Social Security Family Maximum confusion with disabled adult child and child-in-care spousal benefits - smaller payments than expected

Thank you for the clear explanation. I do have my own work record, but my PIA would be significantly lower than my husband's. I was hoping the child-in-care benefit would be more substantial while we wait until I reach my FRA. So if I understand correctly, the cap is based on his PIA, but his actual reduced benefit counts against that cap, leaving less room for our benefits. That seems so unfair! Is there any way to appeal this calculation?

It really is frustrating! Did you find any way to get a clearer explanation or increase the benefits? I feel like we're being penalized for my husband taking his retirement early, even though we had no choice with our son's care needs.

wait i thought disabled children wernt subject to the family maximum?? i read that somewhere i think. or maybe thats only if the child was disabled before 22?? so confused by all these rules!!

That's a common misconception. Disabled Adult Children (DAC) benefits ARE subject to the Family Maximum just like other auxiliary benefits. You might be thinking of SSI (Supplemental Security Income), which is a different program and isn't affected by the Family Maximum. As long as the disability began before age 22 (which appears to be the case here), the son qualifies as a DAC on the parent's record, but these benefits are still subject to the FMB limits.

It really does feel that way sometimes! Each time I've called, I get slightly different explanations. One rep told me it was because of the child-in-care provision, another mentioned the family maximum, and a third just said it was "policy" without further details. So frustrating!

Thank you! I hadn't heard of the PEBES query before - I'll definitely ask for that. And I appreciate the Claimyr suggestion. I've been trying to get through on the phone for days with no luck. It's worth trying something different at this point because I need actual answers, not more confusion.

the claimyr thing really works i used it last month when my payments stopped suddenly. got through in 15 minutes instead of waiting all day!

Great question, and something the original poster might want to consider too. The DAC benefit is based on 50% of the worker's PIA if the worker is alive (75% if deceased). However, if multiple people are collecting on one record, the Family Maximum will still apply. The key difference with delaying is that when the primary worker delays claiming past Full Retirement Age, they earn Delayed Retirement Credits which increase their benefit above their PIA. Importantly, these Delayed Retirement Credits do NOT increase the Family Maximum, which remains based on the worker's PIA. However, if the primary worker is receiving more, that leaves less of the family maximum "pool" for others. If maximizing total family benefits is your goal, you'd need to calculate whether the increased benefit from delaying would outweigh the reduction to auxiliary benefits due to the family maximum. This is definitely a situation where professional advice might help, as the calculations can get quite complex.

As I mentioned above, I had good results with Claimyr (claimyr.com). They got me through to an agent in about 10 minutes when I was dealing with my family maximum issue. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Before that, I tried calling right when the office opened, calling different field offices, and even trying the 800 number at weird times like 4:30pm. Nothing worked until I tried this service.

Thanks for sharing this update! Your situation perfectly illustrates how the Family Maximum works. The 175% figure is typical, and you've now seen firsthand how it impacts multiple beneficiaries. One thing to consider for the future: when you reach your own Full Retirement Age, you might want to run calculations on whether claiming on your own record might be more advantageous than the spousal benefit, especially given the FMB constraints. If you've had significant earnings, your own benefit might provide more than the restricted spousal benefit after the family maximum is applied. Best of luck with everything!

glad u figured it out! the system is way too complicated, even the agents get confused sometimes. my aunt got 3 different answers from 3 different people at ssa about her widows benefits!!

Thank you for the suggestion about asking for a benefit counselor who specializes in DAC cases - that's really helpful! I didn't know those existed. I'll definitely try that next time I need to call. You're absolutely right about keeping detailed records. I started doing that after getting different answers from different agents, and it's already been useful when I had to call back to clarify something. It's unfortunate that we have to become our own advocates just to understand what we're entitled to. I hope your situation with your daughter gets resolved smoothly. It's comforting to know others are dealing with similar challenges, even though I wouldn't wish this confusion on anyone!

This is really helpful information about the difference between SSDI and retirement benefits regarding family maximums! I had no idea that disability benefits had a more favorable family maximum calculation. It makes me wonder if we should have explored whether my husband might have qualified for SSDI before filing for early retirement, though I know that ship has sailed now. Regarding state programs, we've looked into a few things but haven't found much that we qualify for given our income level. Most programs seem to have pretty strict income limits, and even with the reduced Social Security benefits, we're still over the thresholds. It's frustrating because the gap between "too much income" for assistance and "enough income" to comfortably manage care costs is pretty significant. Thank you for sharing this information though - it's definitely something for other families to consider before making filing decisions. The more I learn about all these rules and calculations, the more I realize how important it is to get professional advice before making any major Social Security decisions.

Welcome to the community! Your situation sounds very familiar to what many of us are dealing with. Regarding calculators for family maximum impacts - I wish I had better news, but I haven't found any really good online calculators that accurately handle the complex family maximum scenarios, especially when you factor in early retirement reductions. The Social Security Administration's own online calculators don't seem to account for these situations very well. What I ended up doing was creating a simple spreadsheet based on the information I gathered from calling SSA multiple times. I used the family maximum formula (which varies but is typically 150-188% of PIA) and then subtracted the primary worker's actual benefit amount to see what would be left for auxiliary beneficiaries. One suggestion: before your wife files, you might want to schedule an appointment at your local SSA field office specifically to discuss the family maximum implications. Bring a list of questions and ask them to walk through the calculations with you. Some offices are more helpful than others, but it's worth trying to get the numbers before you're locked into a decision. Also, definitely consider the timing carefully - once she files for early retirement, you can't undo that decision, and as several people here have noted, it really does impact the total family benefits available. Good luck with your planning!

That's a really important point about Medicare costs that I hadn't fully considered! We're still a year away from my husband turning 65, but you're absolutely right that the Medicare Part B premiums will add another significant expense to our budget just when our Social Security benefits are already lower than expected due to the family maximum. I hadn't thought about the Medicare implications for our son either. He's been receiving DAC benefits, but I need to check if that means he's also receiving SSDI and would qualify for Medicare after 24 months. That could potentially help with some of his ongoing medical expenses, which would free up some of our budget for other care costs. Do you know if there are any income-based programs that can help with Medicare Part B premiums? Given that our Social Security benefits are reduced due to the family maximum, I'm wondering if we might qualify for any assistance programs that we wouldn't have qualified for at the full benefit amounts. Thanks for bringing up this angle - it's yet another layer of complexity to navigate, but definitely something we need to plan for!

This is incredibly helpful information, thank you so much! I had no idea about Medicare Savings Programs or that they might take into account our reduced Social Security benefits due to the family maximum. It's encouraging to know that the very thing that's causing us financial stress (the lower benefits) might actually help us qualify for other assistance programs. I'm definitely going to look into our state's SHIP program - having free counseling to help navigate all these interconnected programs sounds invaluable. And you're right about the timing being good to start planning now. Your point about my son potentially getting Medicare through his SSDI eligibility is really important too. I need to clarify with SSA whether his DAC benefits also mean he's receiving SSDI payments that would start that 24-month clock. If so, that could significantly help with his medical expenses, which would be a huge relief for our budget. It's amazing how many different programs and rules all interact with each other. Every time I think I understand one piece of the puzzle, I discover there are more layers to consider. Thank you for sharing this knowledge - it gives me hope that there might be more assistance available than I originally thought!

This is such valuable information about Medicare assistance programs! I'm in a similar situation with reduced benefits due to family maximum, and I had no idea these programs existed. One thing I wanted to add - when you contact SHIP, make sure to bring documentation of your actual Social Security benefit amounts (not just the estimated amounts). I learned this the hard way when applying for other assistance programs. They need to see the real numbers after the family maximum reductions are applied, not what the benefits would be without those limits. Also, for anyone else reading this - some states have additional programs beyond the federal Medicare Savings Programs. It's worth asking SHIP about state-specific assistance too. Every little bit helps when you're dealing with these reduced benefits! @Zara Rashid - do you know if the Medicare Savings Program income limits are based on gross income or net income after Medicare premiums are deducted? That could make a difference for qualification.

Thank you for this incredibly helpful information! As someone new to navigating this system, I had no idea about the Manual Computation option. That could be really valuable if we suspect there might be calculation errors. Your point about documenting care expenses is spot on - I've been keeping receipts but not in any organized way. Having a systematic record could definitely help if we need to apply for other programs down the road. The suggestion about connecting with Developmental Disabilities Services is great too. We've been so focused on the Social Security side of things that we haven't really explored what other state resources might be available. Even if they can't change our SS benefits, additional support services could make a real difference in managing our son's care needs. Do you know if the Manual Computation request needs to be submitted within a certain timeframe after benefits start, or can it be requested at any time if you suspect calculation errors?

You can request a Manual Computation at any time - there's no specific deadline like there is with formal appeals. However, it's generally better to request it sooner rather than later, especially if you suspect ongoing calculation errors that are affecting your monthly benefits. When you request it, be specific about what you think might be wrong. For example, if you believe they're using the wrong PIA amount, or if you think they miscalculated how your husband's reduced benefit counts against the family maximum, mention that specifically. The more detailed you can be about your concerns, the more thorough their review will be. One other tip - if you do request a Manual Computation and they find an error that results in higher benefits, they can provide retroactive payments back to when the error began. So even if some time has passed, it's still worth pursuing if you have legitimate concerns about the calculations. Also, don't be discouraged if the first person you speak with isn't familiar with Manual Computation requests - it's not something they handle every day. You might need to ask to speak with a supervisor or technical expert who deals with complex benefit calculations.

Great question about getting the information in writing! I actually did request written documentation after my phone conversation, and they were able to mail me a detailed benefit computation statement that shows exactly how the family maximum was calculated and applied to our specific situation. It took about 2 weeks to receive it, but having those actual numbers on paper has been really helpful for our financial planning. Regarding different field offices - I've only dealt with one office in person, but from what others have shared here and my own phone experiences, there definitely seems to be variation in how knowledgeable different representatives are about complex family maximum scenarios. Some seem to understand these situations well, while others just give generic responses. If you have multiple offices within reasonable distance, it might be worth calling a few to see which one seems most familiar with DAC and family maximum issues before scheduling an in-person appointment. One thing I'd strongly recommend is creating a list of specific questions before you visit, including asking for that written computation breakdown upfront. Having everything documented before your husband files will help you make a truly informed decision about timing. The irreversible nature of these filing decisions really can't be overstated!

Thank you for mentioning NOSSCR - that's a resource I hadn't heard of before! You're absolutely right that the system seems intentionally opaque. I've been wondering if there's a strategic reason why SSA representatives seem to give such inconsistent information about family maximum calculations. Your point about considering a consultation with a Social Security attorney is really valuable. I've been hesitant about the cost, but when you put it in perspective of potentially losing thousands over years due to poor timing decisions, it makes a lot of sense. Do you know if these attorneys typically charge flat fees for consultations, or is it more of an hourly rate situation? I'm also curious - have you found that having professional representation changes how SSA staff interact with you? I've heard some people say that having an attorney involved gets you taken more seriously, but I'm not sure if that applies to benefit calculations or just disability appeals. This whole thread has really opened my eyes to how much advance planning and professional guidance might be necessary for what I naively thought would be straightforward benefit applications. The complexity is overwhelming!