Social Security Survivor Benefits after remarriage at 60 - exactly how many days/months after 60?
I'm trying to figure out the exact timing for remarriage and Social Security survivor benefits. My husband passed away 3 years ago, and I've been collecting his survivor benefits (about $2,350/month). I recently turned 60 and have been dating someone who proposed last week. I know that if you remarry before 60, you lose survivor benefits, but if you remarry after 60, you can keep collecting. But how strict is the "after 60" rule? Is it literally the day after your 60th birthday? A month after? Does SSA look at the exact date? I don't want to risk losing the survivor benefits by getting the timing wrong. Has anyone dealt with this specific situation or know the exact rules?
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Omar Zaki
congrats on your engagement! my aunt got remarried like 2 weeks after her 60th bday and she kept getting her dead husbands ss checks so i think ur good to go!
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GalacticGladiator
•Thank you! That's reassuring to hear about your aunt. Did she have to notify SSA about the marriage right away or anything like that?
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Chloe Taylor
The rule is very specific - you must be age 60 or older ON THE DAY you remarry to keep receiving survivor benefits. Not a day before. The Social Security Administration looks at the exact date on your marriage certificate compared to your birthdate. If you turned 60 on July 15th, you could remarry on July 15th or any day after and maintain eligibility. I recommend getting the marriage certificate to specifically show a date after your 60th birthday. Also, you should notify SSA of your change in marital status, though your benefits will continue.
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GalacticGladiator
•Thank you so much for the precise information! That really helps. I'll make sure our marriage certificate shows a date well after my 60th birthday to be safe. And I'll definitely notify SSA after the wedding.
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Diego Flores
my brother lost his ss benefits becuz he remarried at 59 and a half he thought turning 60 that year was enough but nope they cut him off completely make sure your exactly 60!!!
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GalacticGladiator
•Oh no, that's awful! I'm sorry your brother had to deal with that. I definitely don't want to make the same mistake. I'm already past 60, so I should be okay.
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Anastasia Ivanova
I'm actually going through this EXACT situation right now! I've been a widow for 5 years, turned 60 in February, and got remarried in April. I was so nervous about this that I called Social Security FOUR times before the wedding just to confirm I wouldn't lose my late husband's benefits. Each agent confirmed the same thing - as long as the marriage happens on or after your 60th birthday, you're fine. But seriously, make sure you report the marriage to them afterwards. I've heard horror stories of people who didn't report and then had to pay back benefits!
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GalacticGladiator
•Thank you for sharing your experience! It's so helpful to hear from someone who just went through this. I'll definitely report the marriage right away. Did you have to provide them with any special documentation?
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Sean Murphy
The others have provided the correct information about the timing - it must be on or after your 60th birthday, not a day sooner. However, I want to make sure you're aware of another important consideration: if your potential new spouse has higher Social Security benefits than your survivor benefits, you might want to consider switching to spousal benefits on your new spouse's record after you're married. This depends on various factors including your new spouse's earnings record and whether they're collecting already. Also, just to clarify for everyone - the rule about remarriage after 60 applies specifically to survivor benefits. For divorced spouse's benefits, the rule is different (remarriage at any age terminates eligibility).
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GalacticGladiator
•That's a great point about potentially switching to spousal benefits! My fiancé has a pretty good earnings record, but I'm not sure if it would exceed my current survivor benefit. I'll definitely look into this after we're married. And thanks for clarifying about the different rules for divorced spouse benefits.
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StarStrider
Getting through to Social Security to confirm all this can be a NIGHTMARE. I spent THREE DAYS trying to reach someone last month about my survivor benefits question. Finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at SSA in under 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Seriously worth it for peace of mind on something this important - you definitely want official confirmation from SSA before your wedding.
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GalacticGladiator
•Thank you for the tip! I've been dreading calling SSA because of the wait times. I'll check out Claimyr - getting an official answer directly from SSA would definitely give me peace of mind before setting the wedding date.
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Omar Zaki
just wondering does anyone know if common law marriage counts the same way??? me and my boyfriend been together 7 years after my husband died and im 61 now but we never did paperwork
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Chloe Taylor
•Common law marriage only counts if your state legally recognizes it. Only a few states do. If you live in a state that recognizes common law marriage AND you meet all the requirements for common law marriage in that state, then SSA would consider you married. But if your state doesn't recognize common law marriage, then SSA won't consider you married either.
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Zara Malik
I WAS TOLD WRONG INFORMATION BY SSA AND LOST MY BENEFITS!!!! Be careful!!!! I remarried at 60 years and 2 days and they STILL cut off my survivor benefits claiming I didn't provide proper documentation. Took me 8 MONTHS to get them reinstated and get backpay. MAKE SURE you keep copies of EVERYTHING - birth certificate, death certificate of former spouse, new marriage certificate, and confirmation that you reported the change. The system is BROKEN!!!!
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GalacticGladiator
•That sounds like a nightmare! I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. Thank you for the warning - I'll definitely keep copies of all my documentation and make sure to get confirmation when I report the marriage.
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Sean Murphy
•This is unfortunately not uncommon. The key is to report the marriage promptly but also request a formal written confirmation that they've processed the change and confirmed your continued eligibility. Keep detailed notes of any phone conversations including the date, time, and name of the representative you spoke with.
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Anastasia Ivanova
Has anyone here actually gone through the process of notifying SSA about remarriage after 60? Do you just call them or is there a special form? Also wondering if there's a deadline for how soon after the wedding you need to report it?
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Chloe Taylor
•You should report the change in your marital status as soon as possible. There's no specific form just for this situation - you can report it by calling SSA, visiting an office, or in some cases through your my Social Security account online. You'll need to provide your marriage certificate. While there's no specific deadline, unreported changes that might affect your benefits can potentially lead to overpayments that you'd have to pay back, so it's best to report promptly.
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GalacticGladiator
Thank you all so much for your helpful responses! Based on everything you've shared, I feel much more confident about moving forward with wedding plans. I'm definitely past 60 now, so timing should be fine, but I'll keep all the documentation organized and make reporting the marriage to SSA a priority right after the ceremony. I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and knowledge!
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