Will my recent marriage affect my husband's Social Security benefits when he's already collecting?

No need to worry! Your husband's own retirement benefit amount won't change just because you got married. His benefit is based on his own earnings record and that doesn't change with marriage. What your neighbor might have been referring to is that YOU might be eligible for spousal benefits based on his record when you decide to claim (though it sounds like your own benefit might be higher if you're working full-time). But his existing benefit isn't reduced because of your marriage or your income.

my mom remarried at 70 and it didnt change her benefits at all. totally different situation for widow benefits though, those can be affected by remarriage, so maybe thats what the neighbor was thinking??

Your husband's retirement benefit is secure and won't change due to your marriage. It's calculated based on his lifetime earnings and, once claimed at his Full Retirement Age (FRA), isn't affected by subsequent marriage. However, there are a few things to be aware of: 1. If you decide to take benefits before your FRA (67), you'd be subject to the earnings test if you're still working, which could reduce your benefit. 2. You might eventually qualify for a spousal benefit (up to 50% of his PIA) if that amount would be higher than your own retirement benefit. 3. For tax purposes, being married might push your combined income into a higher tax bracket, potentially making more of your Social Security benefits taxable. Your marriage doesn't reduce his benefit - it actually creates additional options for your household's overall Social Security strategy.

WRONG INFO BEING SHARED HERE!!! My uncle lost $200 from his check when he got remarried because his new wife made too much money!!! The SSA DOES take your spouse's income into consideration!!! I've seen it happen!!!

this happened to my friend too! but turns out it wasnt his SS retirement that changed, it was his medicare premium went up because of combined income. the SS payment was the same but more was taken out for medicare

I spent THREE DAYS trying to get through to Social Security to ask a similar question last month. Kept getting disconnected after waiting for hours! Finally tried this service called Claimyr that got me connected to an agent in less than 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The SSA agent confirmed that marriage doesn't affect existing retirement benefits. Your husband's benefit is based on his work record and stays the same. You may be eligible for spousal benefits when you retire, but that's separate and doesn't impact his payment. The agent explained everything really clearly - worth getting confirmation directly from SSA if you're still worried. I was amazed how quickly Claimyr got me through on their website claimyr.com after days of frustration.

To add to what others have said - the only way your marriage would affect his benefit is if he was receiving some form of means-tested benefit like SSI. Since you specifically mentioned he receives Social Security (not SSI) and he qualified based on age (66), we're talking about retirement insurance benefits, which aren't affected by marriage or spouse's income. What CAN change: 1. Your tax situation (potentially more of his benefits being taxable) 2. His Medicare Part B & D premiums might increase in the future if your combined income is high enough (IRMAA) But his actual benefit amount will remain unchanged.

I think everyone here is overthinking this. Your husband earned his benefits through years of work. The government can't just take that away because you got married. That's not how the system works. Tell your neighbor to mind their own business lol

The most important thing to remember is that retirement benefits and SSI are totally different programs with different rules. Since your husband was 66 (his FRA) when he started collecting, he's definitely on retirement benefits. Those are based solely on his work record and are completely unaffected by marriage or your current income. You might also want to look into filing strategies when you reach retirement age. Depending on your earnings records, it might make sense for you to claim a spousal benefit if it's higher than your own retirement benefit would be. The SSA doesn't always explain all your options, so it's worth researching to maximize your household benefits.

i had something simlar happn but it was bcause i was on SSI not retirment. SSI is the one that gets reduced when u marry someone with income. reglar social secrity retirement stays the same no matter who u marry or how rich they are. my uncle married a really rich lady and still gets his full SS check every month lol