I am 69 retired on S.S. If I get married to my girl, who is retired ,69 and on a combo of S.S. and SSI making less than me, will we lose payments? Both payment to us are not much but we get by. I would hate to be penalized by a piece of paper

Hi,

Getting married wouldn't adversely affect Social Security retirement benefits if that's what you and your girlfriend now receive, but it could cause her SSI (Supplemental Security Income) to stop or be reduced. SSI is a needs based benefit, so any change in a person's marital status or income and resource levels can affect their SSI payments.

Also, if either you or your wife are receiving divorced spousal benefits from a living ex-spouse's record, those benefits would likely stop if you get married. On the other hand, it's possible that either you or your wife might qualify for spousal benefits if you marry, but only if one of your primary insurance amounts (PIA) is more than twice as much as the other's PIA. And, you'd likely need to be married for at least a year before you could qualify for spousal benefits.

There's not enough information in your question for me to be able to give you any detailed advice, so you should probably check with Social Security to find out how your benefits would change if you got married.

Best, Jerry