applying for Aged, Blind, and Disabled Medicaid is $967 per month, while for a married couple, it is $1,450 per month.
If the non-Medicaid spouse has even a modest income or minimal assets, it could push the beneficiary over the Medicaid limits, resulting in disqualification. This is known as the "Medicaid marriage penalty." However, if one spouse is a recipient of home and community-based services (HCBS) via a Medicaid Waiver or is a Nursing Home Medicaid beneficiary, the risk of losing Medicaid benefits due to marriage is lower. In this case, the income of the non-Medicaid spouse may be disregarded, and only the income of the applicant spouse is considered. Additionally, there is a Community Spouse Resource Allowance that allows a non-Medicaid spouse to retain a larger portion of the couple's assets.
To avoid losing Medicaid benefits due to marriage, individuals can consult a professional Medicaid planner who can assess their situation and help restructure their finances.
Medicare Benefits
Regarding Medicare benefits, marriage may impact premiums and eligibility for financial assistance. For individuals who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid ("Medi-Medi"), changes in income due to marriage may affect their eligibility for Medicare Savings Programs, which help with Medicare premiums and deductibles.
It is important to note that the impact of marriage on Medicare benefits can be complex and vary based on individual circumstances.
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SSDI benefits
If you are receiving SSDI benefits, getting married will not affect your eligibility or monthly payments. SSDI, or Social Security Disability Insurance, is a benefit for disabled workers who have paid taxes into the Social Security system for multiple years. To receive SSDI, you must meet the Social Security Administration's definition of disabled. However, it does not matter if you are married or not. Your spouse's income will also not be used to reduce the amount of your monthly payment.
If you are receiving SSDI benefits based on your spouse's or parent's work record, you may lose your benefits by getting married, depending on your relationship to the person whose record you are collecting Social Security benefits from. If your SSDI benefits are based on your own work record, getting married or divorced will not affect your eligibility or monthly payments.
If you are receiving concurrent benefits from the SSDI and SSI programs, getting married could cause you to lose SSI benefits, but your SSDI benefits would remain unaffected. This is because, when you are married, part of your spouse's income will count toward your income limit.
If you are a divorced spouse who was married for at least ten years to a worker entitled to Social Security disability or retirement benefits, you can receive Social Security benefits based on the disabled worker's record. However, if you remarry at any age, you will lose these benefits.
If you are a surviving widow or widower, you may be eligible to receive disability payments if you meet certain requirements and if your deceased spouse was eligible for SSDI benefits at the time of their death. You would lose these benefits if you remarried before the age of 60. If you are disabled and remarry before the age of 50, it will be presumed that your spouse's income can offset your disability needs, and benefits will be denied.
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SSI benefits
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a needs-based program for people with disabilities who have very low incomes and those who don't qualify for SSDI. SSI eligibility is restricted to people with limited income and resources, and a recipient's countable income reduces their benefit amount.
SSI considers the financial resources of certain people associated with the recipient, such as the spouses of SSI recipients. Therefore, if you are receiving SSI benefits and get married, your benefit amount will be affected. If you are marrying someone who also gets SSI benefits, your SSI benefit will become a joint payment, and the amount will go down. This is because, after marriage, your SSI benefits (and income limit) will convert from the single rate to the couple's rate, which is lower than double the single's rate.
If you are receiving concurrent benefits from the SSDI and SSI programs, getting married could cause you to lose SSI benefits, but your SSDI benefits wouldn't be affected. This is because, even when receiving both benefits, you are subject to the SSI income limits, and part of your spouse's income will count toward your income limit.
If you are receiving SSI benefits, you are required to notify Social Security of changes to your living situation or marital status by the 10th day of the month after you get married.
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Benefits for widows and widowers
Marriage can affect the benefits received by widows and widowers. If a widow or widower is receiving continued benefits from a deceased spouse's disability and they remarry before the age of 60, those benefits will stop. If they are disabled and remarry before the age of 50, it will be presumed that the new spouse's income can offset their disability needs, and they will not be eligible for benefits. However, if they remarry after the age of 60 (or 50 if disabled), their benefits will not be affected.
If the deceased was enrolled in a self-and-family plan, their spouse and eligible dependents can continue coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) plan. If not, the spouse and eligible family members will be entitled to Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC), which offers a 31-day extension of coverage without contributions. During this period, covered family members can exercise their right of conversion, and carriers are required to offer an individual a guaranteed-issue conversion policy.
In addition to health insurance, widows and widowers may be eligible for other survivor benefits, such as Social Security, military compensation, and pension plans. To be eligible for a widow's or widower's pension, the deceased spouse must have been eligible and participated in a pension plan, and the widow or widower must be named as a beneficiary. If the deceased was not retired, the widow or widower may be able to set up lifetime payments in a defined benefit plan.
Furthermore, a surviving spouse may be entitled to a Basic Employee Death Benefit if the deceased had at least 18 months of creditable service. If the deceased was retired, the surviving spouse may be entitled to a survivor annuity, which can be elected within two years of the date of marriage. However, this may result in a reduced annuity.
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Benefits for ex-spouses
If you are an ex-spouse, you may be eligible for Social Security survivors' benefits if your former spouse passes away. To qualify, you must have been married to your ex-spouse for at least ten years and be unmarried at the time of their death. Additionally, you must be 60 years old or older, or at least 50 years old and disabled. These benefits may be affected if you remarry before a certain age. If you remarry after 60 (or 50 if disabled), or if your new marriage ends before your ex-spouse's death, your new marriage will not impact these benefits.
You may also be eligible for survivors' benefits if you are caring for your ex-spouse's child, regardless of your age. These are known as mother's or father's benefits. Marriage will not affect these benefits.
Spouses, ex-spouses, and their children may be eligible for family benefits. The Social Security Administration considers age, marital status, and other factors when determining eligibility. You may receive up to half of your family member's benefit amount and may be eligible for Medicare based on their work history.
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Frequently asked questions
It depends on the type of benefits you receive. If you receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, your eligibility is based on your own work record and getting married will not affect your benefits. However, if you receive benefits as a dependent or family member of a disabled person, getting married will likely make you ineligible. If you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, your spouse's income will be evaluated and may change the amount of SSI benefits you receive.
Marriage does not affect Medicare eligibility, so you won't lose your benefits if you get married. However, your Medicare premiums might change due to changes in your household income.
Marriage may impact your Medicaid benefits, depending on your state and household income. If your household income as a married couple is higher, you may no longer be eligible for Medicaid.
If you are receiving survivors benefits as the widow or widower of a Social Security disability recipient, you will lose these benefits if you remarry before the age of 60 (or 50 if you are disabled). If you remarry after that age, you can continue to receive benefits.
If you are receiving Social Security benefits under your ex-spouse's work record, getting married will cause you to lose eligibility for those benefits.
