Can adult disabled child switch from lower-earning parent's Social Security to higher-earning parent at FRA?

Yes, your brother can switch to your father's record when your father files at 70. As an adult disabled child (we call it DAC - Disabled Adult Child - at SSA), he's entitled to the highest benefit available from either parent. When your father files, your brother should receive 50% of your father's PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), which is the amount your father would receive at full retirement age before any reductions or increases. Keep in mind that this 50% is calculated on your father's PIA, not the increased amount he gets for delaying to 70. So if your father's PIA is $2,800, your brother would get $1,400 (50% of that), not 50% of the $3,700 delayed retirement amount. The switch should happen automatically in the SSA system, but I'd recommend calling to confirm once your father files.

my disabled sister had this EXACT same situation!!! the ssa auto-switched her to my dads record when he filed. they didnt even tell us, just noticed the payment went up one month. but watch out they messed up the calculation the first time and had to fix it later.

The previous responses are correct, but I'd like to clarify a few additional points about Disabled Adult Child benefits that might help your family: 1. The switch to your father's record should happen automatically, but it's always good to confirm with SSA once your father files. 2. The benefit will be 50% of your father's PIA (what he would receive at FRA), not 50% of his age-70 benefit amount. 3. If your brother is also receiving SSI or Medicaid, the increased DAC benefits might affect those benefits, so plan accordingly. 4. There's no risk of "losing benefits" by inquiring about this. DAC benefits are protected as long as your brother continues to meet the disability criteria. 5. If your brother has never worked or has very limited work history, this is typically the best benefit option available to him. If your father's PIA is significantly higher than your mother's, this switch will almost certainly result in a higher monthly payment for your brother.

Be VERY careful with this!!! My nephew lost his benefits for THREE MONTHS when we tried to switch him from one parent to another!!! The SSA said it was a "processing delay" but we had to borrow money to cover his group home payment!!! They did eventually pay back the missing months but it was a NIGHTMARE!!! ALWAYS have at least 3 months of expenses saved up when dealing with SSA changes!!!

my dad filed at 70 last year and my sister is disabled too she got switched over no problem got more $$ i think it happened the next month after dad filed

I've been trying to get through to Social Security for weeks to handle something similar for my disabled daughter. The wait times are ridiculous - I've been disconnected 4 times after waiting over an hour. Finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in under 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU I was able to confirm that my daughter could switch from my ex-husband's record to mine when I file, and they explained exactly how the calculation would work. Definitely worth it to get a clear answer directly from SSA rather than worrying about what might happen.

Isn't this what's called the "family maximum" thing where there's a cap on how much can be paid out on one person's record? I think I read somewhere that if multiple people are collecting on one person's record there's a maximum amount that can be paid out total. Might want to check that.

I really appreciate everyone's insights here! I'm feeling much more confident about what will happen when Dad files next month. I'll definitely make sure we keep documentation of everything in case there are any payment delays or calculation issues. One last question - should Dad mention my brother's situation when he files for his own benefits, or will the SSA system automatically identify that my brother should be switched over?

Based on what everyone has shared, it sounds like you're in good shape! Just wanted to add that you might want to call SSA about a week after your dad files to confirm the switch is processing correctly. I've found that being proactive with a follow-up call can help catch any issues early rather than waiting for them to show up in the payment. Also, keep copies of all your dad's filing paperwork - if there are any delays or calculation errors like some folks mentioned, having that documentation makes it much easier to resolve. The switch should definitely result in higher benefits for your brother given the earnings difference you described. Good luck!

Just wanted to share our experience since it sounds so similar to yours! My disabled brother switched from my mom's record to my dad's when dad filed at 70 last year. The good news is it worked exactly as others described - he got 50% of dad's PIA (not the delayed retirement amount), which was still about $400 more per month than what he was getting on mom's record. The switch happened automatically within about 6 weeks of dad filing, but I'm glad we called to confirm it was processing. One thing I wish we had known - the first payment on dad's record came about 2 weeks later than usual because of the processing time, so your brother might want to budget for that potential timing difference. Overall it was much smoother than I expected based on some of the horror stories you hear. Your brother should definitely benefit from the switch if your dad's earnings history is significantly higher than your mom's!

As someone who works with disability benefits regularly, I want to emphasize a few key points that might help ease your concerns: 1. The automatic switch should happen, but it's absolutely worth calling SSA about 2-3 weeks after your father files to confirm it's in process. Don't wait for problems to appear. 2. When your father files, make sure he specifically mentions your brother as a disabled adult child dependent. Even though the system should catch this automatically, being explicit helps prevent delays. 3. Your brother's benefit will be 50% of your father's Primary Insurance Amount (what he'd get at full retirement age), not 50% of the delayed retirement amount. So if your dad's PIA is around $2,600, your brother would get approximately $1,300 - still likely a significant increase from the $1,125 he's getting now. 4. Keep detailed records of everything - your father's filing date, confirmation numbers, and any correspondence. If there are processing delays like some have mentioned, this documentation is invaluable. 5. Consider having 1-2 months of expenses saved as a buffer, just in case there are any timing hiccups with the first payment on the new record. The math should work strongly in your brother's favor given the earnings difference you described. Good luck with the process!

I work at a local disability advocacy organization and see this situation fairly often. Your brother is in a great position! The key thing to remember is that as a Disabled Adult Child (DAC), he's entitled to the higher of the two parental benefits available to him. When your dad files at 70, the SSA system should automatically evaluate both records and switch your brother to whichever provides the higher benefit. Given the significant difference in earnings you described ($1,125 vs potentially much more from your dad's record), this should result in a nice increase. A few practical tips from what I've seen work well: - Have your dad mention your brother specifically when filing, even though it should be automatic - Call SSA about 3-4 weeks after your dad files to confirm the switch is processing - Keep your brother's current benefit letter handy in case you need to reference his current DAC status The 50% calculation is based on your dad's PIA (full retirement age amount), not the delayed retirement amount, but it should still be significantly higher than what he's getting now. Most families I work with see this transition happen smoothly within 4-6 weeks of the parent filing. Good luck!

This thread has been incredibly informative! I'm in a similar situation with my disabled adult son, and reading everyone's experiences has helped me understand what to expect. One thing I wanted to add based on our experience - when my husband delayed filing until 70, we actually called SSA about 6 months before he planned to file to get a clear understanding of what would happen with our son's benefits. The representative was able to give us exact numbers for what our son's benefit would be on my husband's record versus mine, which really helped with our financial planning. They also noted in their system that we had inquired about this, which I think helped the transition go more smoothly when my husband actually filed. For those worried about payment delays - we did experience a one-month gap, but SSA paid the missing amount as back pay the following month. Having that emergency fund saved us a lot of stress. The increase was definitely worth the temporary inconvenience!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with a very similar situation with my disabled daughter who's currently on my ex-wife's record, and I've been worried about the switch process. Reading through everyone's experiences - both the smooth transitions and the ones with hiccups - has really helped me understand what to prepare for. I especially appreciate the advice about calling SSA well in advance to get exact calculations and create a paper trail. That seems like such a smart approach. Also good to know about budgeting for potential payment timing issues - I definitely wouldn't have thought about that buffer fund without reading these experiences. One question for those who've been through this: did any of you have to provide additional documentation about your disabled adult child's status during the switch, or did SSA already have everything they needed from the original DAC determination?

I just went through this exact situation with my disabled son last year! Your brother should definitely benefit from switching to your dad's record. The automatic switch usually works, but I'd recommend being proactive about it. Here's what worked for us: About a month before my husband filed at 70, I called SSA and asked them to run the numbers for both records. They were able to tell me exactly what my son would receive on each parent's record, which confirmed the switch would increase his monthly benefit by about $350. When my husband actually filed, I made sure he explicitly mentioned our son as a disabled adult child dependent, even though the rep said it would be automatic. The switch happened within 5 weeks, and we only had about a 10-day delay in the payment timing - much smoother than I expected based on some stories I'd heard. One tip: Keep your brother's current SSA benefit statement and award letter handy during this process. We ended up needing to reference his DAC status when following up, and having those documents made everything go faster. The peace of mind knowing your brother will get the higher benefit amount is definitely worth the temporary uncertainty during the transition!

I'm new to this community but dealing with a similar situation with my disabled brother. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly helpful! It sounds like the consensus is that the switch should happen automatically but it's definitely worth being proactive about it. From what I'm gathering, the key steps seem to be: 1. Call SSA about a month before your dad files to get exact benefit calculations 2. Make sure your dad explicitly mentions your brother when filing 3. Follow up 3-4 weeks after filing to confirm the switch is processing 4. Have 1-2 months of expenses saved as a buffer for potential payment timing issues 5. Keep all your brother's current DAC documentation handy The fact that most people are seeing this work out smoothly with significant benefit increases is really encouraging. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world information that's so hard to find elsewhere!

This has been such an incredibly helpful thread! As someone who's been lurking in this community for a while but never posted, I finally feel confident enough to share my own experience. My disabled adult daughter went through this exact same switch about 8 months ago when my ex-husband filed at his FRA. I was terrified about the whole process after reading some nightmare stories online, but honestly it went much smoother than expected. The key things that helped us were: 1) calling SSA about 6 weeks before my ex filed to get the exact benefit amounts calculated, 2) making sure he mentioned our daughter specifically when filing even though they said it was automatic, and 3) following up every 2 weeks until we confirmed the switch was complete. The increase was substantial - she went from about $950/month to $1,385/month, which made such a difference for her independent living situation. There was about a 3-week delay in payments during the transition, but they paid all the back amounts in one lump sum once it was sorted out. For anyone going through this, my biggest advice is to be patient but persistent with follow-up calls. The SSA staff were actually quite helpful once I got through to them, and having all the documentation ready (original disability determination, current award letters, etc.) made everything go faster. The peace of mind knowing she's getting the maximum benefit she's entitled to was absolutely worth the temporary stress of the transition process!

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm a case manager for adults with disabilities, and I see families struggling with these exact questions all the time. What I love about this discussion is how many people have shared their real experiences - both the smooth transitions and the ones with temporary hiccups. A few additional points that might help based on what I see in my work: 1. The timing everyone mentioned (calling 4-6 weeks before filing) is spot-on. This gives SSA time to research both records thoroughly and provide accurate projections. 2. For families worried about payment gaps - consider setting up automatic bill pay from a savings account as backup during the transition month. Most of my clients who do this report much less stress during the switch. 3. If your brother has a representative payee, make sure they're involved in all the communications with SSA. The system sometimes gets confused if different family members are calling about the same case. 4. Document everything! I always tell families to keep a log of call dates, representative names, confirmation numbers, and what was discussed. This has saved several of my clients when there were processing delays. The benefit increases you're all reporting ($350-$435 monthly) are life-changing for people on disability. Your brother is lucky to have such an advocate looking out for his interests!

I've been following this thread closely as I'm in almost the exact same situation with my disabled son. He's currently receiving DAC benefits on my record, but my husband will be filing at 70 in a few months and has significantly higher earnings. What strikes me most about all these experiences is how much preparation seems to matter. The families who called ahead, got exact calculations, and stayed on top of the process seem to have much smoother transitions than those who just waited for it to happen automatically. I'm planning to call SSA about 6 weeks before my husband files to get the specific numbers and create that paper trail everyone mentioned. Based on the benefit increases people are reporting here, my son could potentially see an extra $400-500 per month, which would be absolutely life-changing for his independence. One question I haven't seen addressed - for those whose switches went smoothly, did you work with your local SSA office or the national phone line? I'm wondering if there's an advantage to building a relationship with someone at our local office versus just calling the 1-800 number each time. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread is going to be my roadmap for navigating this process!