Confused about Family Maximum Benefit (FMB) distribution among child, disabled adult child, and CIC - SS benefits don't match expectations

I can help clarify this complicated situation! The auxiliary benefit is the portion of your FMB that can go to your dependents. 1. Your auxiliary benefit total is the difference between your FMB ($6,085) and your PIA ($3,250), so about $2,835 total available for your dependents. 2. The distributions are based on percentages of your PIA, but capped by the FMB. Each dependent is eligible for 50% of your PIA, but when multiple beneficiaries draw simultaneously, they're subject to the family maximum rules. 3. No, they aren't necessarily divided equally. The SSA applies what's called the 'family maximum formula' that can reduce each person's benefit proportionally. Generally each dependent could get up to 50% of your PIA ($1,625 each), but since three people would exceed your FMB, their benefits will be reduced proportionally. 4. Your three dependents combined should receive approximately $2,835 total (the difference between your FMB and PIA), but the exact distribution depends on individual circumstances. 5. When your son ages out, the family maximum will be recalculated. Generally, your wife and disabled daughter's benefits would increase since there are fewer beneficiaries sharing the auxiliary amount, up to 50% of your PIA each if that doesn't exceed the FMB.

This sounds so frustrating!!! I went thru almost the EXACT same situation last year with my disabled son and wife. The SS office gave me THREE different answers about how the benefits would be divided. One rep told me everyone gets equal shares, another said it's based on who applied first (which makes NO sense), and a third couldn't even explain the calculation at all!!!

The family maximum formula can be really confusing. The way it typically works is: - Your FMB of $6,085 minus your benefit of $3,250 leaves $2,835 for dependents - But they don't just divide that equally - Each dependent starts with their full entitlement (50% of your PIA, so $1,625 each) - That would total $4,875 for all three ($1,625 × 3) - Since that exceeds your FMB, each dependent gets proportionately reduced The formula is: (Individual entitlement ÷ Sum of all entitlements) × Available auxiliary amount So for each dependent: ($1,625 ÷ $4,875) × $2,835 = about $945 each But here's where it gets tricky - your DAC benefits may follow different rules than your wife's CIC benefits or your high school student's benefits. DAC benefits in particular sometimes get priority in the calculation. When your son ages out, they'll recalculate. The formula would then be: ($1,625 ÷ $3,250) × $2,835 = about $1,417 each for your wife and disabled daughter. I highly recommend getting an appointment with a Technical Expert at your local office. Regular phone reps often don't understand these calculations.

I've been through this exact nightmare trying to get straight answers about family maximum benefit distributions. After weeks of getting nowhere with SSA phone calls, I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) and it was a game-changer. They got me through to an actual SSA agent in about 15 minutes when I had been trying for days. The agent connected me with a Technical Expert who explained my family's benefit calculation. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU I was skeptical at first but desperate enough to try anything. Saved me hours of frustration and I finally got the answers I needed about my daughter's benefits.

wow this is exactly why i hate dealing with ss! nobody knows what theyre doing and everyone tells u something different. i gave up trying to understand how they calculate my widows benefits and just take whatever they give me lol

I had a similar situation with my disabled son a few years ago. One thing to know is that when your son ages out of benefits, your wife might lose her CIC benefits UNLESS she's caring for your disabled adult child. The CIC benefit is only available if caring for a child under 16 OR a disabled child of any age. If your wife is the caregiver for your disabled daughter, she should still qualify for the CIC benefit even after your son graduates. Also, DAC benefits (for your disabled daughter) usually get priority in the family maximum calculation. If your daughter was on SSI before, the DAC benefit should be higher since SSI has all those income and resource limits that DAC doesn't have. The rules are incredibly complex, and in my experience, even many SSA employees don't fully understand them. I literally had to print out their own policy manual (POMS) and bring it to my appointment to get the correct calculation. It's publicly available online if you want to read the rules yourself.

i think your disabled daughter should get priority for benefits. my cousin's kid has down syndrome and when he switched from SSI to DAC they told us he gets his benefit amount first before anyone else. something about disabled children getting protected status in the calculations? might be worth asking about that specifically.

To answer your specific question about what happens after your son graduates: The family maximum won't change - it stays tied to your PIA. But with one fewer beneficiary, the amount available will be redistributed. However, there's a special rule called the "pie shrinking rule" that might affect your situation. When a beneficiary stops receiving benefits, sometimes the total auxiliary amount available to remaining beneficiaries actually shrinks slightly rather than staying the same. Rather than trying to calculate this yourself, I strongly recommend requesting a written benefit estimate from SSA that shows what everyone's benefit will be after your son ages out. Make sure to specify that you need an estimate that accounts for the family maximum redistribution when your son turns 19. Ask for this in writing - that way if they calculate it incorrectly, you'll have documentation to support an appeal later.