---
kind: "section"
citation: "20 C.F.R. § 418.1205"
title: "20"
number: "418.1205"
heading: "What is a major life-changing event?"
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/20/418.1205"
---

# §418.1205. What is a major life-changing event?


For the purposes of this subpart, we will consider the following to be major life-changing events:

- (a) Your spouse dies;
- (b) You marry;
- (c) Your marriage ends through divorce or annulment;
- (d) You or your spouse stop working or reduce the hours you work;
- (e) You or your spouse experiences a loss of income-producing property, provided the loss is not at the direction of you or your spouse (e.g., due to the sale or transfer of the property) and is not a result of the ordinary risk of investment. Examples of the type of property loss include, but are not limited to: Loss of real property within a Presidentially or Gubernatorially-declared disaster area, destruction of livestock or crops by natural disaster or disease, loss from real property due to arson, or loss of investment property as a result of fraud or theft due to a criminal act by a third party;
- (f) You or your spouse experiences a scheduled cessation, termination, or reorganization of an employer's pension plan;
- (g) You or your spouse receives a settlement from an employer or former employer because of the employer's closure, bankruptcy, or reorganization.

## Notes

### Amendments

[71 FR 62931, Oct. 27, 2006, as amended at 75 FR 41086, July 15, 2010]

### Authority

Authority: Secs. 702(a)(5) and 1839(i) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 902(a)(5) and 1395r(i)).

### Source

Source: 71 FR 62931, Oct. 27, 2006, unless otherwise noted.

### Source

Source: 70 FR 77675, Dec. 30, 2005, unless otherwise noted.

### Amendments

[71 FR 62931, Oct. 27, 2006, as amended at 75 FR 41086, July 15, 2010]