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.

I'm sorry you're dealing with this frustrating situation! The family maximum benefit calculations are incredibly complex, and unfortunately many SSA representatives don't fully understand them either. One thing I'd suggest is requesting a "Family Maximum Benefit Worksheet" when you speak to a Technical Expert. This is an internal document that shows exactly how they calculated each person's benefit amount and how the family maximum was applied. It's not something they routinely provide, but you have the right to request it. Also, make sure to ask specifically about the timing of when your family members' benefits started. Sometimes there are slight differences in effective dates that can affect the calculations, especially if applications were processed at different times. Given the complexity of your situation with three different types of beneficiaries (child, DAC, and CIC), I'd also recommend asking the Technical Expert to explain which specific sections of the Social Security Act apply to your case. The rules for DAC benefits can be different from regular auxiliary benefits, and that might explain why your daughter's amount seems lower than expected. Keep detailed notes of every conversation and ask for reference numbers for any calculations they provide. If the numbers still don't make sense, you can always file an appeal and request a formal review of the benefit calculations.

I'm dealing with a very similar family maximum situation and wanted to share something that might help. When I was struggling to get clear answers from SSA, I discovered that the timing of when each family member's benefits were approved can actually affect the monthly amounts, even if they're all supposed to be calculated from the same family maximum. In your case, since your son was approved first, then your wife, and your daughter's DAC took much longer, there might be some retroactive calculations or proration affecting the amounts. This is especially true for DAC benefits transitioning from SSI. One thing that helped me was asking specifically for a "Family Maximum Computation Sheet" that shows the step-by-step calculation for each beneficiary. It's different from the regular award letter and actually shows the math they used. Also, regarding your disabled daughter's benefits - DAC beneficiaries do get some special treatment in family maximum calculations, but it's not always higher priority like some people think. Sometimes the DAC amount can be lower if there are specific deductions or if the SSI transition created complications. I'd strongly recommend getting everything recalculated from scratch by a Technical Expert, especially since you have three different types of auxiliary benefits running simultaneously. Good luck - I know how frustrating this process can be!

As someone who went through a similar family maximum benefit situation with multiple dependents, I wanted to add a few practical tips that might help you get better results with SSA: 1. **Request a "face-to-face" appointment** rather than trying to handle this over the phone. Complex family maximum calculations are much easier to discuss in person where they can pull up your records and show you the calculations on screen. 2. **Bring a simple family tree diagram** showing your relationship to each beneficiary and their current status (student, disabled adult child, spouse with child-in-care). This helps the representative understand your situation quickly without having to dig through multiple files. 3. **Ask for the effective dates** of each family member's benefits. Sometimes benefits start on different dates even if approved together, which can affect monthly amounts and create confusion about retroactive payments. 4. **Request both the computation sheet AND the benefit verification letter** for each family member. The computation sheet shows the math, but the verification letter shows the actual monthly amount and any deductions. The fact that your daughter transitioned from SSI to DAC is particularly important - there are special rules about how SSI overpayments or underpayments can affect the DAC calculation. Make sure they verify that transition was handled correctly. Don't give up! These calculations are solvable once you get someone who understands the rules. The key is being persistent and asking for the right documentation.

I'm going through a very similar situation right now with my own family benefits! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. One thing I wanted to add that might be relevant to your situation - when I finally got connected to a Technical Expert (took 4 tries), they explained that there's something called the "simultaneous entitlement rule" that can affect how benefits are calculated when someone is eligible for multiple types of benefits at the same time. In your daughter's case, since she transitioned from SSI to DAC, there might be some overlap period or coordination of benefits that's affecting her payment amount. The Technical Expert told me that sometimes the system doesn't automatically recalculate everything correctly when there's a transition like this, especially if the timing overlapped with other family members' applications. Also, I noticed you mentioned your wife qualifies as CIC because she cares for your disabled daughter - make sure SSA has properly documented that caregiving relationship in their system. Sometimes they focus on the child under 16 (your son) for the CIC qualification and don't properly account for the disabled adult child caregiving, which could affect her benefit amount. Based on everything I've read in this thread, it sounds like you definitely need to push for that complete recalculation with proper documentation. The staggered approval dates combined with the SSI transition probably created a mess in their system that needs to be sorted out manually by someone who actually understands these rules. Good luck - keep us posted on how it goes!

I'm a newcomer to this community but have been dealing with Social Security for years as a benefits counselor, and I wanted to add some perspective on your situation. One critical point that hasn't been fully addressed is that your Family Maximum Benefit calculation might actually be wrong from the start. The FMB formula is complex and based on "bend points" that change annually. For someone with a PIA of $3,250, an FMB of $6,085 seems unusually low - you might want to ask them to recalculate the FMB itself, not just the distribution. Also, regarding your disabled daughter's DAC benefits - there's a special rule called the "combined Family Maximum" that applies when someone is receiving DAC benefits on a living parent's record. This can sometimes result in a higher overall family maximum than the standard calculation, especially if your daughter had significant work history before becoming disabled. I'd strongly recommend asking the Technical Expert to verify: 1. That your FMB was calculated using the correct bend points for 2024 2. Whether the Combined Family Maximum rule applies to your daughter's DAC benefits 3. If the "Child Disability Freeze" provisions affect any of the calculations These technical details are often overlooked but can significantly impact benefit amounts. The fact that multiple representatives have given you conflicting information suggests they're not applying the more complex rules that might apply to your specific situation. Don't accept "that's just how it's calculated" as an answer - demand to see the actual mathematical computation with the specific rules and bend points they used.

Welcome to the community! I'm new here but have been lurking and reading about similar situations. Your case sounds incredibly frustrating but also really educational for those of us trying to understand these complex benefit calculations. After reading through all the excellent advice in this thread, it's clear you've gotten some really solid guidance about specific documents to request and technical rules that might apply. The fact that you have three different types of beneficiaries (child student, DAC, and CIC) plus the SSI transition timing issues creates a perfect storm of complexity. One small thing I wanted to add - when you do get that face-to-face appointment with a Technical Expert, consider bringing printed copies of some of the key POMS sections that others mentioned (like RS 00615.020). Having the actual policy language with you can be helpful if you encounter any pushback or confusion during the appointment. Also, based on Olivia's point about the FMB potentially being calculated incorrectly, it might be worth asking them to show you the actual bend point formula they used. If your base Family Maximum is wrong, then all the downstream calculations for your family members would be wrong too, which could explain why nothing seems to add up correctly. Really hoping you get this resolved soon - please keep us updated on how your appointment goes! This thread has been incredibly informative for understanding family maximum benefit calculations.