Will adopting grandkids affect adult disabled child's SS benefits due to family maximum?
I'm in a complicated situation and trying to figure out how Social Security benefits would work if we adopt our grandchildren. My husband is at full retirement age receiving $2344 monthly. Our adult son (special needs) receives Disabled Adult Child benefits of $1177 per month on my husband's record. We're currently raising our two grandchildren who receive survivor benefits from their biological parent who passed away. The Social Security office told us if we adopt them, they could be eligible for about $2000 combined as dependents on my husband's record, but mentioned something about a 'family maximum limit.' I'm worried this adoption might reduce our son's DAC benefits. Does anyone know how this family maximum works and how much our son's payment might decrease? We're definitely adopting at least one grandchild, but I'm trying to understand the financial impact.
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GalacticGuru
Yes, there's definitely a family maximum limit that applies here. When multiple beneficiaries receive benefits on one worker's record (your husband), the total family benefits are capped. The family maximum is usually around 150-180% of the worker's primary insurance amount. If the total would exceed that cap, everyone except the primary worker gets a proportional reduction. So yes, your son's DAC benefits would likely be reduced. The exact amount depends on your husband's specific PIA and the family maximum calculation, but all auxiliary beneficiaries (your son and adopted grandkids) would essentially have to share that remaining portion of the maximum after your husband's full benefit.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Thank you for explaining. So if I understand correctly, my husband's $2344 would stay the same, but our son and the grandkids would have their benefits reduced proportionally? Do you have any idea roughly how much the DAC might drop by? We're committed to adopting at least one grandchild but trying to understand the financial implications.
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Amara Nnamani
Went thru something kinda similar with my brother (disabled) and nieces. The family maximum hit us hard, SSA reduced everyone's benefits. My brother went from like $1200 to about $800. Really stressful situation.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Oh no, that's a significant reduction! Was your brother receiving DAC benefits? I'm worried about a similar drop for our son. Did SSA explain the calculations to you?
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Giovanni Mancini
The Family Maximum Benefit formula is actually quite complex and specifically calculated for each wage earner's record. It's based on bend points in your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). Typically, the family maximum is between 150-180% of the worker's PIA. Your husband receives 100% of his PIA at FRA, which means approximately 50-80% remains to be divided proportionally among all auxiliary beneficiaries (your adult disabled child and potentially adopted grandchildren). For example, if the family maximum is calculated at 175% of your husband's PIA, and his benefit is 100%, then only 75% remains to be divided among auxiliary beneficiaries. If their combined unreduced benefits would exceed that amount, everyone gets proportionally reduced. I'd strongly recommend scheduling an appointment with SSA to get the exact family maximum calculation before making adoption decisions.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Thank you for the detailed explanation. I've been trying to reach SSA for weeks to get these specifics but can't get through. The only info I got was from a quick conversation when I stopped by the office about something else. I'm worried about how much our son's benefits might drop since he depends on that income for his care.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
When I was trying to get accurate info about my family maximum situation, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to reach SSA by phone without the endless wait times. Their service connected me to an actual SSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours or getting disconnected. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. It was worth it to get concrete answers about our specific situation instead of guessing. The agent was able to calculate our exact family maximum and tell us precisely how benefits would be adjusted.
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Dylan Cooper
•Does that service actually work? I've been trying to get through to SSA for DAYS about my disability review and keep getting disconnected!
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
Yes, it really worked for me. I was skeptical too but was desperate after wasting entire mornings on hold only to get disconnected. Used the service and got through to a real person who handled my family maximum questions.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Thanks for suggesting this. I really need specific numbers from SSA about our situation rather than general estimates. I'll check it out since we need to make decisions about the adoption soon.
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Sofia Morales
DONT COUNT ON SSA TO GIVE YOU RIGHT INFO!!!!! I got 3 different answers from 3 different agents about family maximum. The last one finally knew what they were talking about. The others gave me COMPLETELY WRONG info that would have really messed us up financially if I believed them. Get everything in WRITING!!!!!
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Liam Fitzgerald
•That's exactly what I'm afraid of! I got a quick answer when I was in the office for something else, but the agent seemed rushed and just gave me rough numbers. I really need to talk to someone who can look at our specific case and do the actual calculations.
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StarSailor
have you considered just becoming legal guardians instead of adopting? might avoid the benefit reduction issue altogether since the kids would still technically be drawing on their deceased parents record not your husbands
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Liam Fitzgerald
•That's a really interesting point. We do have legal guardianship currently, but there are some medical decision and school issues that would be easier with adoption. Plus the emotional aspect of giving them permanency. But you raise a good alternative worth considering.
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Giovanni Mancini
Based on the numbers you provided, I can give you a rough estimation. If your husband receives $2344, and the family maximum is approximately 175% of his PIA, that would be around $4102. After subtracting your husband's benefit, approximately $1758 would remain for auxiliary beneficiaries. Currently, your son receives $1177. If you adopt both grandchildren and they qualify for approximately $2000 combined, the total auxiliary benefits would be $3177, which exceeds the remaining $1758 by about 80%. This means all auxiliary benefits would be reduced to roughly 55% of their original amount. Your son's $1177 might be reduced to approximately $650-700, and the grandchildren's benefits would be similarly reduced. This is just an estimation - the actual family maximum calculation could be different based on your husband's complete earnings record.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Thank you for calculating that. Those numbers are really helpful, even if just an estimate. That's a significant reduction in our son's benefits - nearly half. We may need to reconsider and perhaps only adopt one grandchild or explore the guardianship option mentioned above. I definitely need to get the exact calculation from SSA.
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Amara Nnamani
my sister said when they adopted their foster kids the benefits got reduced but then they qualified for adoption subsidies from the state that made up the difference. maybe look into that too?
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Liam Fitzgerald
•That's a really good suggestion I hadn't thought about! I'll definitely look into what adoption subsidies might be available. That could make a big difference in our decision. Thanks for mentioning it.
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