New Sen. Tipping law eliminates marriage penalty for Mainers receiving Supplemental Security Income

AUGUSTA – On Thursday, April 16, a bill from Sen. Mike Tipping, D-Orono, was signed into law. LD 840, “An Act to Modernize the State Supplement to Supplemental Security Income by Removing Marriage Disincentives,” removes the state-level marriage penalty for Mainers who are older or have disabilities and are receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

“I introduced this bill because this is discrimination written into our law against people with disabilities who want to get married,” said Sen. Tipping. “Maine doesn’t have the power to change federal law to remove the marriage penalty for people with disabilities, but we do have the power to change the state SSI supplement to take a step toward marriage equality. With this law, we are righting a wrong that denies people the ability to express their love and faith or secure their future and that of their children.”

Currently, when both members of a married couple receive the state supplement to SSI, their payments are not the sum of the two individuals’ payments. Instead, the payment for the couple is just one and a half times a single person’s payment, a 25% overall reduction. Sen. Tipping’s new law ensures that married couples receive the sum of two individuals’ payments – eliminating the 25% reduction.

In testimony in support of the bill, Jon McGovern from Speaking Up For Us told the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee: “There are people out there like me who want to be able to get married. Right now, the marriage penalty is damaging to them because they lose income and benefits. There is no way to deal with the current cost of living increases. They can’t use money to cover other costs they may have for health care or dental care that isn’t covered by insurance. It is hard for them to get married because they will lose benefits. It would help people who live with disabilities in Maine if the marriage penalty would go away.”

SSI is a federal means-tested program that provides cash payments to children with disabilities, adults with disabilities, and people age 65 and older. SSI was created by the federal Social Security Amendments of 1972 and began operation in 1974.

In 1974, the federal monthly SSI payment was $140 for an individual. In 2025, it was $967 for an individual, seven times higher, because of almost 50 years of annual cost of living adjustments. About half of states, including Maine, supplement federal SSI payments. The minimum state supplement in Maine law is $8 a month.

As non-emergency legislation, LD 840 will take effect on July 29, 2026.

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