I went through this exact situation with my disabled daughter two years ago! She was receiving DAC survivor benefits from her father who passed when she was 19. When I started my survivor benefits at 66, her payments stayed exactly the same - $1,640/month. The key thing is that your son is already established on his father's record as a disabled adult child, and that relationship doesn't change when you start collecting. The SSA rep I spoke with explained it like this: your son has his own "claim" on his father's work record that's separate from your survivor claim on the same record. When I switched to my own retirement benefits at 70, we actually got a pleasant surprise - my benefit was high enough that my daughter could switch to my record and get an extra $85/month! SSA handled the switch automatically and sent us a letter explaining the change. One tip: when you do talk to SSA, ask them to check if your son's disability onset date is correctly entered in their system. Sometimes there are data entry errors that can cause problems later. Also, keep copies of everything - benefit statements, letters, etc. It saved me a lot of headaches when I had questions later.

I'm in a very similar situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! My disabled son (32) has been getting DAC survivor benefits from his father's record for about 5 years now. I'm 64 and have been delaying my own Social Security decisions because I was terrified of accidentally disrupting his benefits. Reading through everyone's experiences, especially @Adriana Cohn's story about the automatic switch to the higher benefit, gives me so much hope. My late husband was a high earner, but I also had a decent career, so there's a chance my son might benefit from my record when I switch at 70. One question I haven't seen addressed: Has anyone dealt with Medicare coordination in this situation? My son is on Medicare due to his disability, and I'm wondering if there are any changes or considerations when the parent starts collecting benefits. I know Medicare and Social Security are separate, but sometimes changes in one can affect the other. Also, thank you @CosmicVoyager for the advice about getting everything documented. After reading about your 6-month appeal process, I'm definitely going to be extra careful about getting written confirmation of everything before making any moves.

I just joined this community after receiving an unexpected $187.45 deposit from Social Security yesterday! Like so many of you, I was really worried it might be an error that would come back to haunt me later. My regular monthly payment already came through, so seeing this extra amount was both exciting and terrifying at the same time. After reading through all these comments about the COLA adjustment payments, I feel so much better! It's amazing how many people are experiencing the exact same situation. You're all absolutely right that SSA really should include some kind of explanation with these deposits - even something as simple as "COLA ADJ 2024" would save us all so much stress and confusion. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and helping newcomers like me understand what's happening. I'll definitely be watching my mailbox for that explanation letter!

Just joined this community after getting a mysterious $176.89 deposit yesterday! I was honestly terrified it was some kind of system error that I'd have to pay back with interest or penalties. My regular SS payment already came through weeks ago, so seeing this unexpected amount show up was both a relief and a source of major anxiety. After reading through everyone's experiences with these COLA adjustment payments, I feel like I can finally breathe again! It's incredible how many of us are going through the exact same situation. You're all so right about SSA needing to include even the most basic explanation with these deposits - literally anything would be better than just leaving us to panic and speculate. This community has been more helpful in 10 minutes than hours of trying to navigate the SSA website. Thank you all for sharing your stories and helping newcomers like me figure out what's going on!

I'm so sorry for your loss. This is absolutely heartbreaking, and unfortunately, it's a situation I've encountered too many times in my work helping people navigate Social Security benefits. Your sister would have been entitled to survivor benefits starting at age 60, and yes, both ex-wives can collect simultaneously without affecting each other's benefit amounts. The early filing reduction at age 60 is significant (about 28.5%), but even the reduced amount could have made a real difference in her financial situation. What makes this particularly tragic is that SSA has all the necessary information - they know when someone dies, they have marriage and divorce records on file, yet they don't proactively notify potentially eligible survivors. It's essentially a system that benefits from people not knowing their rights. While it's too late to file retroactively for your sister (benefits end at death), I'd encourage you to visit your local SSA office in person rather than trying to call. You deserve clear answers about what she was entitled to, even if it's just for closure. Please consider turning this painful experience into advocacy. Contact local senior centers, women's organizations, and community groups to share what you've learned. Many divorced women have no idea they're entitled to survivor benefits from ex-husbands. You might also reach out to your congressional representatives - this notification gap is a policy choice that causes real harm to vulnerable populations. Your sister's struggle shouldn't be in vain if it can help prevent others from facing the same situation.

I'm so deeply sorry for your loss, and I'm heartbroken reading about your sister's situation. This is exactly the kind of tragedy that highlights how fundamentally broken the Social Security notification system is. Your sister absolutely would have qualified for survivor benefits - she met every requirement (10+ year marriage, over age 60, unmarried status) and could have been receiving payments for over a year before she passed away. Even with the early filing reduction, those benefits could have transformed her final months from financial struggle to relative security. What's most infuriating is that SSA had all the pieces: her marriage records, the divorce showing 10+ years, her ex-husband's death certificate, and her current status. Yet they chose to stay silent and let her suffer rather than send a simple notification letter. As others have mentioned, you unfortunately cannot file retroactively after death - benefits end when the potential recipient passes away. But please don't let this be the end of the story. Your sister's struggle could prevent countless other families from experiencing this same heartbreak. Consider reaching out to local media, senior advocacy groups, and your congressional representatives about this systemic failure. Many divorced women have no idea they're entitled to survivor benefits, and the SSA's deliberate silence on this issue amounts to a policy that disproportionately harms vulnerable older women. Your advocacy could literally save lives and prevent the kind of unnecessary suffering your sister endured. Her memory deserves that kind of meaningful action.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - if you're planning to receive your benefits via direct deposit to your US bank account, make sure to notify your bank that you'll be receiving regular government payments from overseas. Some banks have been flagging these as suspicious activity and temporarily freezing accounts. I learned this the hard way when my first SS payment triggered a fraud alert! A quick call to your bank's international services department before your first payment arrives can save you a lot of headaches. Also, consider setting up online banking alerts so you can monitor the deposits even from Portugal.

One more consideration - since you've been in Portugal for 11 years, you might want to check if you need to report your Social Security benefits on your Portuguese tax return once you start receiving them. Portugal has different tax treaties and rules for US Social Security income depending on your residency status there. Some expats get caught off guard by the tax implications in their country of residence, not just the US side. It might be worth consulting with a tax advisor who understands both US and Portuguese tax law before you start receiving benefits, especially if you have other income sources in Portugal. Better to know upfront than be surprised later!

Just wanted to add something that helped me a lot when I was dealing with similar concerns about my small business income and SS benefits - make sure you understand the difference between "earnings" and "income" in SSA's eyes. For self-employment, they look at your net earnings from self-employment (what goes on line 31 of your 1040), but there's actually a small calculation involved. You get to deduct half of your self-employment tax from your net profit before it counts toward the earnings limit. So if your Schedule C shows $15,000 net profit, you'll pay SE tax on that (about $2,118), then you can deduct half of that SE tax ($1,059) from the $15,000, meaning only $13,941 would count toward your $22,320 earnings limit. It's a small thing but every bit helps when you're trying to stay under the limit! Your tax software should calculate this automatically, but it's good to understand how it works.

This conversation has been incredibly informative! I'm in a similar situation - just started collecting SS at 62 and have been doing freelance graphic design work. I was panicking thinking my gross invoices would count toward the earnings limit, but now I understand it's the net profit after business expenses. One thing I wanted to add that might help others - if you're using online platforms like eBay, Etsy, or Poshmark, they usually provide year-end tax documents (1099-K) that show your gross sales. But as everyone has emphasized, this gross amount is NOT what counts for SSA purposes. You still get to deduct all your legitimate business expenses. I've started using a simple spreadsheet to track monthly: gross sales, platform fees, shipping costs, supplies purchased, and other business expenses. This makes it easy to see my actual net profit and helps me stay on top of whether I'm approaching the earnings limit. Also wanted to echo what others said about keeping receipts for everything. I even photograph receipts with my phone and store them in a dedicated folder just in case I lose the paper copies. The IRS and SSA can ask for documentation going back several years, so good record-keeping is absolutely essential. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - both the success stories and the cautionary tales. It really helps to learn from others who've navigated this process!