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1852. How does the marriage of one beneficiary to another affect benefits?

The effect of one beneficiary's marriage to another is summarized in the following chart:

Effect of Marriage to Another Beneficiary
If you are the following type of beneficiary...	Then marrying another Social Security beneficiary has the following effect...
Retired or disabled worker, widow(er), disabled widow(er), surviving divorced spouse or disabled surviving divorced spouse	No effect on entitlement.
Child under age 18 or student	Always terminates entitlement.
Parent or divorced spouse	No effect on entitlement unless marriage is to a retired or disabled worker, a child under age 18, or a student, in which case benefits of the parent or divorced spouse terminate.
Mother, father, surviving divorced mother/father or childhood disability beneficiary	No effect on entitlement unless marriage is to a child under age 18 or a student, in which case both benefits terminate.

Last Revised: March, 2001


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