Are you currently receiving Social Security Disability (SSDI) benefits? If so, you may be wondering if your marital status can impact your benefits. What if you get married, could you lose your benefits? What if you are currently married and you get a divorce, could the divorce affect your benefits?
These are questions that most people facing marriage or divorce ask and they are valid indeed because yes, marriage and divorce can affect one’s eligibility for SSDI benefits.
Could your benefits stop because of marriage or remarriage? Yes, they could. But if they are stopped because of a change in your marital status, they may start up again if your marriage ends in divorce.
What Are the Possibilities?
Let’s take a look at the different ways a marriage or divorce can impact a person’s benefits:
- If you are receiving your own disability benefits, then your disability benefits will continue if you get married or divorced.
- If you are receiving disabled widow’s or widower’s benefits (this includes disabled divorce widow’s and widower’s benefits) and you get married, your benefits shall continue if you are 50-years-of-age or older at the time you remarry.
- If you are receiving any other kind of benefit and you get married, generally you can expect the benefits to stop upon remarriage. However, the benefits may be able to restart if you get a divorce.
If You Decide to Change Your Name
It’s not uncommon for people to change their name after getting married or divorced, and that is especially the case with women. If you decide to change your name because you get married or divorced, it’s critical that you notify the Social Security Administration (SSA) right away.
If you don’t notify the SSA about your name change, the SSA will issue your benefits under your previous name, and if they do it through direct deposit, the payments may not be deposited into your bank account. If you’re receiving disability checks and they have your old name on them, you may have difficulty cashing them if your last name is different than the name on the disability checks.
We hope you found this information useful. If you have any questions about how a marriage or divorce may impact your disability benefits, contact our firm directly.