Social Security Marital Status Changes: If you legally change your name after marriage, get a replacement Social Security card that reflects your new name. Inform your employer as well to verify that your earnings history is properly documented, since this is required for calculating future benefits.
If you previously reported income under a different name and have not altered it, your earnings may be misreported. It is easier to address this now, at the time of the name change, than years later when you retire, thereby delaying your benefits. Your future rewards are based on your precise earnings history.
Visit www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnumber or call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) for information on the paperwork required to alter your name and apply for a replacement card. After you marry, you may choose to change your last name to your spouse’s. This is done via the Social Security Administration.
Social Security Marital Status Changes
- To change your last name, submit an application for a new Social Security card. You will also need to provide proof of US citizenship, proof of identity (a valid driver’s license, state-issued identification, or a US passport), and a certified copy of your marriage license.
- Bring the documents to your local Social Security office. Within two to three weeks, we will complete your application and issue you a new Social Security card. It will have the same Social Security number but in your married name.
- Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which granted same-sex couples the right to marry throughout the United States, Social Security now recognizes more same-sex marriages for benefit and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) eligibility.
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Will marriage impact my benefits?
Updated guidelines now assist staff in processing claims and appeals concerning marital status. With these changes, anybody who may be eligible for assistance should apply. Meanwhile, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) makes it plain that if you marry, your benefits will not be affected.
“If you get Social Security disability or retirement benefits and you marry, your benefit will stay the same,” according to the IRS’s homepage. “Other benefits, such as SSI, survivors, divorced spouses, and children’s benefits, may be impacted. Getting married while receiving Social Security disability insurance.
If you qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance based on your own employment record, getting married will not change your benefits. You can continue receiving your monthly payments without interruption. Most persons qualify for SSDI monthly benefits based on their personal work history, thus getting married will not change their SSDI disability payments.
There is no income or resource restriction for this form of government subsidy. It is calculated depending on the amount you paid into Social Security as a worker.
How does marriage affect your benefits?
The regulations alter, however, if you qualify based on someone else’s job history. If your impairment is based on the employment history of a parent or divorced spouse, you will most likely lose your benefits when you marry.
You may also lose your SSDI payments if:
- You receive them depending on a deceased spouse’s job record.
- You remarry before age 50.
The requirements that apply when you petition for SSDI using someone else’s job credentials are complex and frequently difficult to comprehend on your own. Before you marry, you may wish to review these restrictions and your continuous eligibility need with someone who understands how these programs function.
For more information on how your Social Security or SSI payments may be affected, see Will Remarrying Affect My Social Security payments?
Call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., or go to your local Social Security office to report your marriage and for more information.
