I'm a parent of an adult disabled child and have been following this thread with great interest. Just wanted to add my support to everything that's been said here - you are absolutely entitled to 50% of your husband's full retirement age amount ($1700/month), not the reduced amount. I also wanted to mention something that might help with the application process: when we applied for DAC benefits for our son, we found it helpful to prepare a chronological summary of his disability history with dates and key medical milestones. This made it much easier for the SSA examiner to understand his case and establish the "disabled before age 22" requirement. Include things like first diagnosis dates, when he started receiving services, major medical evaluations, etc. Another tip - if your daughter has an ABLE account or you're considering opening one, the DAC benefits won't count against the $2,000 asset limit for SSI (since she'll be on SSDI instead), but ABLE accounts can still be useful for saving money for disability-related expenses without affecting other benefits. Keep fighting for the correct benefit amount - that $450/month difference is absolutely worth pursuing! This community has given you excellent advice, and I hope your application goes smoothly once you get to work with someone at SSA who actually knows the DAC rules.

I'm a social worker who has helped many families navigate the SSI to DAC transition, and I want to echo what everyone has said - your daughter should absolutely receive 50% of your husband's PIA ($1700/month), not his reduced benefit amount. The representative who told you otherwise was completely incorrect. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you should also ask about "protective filing" when you contact SSA. If there are any delays in getting the formal application submitted, a protective filing establishes your intent to apply and can preserve the retroactive payment date. This is especially important given that you've already been discussing this with SSA representatives. Also, when you do get the correct benefit amount, don't forget that this will likely make your daughter ineligible for SSI going forward (since the DAC benefit will be higher than the SSI payment limit), but as others have mentioned, the Medicaid protections should keep her healthcare coverage intact. I've seen too many families get shortchanged by SSA representatives who don't understand DAC rules. Stay persistent, document everything, and don't accept incorrect information. Your daughter deserves every penny she's entitled to under the law!

I'm also brand new to collecting Social Security while working part-time - just started benefits last month and I'm doing freelance web design work from home with very similar variable income to yours ($900-$1,700 monthly). This entire discussion has been incredibly reassuring! I was honestly feeling pretty lost about whether I needed to report anything, but the consensus from everyone's experiences is clear - call SSA to document your estimated earnings even if you're staying under the annual limit. Your medical coding work sounds like it has the same unpredictable workload that I deal with. Based on all the advice here, I'm planning to create a tracking spreadsheet and give SSA a realistic annual range estimate when I call (probably something like "$12,000-$20,000 based on current workload patterns"). It's so comforting to know there are so many of us successfully navigating this same transition - makes the whole process feel much more manageable than I initially thought! Thanks for asking this question that's helping all of us newcomers figure out the right approach.

I'm also new to this whole Social Security and part-time work situation - just started collecting benefits in January while doing remote customer support work with variable hours like yours. This thread has been incredibly helpful! From everything I've read here, it's clear that calling SSA to document your estimated earnings is the smart move, even when you're likely staying under that $22,320 annual limit. Your medical coding income range of $1,100-$1,900 monthly sounds very manageable compared to the threshold, but I totally understand wanting to be proactive about it. I'm planning to set up one of those tracking spreadsheets everyone keeps mentioning and give them a realistic annual estimate when I call (probably around $15,000-$18,000 based on my current pattern). It's so reassuring to see how many people have successfully navigated this exact transition - makes me feel much more confident about handling everything correctly. Thanks for asking this question that's helping all of us newcomers figure out the proper approach!

As a newcomer to this community, I've been reading through this entire discussion with great interest since I'm currently caring for my grandmother who may face a similar situation soon. The depth of knowledge and real-world experience shared here has been absolutely invaluable! What gives me the most confidence is seeing the consistent advice from multiple people who have actually been through this process - that CASDI is definitively NOT considered earned income for Social Security purposes, so you can collect both benefits without any issues. The explanation about the distinction between actual wages versus disability insurance payments really helps clarify the situation. The practical tips shared throughout this thread are fantastic: calling SSA right at 8 AM for shorter waits, keeping detailed payment records, being upfront about disability status during applications, and visiting local offices when online verification doesn't work. These real-world strategies are exactly what someone needs to successfully navigate these systems. @Liam Murphy - you've received some truly excellent guidance here! Your timeline actually works out really well since you'll be so close to full retirement age when you return to work. Based on all the expert input shared, you should feel confident moving forward with both benefits. Best wishes for your recovery and smooth transition to retirement! This discussion is a perfect example of why community support is so valuable when dealing with complex government benefit programs.

As a newcomer to this community, I've been following this discussion with great interest since I'm helping my father who's approaching retirement age and dealing with some similar benefit questions. The consistent advice from everyone with real experience has been so reassuring - it's clear that CASDI absolutely does not count toward Social Security earnings limits since it's considered unearned income rather than wages from work. The fact that multiple people have successfully collected both benefits simultaneously really drives this point home. I've been taking notes on all the practical tips shared here, especially the calling strategies (8 AM seems to be the golden time!), the importance of documentation, and being transparent during the application process. The suggestion about visiting local SSA offices for account setup is particularly helpful since we've also struggled with online verification. @Liam Murphy - you've gotten incredible guidance here! Your situation actually has great timing since you'll reach full retirement age so soon after returning to work. Based on all the expert advice shared, you should feel confident moving forward with both benefits. Hope your back heals well and everything goes smoothly with SSA! This thread really shows how valuable community knowledge is for navigating these complex systems.

I'm a former HR benefits administrator who worked with many teachers transitioning to retirement, and I want to emphasize something crucial that could affect your situation. When you meet with SSA, make sure they run what's called a "comprehensive benefit analysis" that includes all possible scenarios - your own retirement benefit (accounting for WEP), spousal benefits (accounting for GPO), and future survivor benefits. Sometimes the representative will only calculate one type unless you specifically ask. Also, bring documentation of ANY employment where you might have paid FICA taxes, even if it was decades ago - I've seen people discover quarters from college work-study programs, substitute teaching in different states, or even brief periods of private sector work between teaching jobs. One more tip: if your state teacher's retirement system allows you to "buy back" years for military service or other employment, make sure SSA knows about that original employment too, as it might have generated SS credits before it was converted to pension service. The system is definitely unfair to educators, but being thorough about your complete work history could uncover benefits you didn't know existed.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm overwhelmed by how helpful and detailed everyone's responses have been! I'm actually in a very similar situation as Luca - I'm a librarian with 25 years in the state system planning to retire next year, and I had no idea about GPO until I started researching my options. Reading through all these experiences and advice has been both eye-opening and somewhat terrifying. The complexity of these rules is astounding, and it's clear that what seems like a simple question about spousal benefits is actually incredibly nuanced. I'm particularly grateful for the practical tips about gathering ALL employment documentation, asking for comprehensive benefit analyses, and understanding the difference between spousal and survivor benefits. I had assumed I could just walk into SSA and get straightforward answers, but now I realize I need to be much more prepared with specific questions and documentation. Thank you to everyone who shared their personal experiences - it's both frustrating and comforting to know that so many public servants are dealing with these same unfair provisions. I'll definitely be following the advice here when I schedule my own SSA appointment!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! I'm 59 and planning to retire at 62, so this thread has been incredibly helpful. One thing I learned from talking to a financial planner is that the Social Security Administration actually updates their benefit calculators pretty regularly, but they don't always make it clear which assumptions they're using. What I ended up doing was creating a spreadsheet where I tracked the estimates from different calculators with different assumptions - Quick Calculator with current earnings continuing, Detailed Calculator with $0 future earnings, and even the one on my actual SSA account. The differences were pretty significant! For anyone else going through this, I'd recommend checking your Social Security Statement annually anyway to make sure all your earnings are recorded correctly. I found an error from 2019 that took months to get corrected, and it would have affected my benefit calculation if I hadn't caught it. Also, don't forget that if you're married, your spouse's benefits and timing decisions can affect your overall household Social Security strategy. Sometimes it makes sense for one person to claim early while the other delays, depending on your respective earning histories.

As someone who just went through this exact process at age 61, I can confirm the confusion is real! What helped me was understanding that the SSA uses different methodologies depending on which tool you're using. The key insight that changed everything for me was realizing that even the "detailed" calculators make assumptions about wage growth and inflation that might not match your actual situation. Here's what I wish someone had told me earlier: create a simple Excel sheet with three scenarios - (1) retire and claim at 63, (2) retire at 63 but delay claiming until FRA, and (3) work until FRA then claim. For each scenario, use the detailed calculator on your my Social Security account and manually input your expected earnings year by year. The difference in monthly benefits between these scenarios was eye-opening for me. In my case, working just two additional years increased my monthly benefit by about $280 because those were high-earning years that replaced lower-earning years from the early 1990s. Also, don't forget about healthcare coverage if you retire before 65 - that gap between employer insurance and Medicare eligibility can be expensive and should factor into your decision just as much as the Social Security calculation!