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does anyone no if the earnings limit changes every year? my nephew is on disabilty and his wife works, they told them theres a limit for her to.
The annual earnings limit for Social Security retirement and survivors benefits does change each year based on national wage indexes. However, for SSDI (disability), the rules are completely different. For disability, there's a Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit, not a family earnings limit. Your nephew's wife's income generally doesn't affect his SSDI benefits (unless she's also receiving benefits on his record as a spouse). You might be thinking of SSI (Supplemental Security Income), which does consider household income. These are two completely different programs with different rules.
Ryan Kim
I work for a nonprofit that helps people navigate Social Security issues, and I can confirm the other commenters are absolutely right - the rep gave you incorrect information. Employment income (wages, salary, bonuses) definitely counts toward the annual earnings test for ALL Social Security benefits when you're under full retirement age, including survivor benefits. The $22,320 limit for 2025 is correct, and yes, they'll withhold $1 for every $2 you earn over that amount. Since you mentioned a $20,000 increase, this could significantly impact your benefits if it puts you over the limit. Here's my advice: When you call back, ask to speak with a "Technical Expert" or request to be transferred to someone who specializes in survivor benefits and the earnings test. Regular customer service reps sometimes mix up the rules between different types of income. Also, have your expected 2025 earnings amount ready - they'll need to know your total anticipated wages for the year to properly adjust your benefits going forward. Don't wait on this - it's much easier to have them adjust your monthly benefit amount now than to deal with an overpayment situation later!
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Thank you all for the helpful responses. I'm going to try contacting SSA directly to get a definitive answer for our situation. The Claimyr service someone mentioned sounds helpful since I've had trouble getting through on the phone before. I appreciate the clarification about Colorado recognizing common-law marriage, but it sounds like that alone won't help with the grandchildren's eligibility. Neither child has disabilities that would qualify for SSI, so that's unfortunately not an option either. I'll update this thread if I learn anything that might help others in similar situations.
Good luck! One last thought - check if either of the biological parents might have work credits with Social Security. If the mother has enough work credits and qualifies as disabled due to her addiction issues (even if not officially designated as disabled yet), the children might qualify for benefits on HER record. It's worth asking SSA about this possibility too!
Isaac Wright
Just wanted to add another perspective here - I work in family law and see situations like this frequently. While the adoption route seems daunting with teenagers, it's actually not uncommon and can still provide benefits. Colorado has a streamlined process for stepparent adoption when there's been long-term care, and since you have conservatorship already, that demonstrates the legal relationship. Even if your partner adopts them at 14 and 16, they could still qualify for student benefits through age 19 if they're in high school, which could help with college costs. The adoption might also help with other things like medical decisions, inheritance, and family medical leave. It's worth consulting with a family attorney who specializes in these situations - many offer free consultations and can walk you through the process and timeline.
Eli Wang
•This is really valuable insight, thank you! I hadn't considered the student benefits angle - that could actually make a big difference for college planning. The streamlined stepparent adoption process in Colorado sounds promising too, especially since we already have the conservatorship established. Do you happen to know roughly how long that process typically takes? With the kids being 14 and 16, timing could be important for maximizing any potential benefits. I'll definitely look into family law attorneys who specialize in these situations. Really appreciate you sharing your professional perspective!
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What an absolutely amazing outcome! 🎉 This is such a perfect example of why it's so important to not panic when these unexpected payments happen. The fact that your CDR triggered them to discover the self-employment income miscalculation is incredible - and that monthly increase of $428 is going to be life-changing! I'm so glad you took everyone's advice to call rather than just worrying about it. This whole thread has been so educational for those of us navigating SSDI. Thank you for taking the time to update us with the good news - it really gives hope to others who might find themselves in similar situations!
Zara Rashid
•This is absolutely incredible news! 🎉 As someone who's just starting to learn about SSDI processes, this entire thread has been so eye-opening. I had no idea that continuing disability reviews could uncover calculation errors like this, or that self-employment income could be missed in the original calculations. Your experience shows how important it is to not panic when unexpected things happen with SSA - and to actually call them even when it's intimidating. That $23,475 backpay plus the ongoing $428 monthly increase must feel like winning the lottery! Thank you so much for sharing your whole journey and updating us with the resolution. Stories like this give me confidence that if I ever face confusing SSA situations, there might be positive explanations I wouldn't think of on my own.
Wow, what an incredible journey and outcome! 🎉 As someone completely new to understanding SSDI processes, this entire thread has been absolutely fascinating and educational. I had no idea that continuing disability reviews could trigger such thorough file reviews that uncover calculation errors going back years. The fact that they missed your self-employment income from 2016-2019 and then corrected it with such a substantial backpay amount is amazing - and that ongoing monthly increase of $428 is just the cherry on top! Your experience really highlights how important it is not to panic when unexpected things happen with SSA, even though the initial fear is totally understandable. Thank you so much for taking the time to update us with the resolution - stories like this are incredibly valuable for those of us trying to navigate these systems and give real hope that sometimes the bureaucracy actually works in our favor, even if it takes time. Congratulations on this life-changing correction! 🙌
Ellie Lopez
•This is such an inspiring outcome! As someone who's completely new to the SSDI world, I'm amazed by how this whole situation unfolded. The fact that a routine continuing disability review could lead to discovering such a significant calculation error spanning multiple years really shows how complex these systems can be. Your initial panic was so relatable - I would have been terrified too seeing that kind of unexpected deposit! But what a relief and blessing that it turned out to be money you were rightfully owed all along. That $428 monthly increase is going to make such a meaningful difference in your day-to-day life. Thank you for being so open about sharing this journey from start to finish - it's incredibly valuable for newcomers like me to see real examples of how these situations can work out positively, even when they seem scary at first. Congratulations on finally getting what you deserved! 🎉
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Jay Lincoln
Update: Just received my letter in the mail today explaining the COLA adjustment! It says my first increased payment will be on the 4th Wednesday of this month, and the lump sum for retroactive adjustments will come within 10 business days after that. Going to mark my calendar and stop worrying. Thanks everyone for the helpful info!
Glad to hear you got your letter! The SSA is actually pretty consistent with their payment schedules once you understand how they work. The retroactive lump sum payments sometimes arrive faster than they promise too, so you might see it sooner.
PixelWarrior
Just wanted to share my experience for anyone still waiting - I'm also on the 4th Wednesday payment schedule and haven't received mine yet, but after reading all these responses I'm feeling much more confident about the timeline. It's really helpful to see that the SSA website doesn't update right away and that the money often shows up before any letters. I've been checking my bank account obsessively but now I know to just wait for my regular payment date. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and especially to those who provided the official schedule breakdown - this community is so valuable for getting real information when the official channels are hard to reach!
Olivia Van-Cleve
For restarting after suspension, you don't need a new application. You simply contact SSA to request reinstatement of your benefits. This can be done by phone, in person, or online through your my Social Security account. When you request reinstatement, benefits resume the month after your request (unless you specify a future month). The amount will include all accumulated DRCs. My recommendation: Set a calendar reminder about 30 days before you want to restart. This gives SSA time to process everything so there's no gap in payments.
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Amara Torres
•Thank you so much! This has been incredibly helpful. I'll definitely set that calendar reminder when the time comes. I feel much better about understanding how this all works now.
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Mason Kaczka
just a tip from someone who did the suspend thing last year - write down EVERYTHING when u talk to them! i didnt get the name of the person i talked to when i suspended and then they had no record of my request! lost a month of credits because of it. always get confirmation numbers and names!!!!!
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StarStrider
•This is such important advice! I'm definitely going to document everything when I deal with SSA. Did you eventually get that month of credits back, or was it just lost forever? I'm wondering if there's any way to appeal those kinds of administrative errors.
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