Can my lower-earning husband claim on my SSDI? Plus questions about adult disabled child benefits

For your first question: Your husband cannot receive spousal benefits based on your SSDI until you reach your FRA (67). At that point, he could potentially receive up to 50% of your primary insurance amount if that would be higher than his own benefit. However, since he claimed early, any spousal benefits would be permanently reduced.Regarding your daughter: If she's receiving benefits as a Disabled Adult Child (DAC) on either your or your husband's record, that's typically the maximum available. Unfortunately, there's no additional caregiver benefit through Social Security. You might want to look into state programs like Medicaid waiver programs that sometimes offer caregiver compensation.

Thank you for explaining! I wasn't sure about the spousal benefits timing. Do you know if the reduction in his spousal benefits would be based on how early he took his own benefits? Or would it be calculated differently? And for our daughter, she's actually receiving SSDI on her own record (she worked for about 7 years before becoming disabled), not as a dependent on ours. Does that change anything?

I went thru similar situation with my disabled son!! the SSI program has something called 'in-kind support and maintenance' that might be affecting your daughters benefit amount. if your providing food and shelter and not charging her fair market value, they might be reducing her SSI payment. you could try setting up a formal rental agreement with her and charge whats normal for your area, might increase her SSI!!

This is terrible advice that could actually make things worse. Setting up a rental agreement when the person is already living with you just to try to increase SSI would likely trigger a review. Plus, if the daughter is paying

To directly answer your questions:1) Spouse benefits while you're on SSDI: Your husband cannot receive spousal benefits based on your record until you reach your FRA (67). At that point, he could file for spousal benefits, but they would be reduced because he took his own benefits early. The maximum he could receive would be the higher of his own benefit or up to 50% of your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), reduced for his early filing.2) Adult child benefits: Since your daughter receives SSDI on her own record (not as a DAC - Disabled Adult Child), there are no additional benefits you can claim as her caregivers through Social Security. However, you should look into:- Your state's Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver programs- Tax credits for caring for a dependent adult with disabilities- ABLE accounts to help manage her resources without affecting SSI eligibilityI'd also recommend reviewing if she's receiving the maximum SSI she's entitled to. Sometimes deductions for living arrangements can be adjusted.

Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! I'll definitely look into the Medicaid waiver programs - I hadn't thought of that. We're in Illinois - does anyone know if they have good programs for adult children with disabilities? The ABLE account is a great suggestion too. I've heard of those but wasn't sure if they would help in our situation.

my sister got help from her county's disability services for her adult son. they have respite care and some financial support programs. call your county social services!

Can I just say how RIDICULOUS it is that the SSA doesn't have better support for families taking care of disabled adult children??? The system basically forces people into poverty. My cousin has been caring for her disabled daughter for 30+ years and can barely make ends meet. The amount they give these vulnerable people is a JOKE compared to the actual cost of care!!! And trying to get straight answers from SSA is impossible - they contradict themselves constantly!

PREACH!! I spent 3 days trying to get someone on the phone last month about my sons benefits. kept getting disconnected or the 'call volume too high' message. its like they don't want to help us!!!!

I just went through this whole mess with my husband's benefits and my SSDI. The spousal benefit thing is super confusing! What I learned after HOURS of research is that because you're on SSDI and not regular retirement, the rules are different. Your husband can't get spousal benefits until you convert to retirement at your FRA. But here's something no one mentioned yet - when you hit FRA, you should make sure to file the right paperwork to convert from SSDI to retirement benefits. It's supposed to happen automatically but mine got messed up and I lost a month of payments during the transition. The whole system is so complicated!

If you're struggling to get through to SSA about these issues, I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me get through to an actual SSA representative within 20 minutes when I was dealing with my own SSDI questions. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puUFor your specific situation, I think you need to speak directly with an SSA representative because there are nuances with the spousal benefits when one person is on SSDI versus retirement. And regarding your daughter, you should ask specifically about the Disabled Adult Child program - even though she receives benefits on her own record, there might be changes when you or your husband reach certain ages that could affect her eligibility for different types of benefits.

Thank you for the recommendation! I've never heard of this service before but I'm desperate to talk to someone at SSA. I'll check out that video. Did you find the SSA rep knowledgeable when you got through? I worry about getting someone who doesn't understand all these complex rules.

have u checked if your daughter qualifies for the SNAP program?? that could help with food costs at least

To address your follow-up question about spousal benefits: The reduction in your husband's potential spousal benefits would be based on how early he took his own benefits relative to his FRA. Since he claimed at 62 when his FRA was 66, he's receiving approximately 75% of his full retirement benefit. If he becomes eligible for spousal benefits when you reach your FRA, the reduction percentage would generally be similar. However, the calculation gets complicated because it involves both his own reduced benefit and the potential spousal benefit (which would be up to 50% of your PIA).The formula essentially provides the higher of:1) His own reduced benefit2) His reduced spousal benefitNot a combination of both. Since his own benefit is already substantial ($1,850), the additional amount might be minimal or none at all, depending on what 50% of your PIA works out to be.

This is correct. To add some clarification: The spousal benefit is actually calculated as the difference between the reduced spousal benefit amount and the person's own retirement benefit. So if 50% of your PIA is $1,150, and after reduction for early filing your husband would be entitled to about $862 (75% of $1,150), since his own benefit is $1,850, he wouldn't receive any additional spousal benefits because his own benefit exceeds the reduced spousal benefit he'd be entitled to.

dont forget about possible veterans benefits if anyone in your family served

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I made some calls today based on your suggestions. Found out that Illinois does have a Community Care Program that might help with some of my daughter's expenses. Also planning to try that Claimyr service tomorrow to get through to SSA about the spousal benefits question - still a bit confused about how the math works there. I'll update once I know more in case it helps someone else in a similar situation.