Will SSA force me to take reduced retirement benefits at 62 while receiving child-in-care benefits?

You're asking about a complex situation but I can help. When you're receiving child-in-care benefits (technically called mother's/father's benefits) and you reach 62, SSA does NOT automatically convert you to retirement benefits. That would be disadvantageous for exactly the reason you mentioned - the reduction for taking benefits early is permanent. You have a CHOICE here. You can continue receiving the child-in-care benefits until your child no longer qualifies or until you decide to switch to your own retirement benefits. The smart strategy is usually to continue on CIC benefits until your FRA if possible.

be careful here!!!! my sister got FORCED to take her retirement at 62 even tho she was getting benefits for taking care of her disabled daughter!!! SSA said she HAD to switch and now she gets way less $$ forever. call and check on YOUR specific case!!!!

I went through this exact situation last year. When I turned 62, I got a letter from Social Security saying I *could* apply for retirement benefits, but it wasn't required. I called to confirm, and the agent explained that I could continue receiving the child-in-care benefits for my disabled son until I reached my full retirement age. Here's the important part: They did say that if my retirement benefit would be HIGHER than my current CIC benefit, they would automatically switch me. But in most cases, the early retirement benefit at 62 would be lower than what you're already getting for child-in-care.

Everybody's giving opinions but nobody's explaining the actual rules. Here's what you need to know: 1. Mother's/Father's benefits (what you're calling CIC) can continue until your child is no longer in your care or no longer eligible. 2. When you reach 62, SSA is required to do a BENEFIT COMPARISON. They'll calculate your reduced retirement benefit and compare it to your current benefit. 3. The HIGHER benefit is what you'll receive. If your CIC benefit is higher (which it often is), you'll keep receiving that. 4. You DO have the option to voluntarily switch to retirement benefits, but there's rarely a good reason to take the lower amount. 5. This is covered in POMS section GN 00204.035 if you want to reference it when you talk to SSA.

i just wanna say its CRAZY how complicated social security makes everything!!! my brain hurts just reading all this benefit comparison stuff. why can't they just make it SIMPLE for us regular folks???

If you're worried about this, you should definitely call SSA directly to confirm your specific situation. But honestly, getting through to them is a nightmare these days. I recently discovered a service called Claimyr that got me connected to a Social Security rep in under 10 minutes when I was dealing with a similar benefits question. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU or just go to claimyr.com. Saved me hours of frustration when I needed to sort out my son's disability benefits. Definitely worth it for complex questions like yours where you need to speak to an actual SSA representative.

One thing no one has mentioned: while you can continue receiving the CIC benefits, there's something called "deemed filing" that changed with the 2015 law changes. In some cases, this can affect your options. However, this primarily impacts spousal benefits rather than child-in-care benefits. My recommendation: about 3 months before your 62nd birthday, schedule an appointment with your local SSA office (not just a phone call) and ask them to do a detailed benefit calculation and explanation of your options. Get it in writing if possible. This way, you'll know exactly where you stand.

I just remembered something else - if your disabled son gets SSI or SSDI himself, that's separate from your benefits! Don't get those confused when your talking to SS people. My nephew gets SSDI payments AND his mom was getting the parent benefits too. Totally different things!