SSI Marriage Penalty 2025: How "I Do" Can Cost Disabled Couples Benefits
This blog highlights three key points:
- The financial disadvantage disabled couples face under SSI: You'll learn how marrying can actually decrease their combined benefits compared to living together unmarried, with specific numbers for 2025.
- The flawed logic behind the "marriage penalty": The blog unpacks why the assumptions that marriage inherently lowers expenses for disabled individuals are often untrue, especially regarding costs like rent and medical care.
- Ways to advocate for change: You'll discover the legislative efforts underway (S.73 and H.R.1757) and how you can contact your representatives and share your own experiences to push for a more equitable system.
What Is the SSI Marriage Penalty?
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) was created to support people with disabilities, offering a baseline of financial stability so that they can live with dignity, pay taxes, and contribute to society.
But that goal is slipping out of reach. Today, SSI benefits barely cover basic needs, let alone allow disabled individuals to build financial independence.
Often times, when individuals get married, it eases the financial burden of living by sharing expenses for food, rent, and transportation. But if you are disabled and decide to marry another disabled person, things get harder, not easier.
In short, you get less benefits, increasing the stress and reducing the outcomes Social Security was designed to protect.
For a detailed examination of how marital status affects SSI benefits, refer to the Social Security Administration's guidelines.
SSI Benefits in 2025: The Hard Numbers
The maximum monthly benefit for an individual on Social Security: $967
The maximum for a married couple living on Social Security: $1,450
If 2 disabled people are living together, does that somehow reduce their needs? Social Security thinks so. Two disabled people who live together without getting married receive more in total benefits than if they legally marry.
This built-in marriage penalty is hurting the very people the system is meant to help. Further insights into the treatment of married couples in the SSI program can be found in the Social Security Administration's issue paper.
Why Does This Policy Still Exist?
The origins of the SSI marriage penalty are rooted in historical assumptions:
Economies of Scale: Policymakers initially believed that married couples could live more economically than two separate individuals due to shared expenses.
Shared Resources: It was assumed that marriage would lead to combined resources, reducing the need for individual assistance.
However, these assumptions often fail to account for the unique and sometimes increased expenses associated with disabilities, especially when both partners are disabled.
What the Policy Gets Wrong
Let’s be clear:
Rent doesn’t get cheaper for married couples versus those who are dating or engaged. Transportation doesn’t magically become cheaper after marriage. Medical costs for two disabled individuals don’t shrink just because they share a last name.
Could I break this down with charts and math? Sure. But ask any married couple:
Have your monthly expenses dropped by $500 after getting married?
No. And everyone living on SSI knows that.
Legislative Efforts to Address the Issue
Recognizing the challenges posed by the marriage penalty, legislative measures have been introduced:
Senate Bill 73 (S.73): Aims to amend the Social Security Act to ensure that SSI benefits for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities are not reduced due to marriage. Read more about S.73.
House Bill 1757 (H.R.1757): Seeks to address related concerns within the tax code to support disabled individuals. Details on H.R.1757.
These bipartisan efforts underscore the importance of revisiting and revising policies to better serve the disabled community.
Connecting the Dots: The SSDI Benefits Cliff
The challenges posed by the SSI marriage penalty are part of a broader conversation about the financial disincentives embedded within disability benefit programs. A related concern is the SSDI benefits cliff, where earning above a certain threshold can result in the abrupt termination of benefits.
For an in-depth exploration of this issue and its implications for disabled workers, read our related blog post: The SSDI Benefits Cliff: How It Impacts Disabled Workers and Why Reform Is Essential.
Take Action: Advocate for Change
If you believe that policies should support, not penalize, disabled individuals who choose to marry:
Contact Your Representatives: Urge them to support S.73 and H.R.1757. You can find your local representative right here: List of 50 Attorneys General Contacts
Share Your Story: Personal narratives can be powerful catalysts for change. If the marriage penalty has impacted you or someone you know, consider sharing your experience.
Together, we can work towards a more equitable system that truly supports the rights and choices of disabled individuals.