Social Security survivors benefits after marriage - will my late spouse benefits stop if I marry my working boyfriend?
I'm a 68-year-old widow currently collecting Survivors Benefits from my late husband who passed away 5 years ago. I receive about $2,600 monthly. My boyfriend (71) and I have been together for 3 years now, and we're discussing marriage. He's still working full-time making around $85,000 annually and hasn't filed for his own SS retirement yet. I know there used to be rules about remarriage affecting Survivors Benefits, but I've heard they changed for people over full retirement age. If we get married and he retires, will I lose my Survivors Benefits? Would I be eligible for spousal benefits based on his record instead? Which would give me a higher monthly amount? We're trying to figure out if marriage would hurt us financially with Social Security or if we'd be better off just living together without making it official. Has anyone navigated this situation before?
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Sean Murphy
Good news! Since you're over full retirement age (FRA), you CAN remarry and still keep your survivors benefits. The remarriage penalty only applies if you remarry before age 60 (or 50 if disabled). At 68, you're well past that threshold. After you marry, you'll have options: 1. Keep your current survivors benefit of $2,600/month 2. Switch to a spousal benefit based on your new husband's record (up to 50% of his PIA) The smart move is to take whichever is higher. When your boyfriend files for retirement, you should check with SSA to see if a spousal benefit would be higher than your current survivors benefit. Given your current amount ($2,600), it's quite possible the survivors benefit will remain your best option, but it depends on your boyfriend's lifetime earnings history.
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Anastasia Ivanova
•Thank you! This is such a relief to hear. I was worried I'd lose the survivors benefits completely. So if I understand correctly, after we marry, I can still keep collecting my $2,600/month unless the spousal benefit from his record would be higher? And this is perfectly legal, correct?
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StarStrider
I went through almost the EXACT same situation 2 years ago!!! Remarried at 67 while getting survivors benefits from my 1st husband. SSA let me KEEP MY SURVIVORS BENEFITS no problem!!! I didn't have to do anything special - just reported the marriage. My new husband had higher benefits than what I'd get as a spouse on his record so I just kept my survivors. Congrats on your new chapter!!!
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Zara Malik
Just to add a little more detail to what's already been said - there's no automatic review of your benefits when you get married. You'll need to contact SSA and schedule an appointment to discuss your options. Since your boyfriend hasn't filed for his own benefits yet, the timing gets a bit complex. If your boyfriend's PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) is more than $5,200 monthly, then a spousal benefit might exceed your current survivors benefit. However, that would be unusual unless he had very high earnings throughout his career. You might want to consider having him get a benefit estimate before you make any decisions. Also remember that he can increase his own benefit by delaying until age 70 if he hasn't already maxed out his delayed retirement credits.
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Anastasia Ivanova
•Thank you for this detailed information. He hasn't checked his estimated benefit amount recently, but I don't think it would be anywhere near $5,200. That helps us understand our options better. We'll definitely have him check his benefit estimate before making any decisions.
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Luca Marino
Im 70 and went thru something similar. Just want to warn you SSA sometimes gives WRONG INFORMATION over the phone!!! I was told I would lose my survivors benefits if I remarried but that was INCORRECT. Get everything in writing or better yet go to your local office with your boyfriend and discuss both your situations at once. Bring all your documents (marriage certificates, death certificates, etc) makes it much easier.
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Anastasia Ivanova
•That's concerning! Thanks for the warning. I've been trying to call them for weeks but keep getting busy signals or disconnected. I'll try to set up an in-person appointment at our local office.
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Nia Davis
I tried calling SSA for weeks about a similar issue and kept getting nowhere. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a live agent in about 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me hours of frustration and I got my question answered right away. Just sharing since you mentioned marriage and benefits questions - definitely something you want official answers on!
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Anastasia Ivanova
•Thanks for the tip! I'll check out that service. You're right that we really need official answers from SSA before making any decisions about marriage.
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Mateo Perez
Has anyone considered the tax implications? My sister married her boyfriend last year and they got hit with a higher tax bracket that almost canceled out the benefit of keeping both income sources. Just something to consider before tying the knot.
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Zara Malik
•This is an excellent point. Marriage can push you into a higher tax bracket when filing jointly. Up to 85% of Social Security benefits can become taxable depending on your combined income. OP should consider consulting with a tax professional who understands Social Security benefits to run the numbers before making a decision.
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Aisha Rahman
Wait I'm confused about something... If your bf is 71 why hasn't he filed for SS yet? Is he still working? If he's working AND collecting SS and making over a certain amount wouldn't he have deductions? Or does that only apply before FRA? Social security rules are so CONFUSING!!
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Sean Murphy
•Good question! The earnings test (work penalty) only applies BEFORE full retirement age. Since her boyfriend is 71, he's past his FRA, so he can work and earn any amount without it affecting his Social Security benefits. He's likely still working and delaying his benefits to increase them. For each year he delays claiming after FRA (up to age 70), his benefit increases by 8%. After 70, there's no advantage to waiting longer.
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Anastasia Ivanova
Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! We've decided to talk to a financial advisor who specializes in retirement planning, specifically someone who understands Social Security rules. Since we're both over FRA, it sounds like I can keep my survivors benefits regardless, but we want to make sure we're optimizing both our benefits and understanding the tax implications. I'll try using that Claimyr service to get through to SSA directly too.
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Zara Malik
•Smart move! A good financial advisor can help you model different scenarios. One more thing to consider: if your boyfriend delays filing until 70, his eventual benefit will be larger, which could also mean a larger survivor benefit for you if he passes away before you do. These long-term considerations are worth discussing with your advisor.
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Malik Thompson
One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the Medicare implications of marriage. When you marry, your combined income could potentially push you into higher Medicare Part B and Part D premiums due to IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount). With your boyfriend making $85k and your survivors benefits, your modified adjusted gross income as a married couple might trigger these surcharges. The IRMAA thresholds for married filing jointly are different (and lower per person) than for single filers. This is another cost to factor into your decision alongside the tax implications others have mentioned. Definitely something to discuss with both your financial advisor and tax professional!
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