Social Security Report

Q & A

I’m thinking about getting remarried…how will this affect my Social Security?

Complete Question: I have been dating a younger man for a couple of years now (I’m 65 and he’s 59). We’ve been talking about getting married. I hate to think of this decision in terms of finances, but it has crossed my mind. Since I had a very small Social Security benefit on my own record, I’ve been collecting a spousal benefit off of my ex-husband’s record. I know my boyfriend isn’t old enough to be able to give me a spousal benefit for at least another few years. So I don’t know what to do. Can you tell me what the consequences are if I get married in terms of my Social Security benefit?

Answer: You definitely are in an interesting position because you will lose your ex-spouse benefit if you get remarried, and you are correct that your new husband is too young to give you a new spousal benefit. However, you did mention that you have your own retirement benefit. You did not mention when you applied for a spousal benefit, but as you may already know, the younger you are when you apply, the smaller the benefit. So your own benefit would be larger now than it was when you first applied.

If you get remarried and take your own benefit to replace the ex-spouse benefit, in three years when your new husband is 62 and you are 68, you can always take the new spousal benefit if it is larger than your own benefit. On the flip side, he will be eligible for a spousal benefit off of your record.

There is another thing you should take into consideration, which is a surviving spouse benefit. Let’s say you got remarried and this second marriage were to end for some reason. If it ended in divorce, you would once again be eligible for an ex-spouse benefit from the first husband. If it were to end because your second husband passed away, a few different things could happen depending on the exact circumstances. If your first husband were still alive, you could get ex-spouse benefits again or surviving spouse benefits from your second husband (provided your second marriage lasted at least 9 months). If your first husband also passed away, you would be eligible for a surviving spouse benefit off of either husbands’ benefit because you got remarried after the age of 60. Note that the surviving spouse benefit is 100% of the husband’s benefit, not 50%; however, you cannot get a surviving spouse benefit (or any spousal benefit) from both husbands at the same time – only one.

Even though your situation is a little complicated, it is not as unusual as it may seem. Therefore, the law does protect spouses such as yourself who do not have a significant work history, but do need some sort of financial protection.

C.J. Miles, MSA, MBAHCM
Research Analyst & Certified Social Security Advisor
AMAC Foundation

Notice: Any information in this posting that may be construed as an opinion is solely that of the author’s and not necessarily that of AMAC Foundation or any of its affiliates. If you have any additional questions about Social Security benefits, you can reply below. When replying to this website, please do not provide any personal identification information such as Social Security numbers. If you would like to discuss your situation privately, you can email C.J. Miles at [email protected].