Supplemetal Security Income

• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a program of benefits provided by the Social Security Administration. However, SSI benefits do not work like other Social Security benefits, which require you to have paid Social Security tax to be eligible. You can receive SSI benefits whether you paid Social Security tax or not as long as you meet all other program requirements. Two of these requirements are that you must be older than age 65, or you must have some level of disability or blindness. You are also required to have low income to be eligible to receive these benefits since this program was created to help American citizens pay for their basic needs.
  
  

Conditions

• To be eligible for SSI benefits, you must meet all the requirements mentioned above. Your level of income determines how much you are eligible to receive per month in benefits. As of 2011, an income that exceeds $1,000 per month is considered substantial. However, the exact amount of income you are required to have varies from state to state. Since SSI benefits are paid based on your level of income, you must report any changes that occur on your income or your family's income to the Social Security Administration. If you started to receive these benefits while you were single, and then you get married, you must report this to the Social Security Administration.
  
  

SSI and Marriage

• Whether you can continue to receive SSI benefits after you get married depends on your financial situation. When you first applied and were approved to receive SSI benefits, the approval was based on your family's income at that point. When you get married, you are adding a person to your household, which may increase or decrease your total income. If your income plus your new spouse's income exceeds the allowable limit for receiving SSI benefits, you are most likely going to lose your SSI benefits. However, if your spouse does not work, or if her income plus your income does not exceed the allowable amount, you may still be eligible to continue receiving SSI benefits.
  
  

Total Benefits

• The maximum amount of money you are eligible to receive in SSI benefits also depends on whether you are married or not. Marriage may actually cause your total SSI benefits to increase. As of 2011, the maximum federal SSI amount for single individuals is $674 and the maximum amount for couples is $1,011.