Marriage Penalty

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Ever thought about getting married to that special someone? well, before you give it anymore thought, there's something you should know.
Once a couple gets married, Social Security takes back 75% of their benefits and at $674 a month this is below poverty level if both people do not have steady paying jobs.
The money provided by Social Security is supposed to cover cost of food (if person's food stamps run out or do not have food stamps at all), clothes, utility bills (those not covered by housing assistance), rent, gas (if you can drive) and doctor visits not covered by medicaid

once that money goes down, your benefits drop and you're left with a choice "call off the wedding and keep my benefits or get married and lose my benefits." either way you look at it, it doesn't seem right. I wish there was some way for disabled couples to get married and keep their benefits until they make a certain amount of money. At least that's how I always lost my ssi as a kid when my dad would get promoted

here is a video of couples affected by the ssi marriage penalty

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPqo0V9BGD8[/youtube]

So don't get married. Marriage is a way for the government to keep tabs on things, and now you have to consider the pragmatic choice of being personally committed to someone, without making a legal declaration, for the purposes of keeping your benefits. People do this all the time. If being legally married makes no difference in your relationship, just don't do it. It's nobody's business. If you can share living expenses, then by all means do that, because in this economy you must save all you can.

The problem with just not getting legally married in a committed relationship is that, as shown in the video, people who present themselves as married also get penalized. Maybe the people can say they're "engaged"?

There's no way losing benefits would deter me from marrying-
but then, I'm not significantly-disabled.

It's a real shame people who are have to choose between marriage or survival.

That's ridiculous. People with disabilities should be able to have the best of both worlds.

I have been happily married since 1989. I have no regrets about marrying my wife. If I had to do it all over again, I would do it the same way. My marriage to my wife far outweighs any social security benefits issues.

In the UK, couples living under the same roof (married or otherwise) are penalised, but not to the extent that they are in the US. Their individual claims become one joint claim which amounts to more money than an individual claim but becomes less when divided between the two parties.

My girlfriend and I live separately. We both have our own homes, our own incomes and our own independent lives. I wouldn't trade my independence for anything.