Social Security Benefits for Unmarried Couples
- Social security is nonapplicable to separated unmarried couples. Only spouses who are no longer together as a result of separation and divorce can access social security benefits after one of the spouse dies. The spouse who dies must have been a worker whose employer made social security contributions. Additionally the marriage must have lasted 10 years or more for you to qualify for benefits as a divorced spouse of the deceased. But if you are taking care of a child born from the marriage or legally adopted during the marriage, this length of marriage does not have to be met.
- Death does not make you eligible. If your unmarried partner contributed to the social security fund and dies, you still cannot access his social security benefits. Widows or widowers who were legally married to the deceased who contributed to social security are the only ones eligible for the benefits. These benefits, also known as survivor's benefits, may be paid fully upon retirement or upon you reaching 50. Benefits may be received at any age by a widow or widower caring for the deceased's child who is under 16 or is disabled.
- Some private companies offer domestic partnership benefits. Despite the fact that unmarried couples cannot access many social security benefits, it is possible for them to enjoy benefits such as life insurance, child care, and retirement benefits. However these perks are mostly offered by larger companies than they are by smaller ones. Employees must meet certain criteria to qualify as domestic partners. Some of these include: partners must be at 18 years old, in a committed relationship and financially interdependent with each other.
- The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act is still a pending bill at time of publication. The bill proposes to extend domestic partnership benefits to federal employees, as is currently practiced by some private employers. Although the bill is primarily targeting same-sex unmarried couples, its passage by Congress will also benefit heterosexual unmarried couples working in the public sector. If enacted into law, domestic couples who are covered by employers will enjoy benefits such as: day care, career and counseling services, government medical facilities and travel allowances only to mention a few.