SSDI family maximum benefits higher than 50% - is this normal or a mistake?

The 50% is the standard maximum for auxiliary benefits for each eligible dependent, BUT the family maximum benefit can vary based on a complex formula that takes into account your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). It's not a straight percentage across the board.The family maximum formula has 4 \

Thanks for responding! So there's no situation where an eligible dependent would get MORE than 50% of the disabled worker's benefit? That's what confused me - she specifically said family members could get higher than 50% because of his contribution history. Maybe she was talking about the total family maximum and I misunderstood?

theres always a possibility the ssa person was looking at something different or misspoke... happens ALL THE TIME... I'd get it in writing before counting on those numbers... don't spend money u don't have yet!

The representative you spoke with was likely confusing a few different concepts. Let me try to clarify:1. Individual auxiliary benefits are typically capped at 50% for each eligible dependent (spouse caring for a child under 16, or children under 18)2. The Family Maximum Benefit (FMB) is calculated using a complex formula based on the worker's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). This typically allows for a total family benefit of between 150% to 180% of the worker's benefit.3. There is NO provision in Social Security rules that allows for an individual auxiliary beneficiary to receive more than 50% of the disabled worker's benefit amount regardless of how much the worker contributed.4. When the rep mentioned your husband's high contributions, she was likely referring to how his earnings history affected his PIA and thus the family maximum calculation, not that it would increase the percentage above 50% for any individual.I'd recommend calling SSA back and asking for a detailed breakdown of the family maximum calculation and how much each family member would receive. Sometimes representatives inadvertently mix up concepts during explanations.

Thank you for the detailed explanation! That makes a lot more sense. I'm going to call and ask for that detailed breakdown. Is there specific terminology I should use when requesting that information?

We had something similar happen but turns out the SSA person was including both the spousal benefit AND the children's benefits when talking about the \

That's a good point, maybe she was adding everything up and I misunderstood. We have two kids under 16, so maybe she was calculating 50% for me and 50% for each kid, which would be an additional 150% on top of his benefit. That would explain the numbers seeming so high!

Wait wait wait I'm confused now. I thought the 50% was only for retirement benefits? Isn't SSDI different? My cousin's kids get something from his disability and I SWEAR it's more than 50% each. Now I'm doubting myself... does anyone know for sure if SSDI auxiliary benefits are absolutely capped at 50% per person? Or is there some exception I don't know about??

SSDI and retirement benefits follow the same rules for auxiliary benefits - in both cases, eligible dependents receive up to 50% of the worker's primary insurance amount. There is no scenario where a dependent gets more than 50% of the worker's benefit amount under either program.What sometimes confuses people is that children can receive benefits from both parents simultaneously in some cases, or there might be other benefits involved like SSI that make the total seem higher.

Good luck getting clear answers from SSA! I spent THREE WEEKS trying to get someone to explain my husband's auxiliary benefit calculation. Every time I called I got disconnected or was on hold for hours. FINALLY I tried this service called Claimyr that got me through to an agent in under 10 minutes!!! Best $20 I ever spent after wasting hours on hold. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU or just go to claimyr.comThe agent I spoke with was actually able to pull up our file and explain exactly how they calculated everything. Turns out there was a mistake in our favor that would have been corrected later and caused an overpayment issue if I hadn't caught it.

does this really work?? i've been trying to get thru to ssa for a month!

Yes! It worked for me when nothing else did. Just make sure you have your husband's SSN and all your questions ready when they connect you.

The whole SSDI family benefit system is DELIBERATELY CONFUSING. They make it complicated so people don't understand what they're entitled to. I went through this last year and was told THREE DIFFERENT AMOUNTS by three different SSA reps!!! It's a total mess.And btw, the family maximum formula is even more complicated than people are saying here. It's based on a percentage of the first

It definitely feels unnecessarily complicated! Did you ever get a clear answer on what your family was entitled to? And did the actual payments match what they eventually told you?

Yeah, eventually I got it sorted out but only after demanding a supervisor and threatening to contact my congressman. The actual payments ended up being about $200 less per month than what the first rep told us. So definitely don't count on the first numbers you hear!

One important thing to know is that even if the family maximum benefit formula allows for a higher total amount, each auxiliary beneficiary is still subject to the 50% cap. The calculation for the family maximum is:- 150% of the first $1,536 of the worker's PIA, plus- 272% of the PIA over $1,536 through $2,216, plus- 134% of the PIA over $2,216 through $2,893, plus- 175% of the PIA over $2,893(Note: these dollar amounts are for 2025 and are adjusted annually)So high earners can have a family maximum that's notably higher than just 150% of their SSDI benefit. But again, no individual dependent can receive more than 50% of the worker's benefit amount.

Thank you for the detailed formula! This is exactly what I needed to understand. I'll use these numbers when I call SSA back to verify what we were told.

I just remembered something else - maybe the rep was including the COLA adjustments that will happen over time? Like maybe your husband's initial SSDI amount plus future cost of living increases would eventually make the family benefits work out to those percentages?

After reading all these comments, I'm thinking the SSA rep either misspoke or you misunderstood (through no fault of your own - this stuff is complex!). Here's what I think happened:1. Your husband qualified for a fairly high SSDI payment based on his work history2. The family maximum came out to be higher than the typical 150% due to the formula that considers higher earnings differently3. The rep was telling you that the TOTAL family benefits were between 65-70% MORE than your husband's benefit alone (not that each dependent gets 65-70%)So if your husband's SSDI is $3,000/month, the family maximum might be around $5,000/month (which is about 67% more than his individual benefit).Does that seem like a possible explanation for what you were told?

That makes PERFECT sense and explains the confusion! His benefit is right around $3,100 and she said the family max was about $5,200. So she was saying the family would get about 67% MORE in total, not that each dependent would get 67% of his benefit. Thank you for helping me make sense of this!

I'm glad you got that sorted out! Just wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful - when you do call SSA back to confirm everything, ask them to mail you a written benefit estimate that shows the breakdown for each family member. Having it in writing can prevent any confusion later and gives you something to reference if there are discrepancies when payments start. I learned this the hard way when our family went through the SSDI process. The written estimates are usually pretty accurate and can save you a lot of headaches down the road.