Will my 7-year-old get full Social Security dependent benefits after older siblings age out?

I've been through this exact situation with my family. When your older children age out of benefits (which happens at 18, or 19 if still in high school), the family maximum doesn't change, but how it's distributed does. Your 4-year-old won't automatically get what the twins were receiving. The family maximum is usually around 150-180% of the disabled parent's benefit amount. Once the twins age out, you'll only receive your SSDI payment plus one child's payment (typically 50% of your benefit). So yes, your household income will decrease substantially when both twins age out. One thing to note - the twins don't both age out at the exact same time if they're still in high school. They can receive benefits until they graduate or turn 19, whichever comes first.

This is a common misunderstanding with family benefits. The way SSDI family benefits work is through something called the Family Maximum Benefit (FMB). Here's how it breaks down: 1. Each eligible child is entitled to up to 50% of the disabled worker's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) 2. HOWEVER, there's a cap on the total family benefits (including the disabled worker) of 150-180% of the worker's PIA 3. If the sum of all individual benefits exceeds this cap, the CHILDREN'S benefits get reduced proportionally (the disabled worker's benefit stays the same) So in your case, once the twins age out, the 4-year-old will receive their FULL 50% entitlement (assuming that doesn't exceed the family maximum). This means the household will indeed lose significant income - approximately the amount that was going to the twins, even with the adjustment for the 4-year-old's benefit. She should call SSA directly to get the exact calculation for her situation.

my cousin had similar situation with her kids on ssdi. the youngest one did NOT get the full amount that all 3 kids were getting before!!! tell ur neighbor to plan for less money coming in. my cousin thought the same thing and got into financial trouble when the eldest aged out. the social security people NEVER explained it to her right.

If your neighbor has been getting disconnected or facing long wait times with SSA, she might want to try using Claimyr to get through to a live SSA agent quickly. I was dealing with a similar benefit question about my children's survivor benefits and was getting nowhere after days of trying. Used their service at claimyr.com and got through to SSA in about 20 minutes instead of the usual 2+ hour wait (when I could even get in the queue). They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once she gets through to an agent, she should specifically ask for a benefits calculation showing what will happen when each of the twins ages out. Have her request an explanation of how the family maximum formula is applied in her specific case.

I HATE how SSA handles the family maximum benefit!!! It's designed to CHEAT families out of money they deserve. My husband is disabled and we have 2 kids. Each kid SHOULD get 50% of his benefit, but because of the stupid "family maximum" they each only get about 30%. The whole system is rigged against families. And don't get me started on their customer service - 3 HOUR waits on the phone only to talk to someone who gives wrong information half the time. RIDICULOUS!!!

so the way i understand it from when my kids were on ssdi with me, your family has a max amount from ssa which is like maybe 180% of the disabled persons amount. right now that amount is being split between the parent and 3 kids. when the twins age out the little one doesnt automatically get their share. the total household payment will go down a lot. might want to look into other assistance programs to help make up the difference like snap or state programs

To add some more specific information: The family maximum benefit formula is actually quite complex. It's calculated using the same primary insurance amount (PIA) bend points used for calculating the disabled worker's benefit, but with different percentages applied. The formula is roughly: - 150% of the first $1,308 of the worker's PIA, plus - 272% of the worker's PIA over $1,308 through $1,889, plus - 134% of the worker's PIA over $1,889 through $2,463, plus - 175% of the worker's PIA over $2,463 Note that these dollar amounts change annually with the COLA. What's important to understand is that when the total benefits exceed the family maximum, only the dependent benefits are reduced proportionally - the disabled worker's benefit remains unchanged. Your neighbor should definitely request a "BOAN" (Benefit Output Analysis Notification) from SSA which will show the exact calculations for her case, including what happens when each child ages out of eligibility.

One more thing your neighbor should know - if the twins are turning 18 while still in high school, they can continue receiving benefits until they graduate or turn 19, whichever comes first. She'll need to provide proof of school enrollment to SSA. This might give her a few more months of the higher benefit amount to prepare for the decrease.

dont the older kids qualify for benefits themselves if theyre disabled too? might be worth checking into if either of the older ones have any disabilities that might qualify them for SSI after they age out of the parent's benefit

Just wanted to add that your neighbor should also consider reaching out to her local Social Security office in person if she continues having trouble getting through by phone. Sometimes it's easier to get a face-to-face appointment, and they can run the calculations right there for her. She should bring all her documentation - the twins' birth certificates, school enrollment forms, and any recent benefit statements. Also, once she gets the exact numbers, she might want to look into budgeting resources or financial counseling through local nonprofits. The income drop when both twins age out can be significant (often $1,000+ per month depending on the benefit amounts), so having a financial plan in place before it happens will be really helpful for the family.

This is such a helpful thread! As someone new to navigating Social Security benefits, I'm learning so much from everyone's experiences. It sounds like the key takeaway for your neighbor is that while her 4-year-old will get the full 50% benefit they're entitled to once the twins age out, the household will still experience a significant income reduction because that money the twins were receiving doesn't just transfer over. I'm bookmarking several of these suggestions - the BOAN request, visiting the local office in person, and that Claimyr service for getting through to SSA faster. It's frustrating how complicated these calculations are and how hard it can be to get clear answers from SSA directly. Your neighbor is lucky to have someone like you helping her navigate this system! Has anyone here dealt with appealing benefit calculations if they think SSA made an error? I'm wondering if that's something families should be aware of as an option if the numbers don't seem right.

This is such valuable information for families dealing with SSDI dependent benefits! I'm relatively new to understanding how Social Security works, but I've been helping my elderly father navigate some benefit questions recently. One thing I want to emphasize from reading through all these responses is how important it is to get everything in writing from SSA. When I was helping my dad, we had three different phone representatives give us three different answers to the same question. It wasn't until we got the official documentation that we knew what was actually correct. For your neighbor, in addition to all the great suggestions here about getting the BOAN report and visiting the local office, I'd recommend she ask for any benefit changes or calculations to be sent to her in writing. That way she has official documentation of exactly when the twins' benefits will end and what the new payment amounts will be. Also, has she looked into whether there are any local organizations that help families navigate Social Security benefits? Sometimes community centers, disability advocacy groups, or even libraries have volunteers who are familiar with the system and can help interpret the documentation once she gets it from SSA.