Discover the Legal Benefits of Being Married with GetLegal

1. Benefits ofBeing MarriedinUnitedStates • AltText: BenefitsofBeingMarried • Whatare theBenefitsofBeingMarried? • Thebenefits ofbeingmarriedarecomplexandincludesocial, familial,financial,emotional,and otherbenefits.Marriage may notbe the right choiceforeveryone,butformany,itisthe cornerstoneofahappyandmeaningfulexistence. • Astablefinancialsituationisyetanotherimportantbenefitofbeingmarried.Marriedcouples may have better financial security as a result of shared spending, combined incomes, and possible taxadvantages.Spousesmayalsobeentitledtocertainlegalandfinancialsafeguards, such as insurance benefits, healthcare benefits, and inheritance rights, which can act as a safety net indifficult times. • TheLegalBenefits ofBeing Married • People whoarelegallymarriedhave a widerangeofbenefitsintheUnitedStates,including: • Employmentbenefits—healthinsurance,bereavementleaveand familyleave • Familybenefits: • Adoptionrights andjointfostercarerights • The right toa portionofjointlyownedpropertyuponseparationordivorce • Governmentbenefits: • SocialSecuritybenefits(you mayreceive yourspouse’sSocialSecuritybenefitsif youare atleast 62or ifyouare caringforachildunderthe ageof16) • Medicare • Disabilitybenefits

2. oVAbenefitsandpublicassistance • Taxand estateplanningbenefits: • the marital tax deduction (you are allowed to transfer any asset to your spouse atanytime withoutpaying taxesonthat asset) • the optiontofile joint taxreturns,whichisespecially beneficialIfonespouse • earnssignificantlymorethantheother • theright toinherityourspouse’sestate withoutpayinganestatetax • Medicalanddeathbenefits: • The righttovisityourspouse inthehospital • The right tomakemedicaldecisionsforanincapacitatedspouse • The right toparticipate inburialandfuneralarrangements • Consumerbenefits—discounts tofamiliesorcouples • The Validation of SameSexMarriage • Over the past two decades, same-sex couples have received more legal recognition in the UnitedStatesfortheirrighttomarry. The UnitedStatesSupremeCourt struck downthe Defense of Marriage Act's 2013 definition of marriage as a partnership between a man and a woman.Same-sexcouplesinstateswhere same-sexmarriage waspermittedcouldgetfederal benefits asa resultofthat decision.In2015,the U.S. SupremeCourtdecidedinObergefellv. Hodgesthat same-sex couplesare entitledtoallothermaritalrights,includingtheright to marry,as wellas anyotherrelatedlegalandfinancialprivileges. • The Court established that states may not refuse to recognize a marriage between same-sex couplesif theyweregrantedthatprivilege byciting theEqualProtectionandDue Process portionsoftheFourteenthAmendment.Furthermore,itfoundthat statesmaynotrefuse to recognize same-sex partnershipsthat havebeenlegallycompletedinanotherstate.Same-sex unionsare now permittedacrossthecountry asaresultofthisdecision. PriortotheSupreme Court'sObergefelldecision,same-sex unionswere permittedin37states. • CommonLawMarriage • Commonlawmarriagesare those thatare recognizedby state lawwithout therequirement for alicense,ceremony,orfurtherdocumentation. Acommonlawmarriage isformedbetweena manandawomanwho"holdthemselvesout assuch," thatis,whoperceivethemselvesas husbandandwife.Acommonlaw marriageisrecognizedandacknowledgedas suchbyanytwo personswhoviewthemselvesas marriedorwhosimplyact assuch;itisnotneedtolastfora specificlengthof time.It appearsthatonlysevenstates—Colorado,Iowa,Kansas,Montana, Oklahoma,RhodeIsland,SouthCarolina,andTexas—recognizedcommonlawmarriage asof 2019.CommonlawmarriagesarealsorecognizedintheDistrictofColumba.InNew Hampshire,common-lawunionsarerecognizedexclusivelyforthelimitedpurposeofprobate.

3. DomesticPartnership Prior to being allowed to marry, same-sex couples often entered into domestic partnerships, sometimesreferred toascivilunions,which havesomebenefitssimilartothoseofmarriage. Unlike acommonlawmarriage,a domesticpartnershipistypicallyaformallegalarrangement that requiresregistrationinordertoberecognized.Genderisnot a decidingfactorindomestic relationships;nonetheless,thepartnersmustlivetogetherorhave apermanentdomicile,be olderthaneighteen,beunrelatedtooneanother,andhave neverbeeninapreviousdomestic relationship. Among the benefits provided to spouses, domestic partners may be eligible for healthinsuranceormedicalleave;eligibility maydifferdependingonlocallaws.Mostorall domesticpartnershipsregisteredin thestate werelegallyconvertedtomarriageswhen some states,includingWashington, begantoallow same-sexmarriages.