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Do we have to be married to get SSDI survivor benefits?

My girlfriend has lived with me as much as my wife as anything else for over 15 years and we have lived in Massachusetts. Is there any way she can get survivor's benefits from Social Security when I die or do we have to be married? This seems to me like a common law marriage where people act like they are married and then the government says they are married. Is that right?

SSDI Survivor's Benefits

No, unfortunately, Massachusetts does not recognize common law marriage. The Social Security Administration is willing to consider common law marriage for survivor's benefits, but the determination of whether a valid marriage exists, common law or other, is left to the laws of the individual states.  That is unfortunate for folks like you, because people in your exact situation may qualify for benefits merely because they live in a state that recognizes common law marriage. 

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