hello,
I am 62 years old and recently applied for SSI retirement( April) my question lies in my current relationship with a much younger woman, 35, whom I hope to marry soon. She works full time and has two young children that live with us full time (under 10) and am curious how getting married would impact my SSI benefits. Would they be reduced given her income ? And would the kids be eligible for benefits under my SSI? Thank you

Thank you

Hi,

I assume by SSI you're referring to Social Security retirement benefits and not Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Supplemental Security Income is a needs based benefit administered by Social Security, and a spouse's income can affect an SSI recipient's eligibility and payment amount. Also, there are no auxiliary benefits payable to family members based on a person's SSI eligibility.

However, your new wife's income would have no effect on your benefits if you're receiving Social Security benefits. Your step-children might qualify for child's benefits based on your entitlement to Social Security retirement benefits, but not until you've been married for at least a year and only if you're providing at least one-half of their support (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0301301020). Based on the manner in which Social Security normally calculates one-half support, you could probably only meet the one-half support requirement if your income is equal to or greater than that of your new wife.

Best, Jerry