Social Security spousal benefits after FRA when partner never paid into SS - marriage timing question

Yes, he could potentially receive spousal benefits, but there are important details to consider. Since you're both past FRA, he would be eligible to apply for spousal benefits immediately after marriage - there's no waiting period in your situation.However, you're right about the Government Pension Offset (GPO). If he receives a pension from employment not covered by Social Security (like many state government jobs), his potential spousal benefit would be reduced by two-thirds of his government pension. In some cases, this can eliminate the spousal benefit entirely.Example: If his monthly pension is $3,000, two-thirds ($2,000) would be deducted from any potential spousal benefit. Since spousal benefits are generally 50% of your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), unless your benefit is quite substantial, he might not receive anything after the GPO reduction.

Thank you for explaining that! My monthly SS is $2,800, so his spousal would be $1,400 before the GPO reduction. His state pension is $4,100/month so... 2/3 of that is about $2,733. Looks like the GPO would completely wipe out any spousal benefit. 😢 I guess there's no financial advantage to getting married in our case.

My husband had the same situation but WE STILL DID IT!! The GPO really is unfair but honestly married has other benifits. We found out we saved on taxes and health insurance when we made it legal. Just some things to think about bcause SS benefits arent everything!!!

That's a really important point about taxes and insurance. There are potential financial advantages to marriage beyond Social Security. Depending on your income levels, filing jointly might save you money. And many insurance policies (health, home, auto) offer multi-person discounts. Estate planning is also much simpler for married couples. Might be worth consulting with a financial advisor who understands both retirement benefits AND tax implications to get the full picture.

The GPO is the WORST!! My mom worked for the school district for 35 years and gets NOTHING from my dad's social security even though they were married for 40 years!! The system punishes public servants who dedicated their lives to helping others. The WEP is just as bad for people who worked part of their career paying into SS and part not. Totally unfair!

I know, it feels really unfair! My boyfriend dedicated his whole career to public service, and now he can't get spousal benefits because of it. I've heard there are occasionally bills in Congress to reform GPO but nothing ever seems to pass. I guess we'll just stay happily unmarried! 😊

While the GPO and WEP can certainly feel unfair, they were actually designed to prevent what was called

have you guys tried calling the SSA to get a definite answer? i spent TWO WEEKS trying to get thru to ask about my widows benefits last month and kept getting disconnected or put on eternal hold!!

I had the same problem trying to reach SSA about my disability review! After multiple disconnections and hours of waiting, I finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puUIt was honestly such a relief to finally speak with someone at SSA instead of getting endless busy signals. The agent was able to give me precise answers about my specific situation rather than just the general info on their website.

oh wow that sounds great, never heard of this before! gonna try it tomorrow morning!!!

Does ur boyfrend have any SS credits at all? My cousins husband worked 5 yrs at a regular job before his goverment job and he gets a tiny SS check along with his pension. Just wondering if thats the case for ur BF too?

No, he never worked in SS-covered employment - went straight from college to the state government and stayed there for his entire career. Not a single Social Security credit to his name! That's why I was curious about the spousal benefits, but it sounds like the GPO would eliminate that option anyway.

One important factor to consider regarding marriage decisions and Social Security: survivor benefits are different from spousal benefits in how they interact with GPO. If you were to pass away before your partner, any potential survivor benefits would still be reduced by GPO, but survivor benefits are 100% of your benefit amount (not 50% like spousal benefits).So while GPO might eliminate spousal benefits entirely in your case, some survivor benefits might remain after the GPO reduction. This could be significant for long-term financial planning if there's a substantial age or health difference between you.

This is an excellent point about survivor benefits! To add some numbers to the scenario:If your SS benefit is $2,800/month, a survivor benefit would be the full $2,800 (not the $1,400 spousal benefit). After applying the GPO reduction of $2,733 (2/3 of the $4,100 pension), your boyfriend would still receive about $67/month in survivor benefits if you passed away.Not a huge amount, but it would be something. And if your Social Security benefit is higher than you mentioned, or if his pension has limited or no COLAs while Social Security keeps pace with inflation, this survivor benefit could grow more significant over time.

Thank you both for this information! I hadn't thought about the survivor benefit aspect. We're both in our early 70s and in good health, but of course long-term planning is important. I think we need to sit down and have a serious conversation about all the financial implications (taxes, insurance, estate planning, and these SS considerations). Maybe I'll schedule a meeting with an advisor who specializes in retirement benefits for public employees.

GET MARRIED FOR LOVE NOT MONEY!!! Sorry but reading this makes me sad thinking people only get married for SS benefits. My wife and I have been married 47 years and I would never trade that for any amount of govt benefits!!

Oh goodness, I think you misunderstood! We've been together 11 years and are completely committed to each other. We just never felt the need for the legal paperwork. We were simply wondering if there might be financial benefits to formalizing our relationship at this point in our lives. Rest assured, our relationship is based on love not money! 💕

not everyone needs a piece of paper to prove their love!! my partner and I waited 22 years to get married and only did because of healthcare issues. some people never marry and are more committed than folks who rush to the altar after 6 months!!