Will my SSDI DAC benefits decrease when mom claims Social Security spousal benefits?

yes this will affect ur payment. family max is family max no matter what type benefit ppl get from the same record. ur mom gets 50% too so that puts u over the max usually. sorry to be the bearer of bad news

There's a bit more nuance to this situation. Family Maximum Rules do apply across all auxiliary beneficiaries on a single worker's record, which includes both spouse and child benefits. However, the exact impact depends on your father's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) and what the Family Maximum actually is for his record. Typically, the Family Maximum ranges from 150% to 180% of the worker's disability benefit. If your father is receiving $2,000 monthly, for example, the family maximum might be around $3,000-$3,600. Since you're already receiving 50% ($1,000 in this example) and your mother will claim another 50%, the total would exceed 100% but might still fall within the family maximum. If the total does exceed the family maximum, then the auxiliary benefits (yours and your mother's) would be proportionally reduced. The worker's benefit (your father's) is never reduced under these rules. I'd recommend calling SSA directly to ask about the specific family maximum on your father's record. This will give you a clearer picture of potential reductions.

I went through something similar when my wife started collecting on my record! You definitely need to be prepared for some reduction. Based on your dad's benefit amount of $2,450, if the family maximum is 180% (which is typical), that would be about $4,410 total allowable benefits for all of you combined. Your dad gets $2,450, you get $1,225, and your mom would be eligible for $1,225. That totals $4,900, which exceeds the family maximum by $490. In this case, only the auxiliary benefits get reduced proportionally. So you and your mom would each see a reduction of about $245 per month from what you'd otherwise receive. This is just an estimate though - your actual family maximum could be different. One important thing to note: your mom might want to consider if claiming at exactly 67 is her best option. If she waits until 70, her spousal benefit won't increase (unlike retirement benefits), so there's usually no advantage to waiting past Full Retirement Age for spousal benefits.

my brother lost almost $300 when my mom filed!!! no one told us it would happen either and it totally screwed him up financially for months. call SSA ahead of time to get the EXACT amount so u can plan.

I tried calling Social Security about a family maximum question last month and spent THREE DAYS trying to get through. Kept getting disconnected or told the wait time was over 2 hours! Finally I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in about 15 minutes instead of hours of holding. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Totally worth it for getting a complicated question answered. The agent I spoke with looked up my specific family maximum and told me exactly how much each person would receive.

I'm in a somewhat similar situation with my daughter receiving DAC benefits and my wife now eligible for spousal benefits. One thing that hasn't been mentioned - if you're receiving Medicare, make sure you account for that too when budgeting. If your premium is currently deducted from your SSDI payment and your benefit amount decreases, the percentage of your check going to Medicare will increase. Also, if you're receiving any means-tested benefits like SNAP, housing assistance, or Medicaid (not Medicare), a reduction in your SSDI might actually increase some of those benefits to partially offset the loss. It's complicated but worth looking into ALL your benefits to see the total financial impact.

One more thing to consider - if your mother has ANY work history at all, even just a few years of work, she might be able to claim her own retirement benefit if it would be higher than the reduced spousal benefit after the family maximum is applied. It's worth having her check her own Social Security statement online to see if she has enough credits for even a small retirement benefit. Sometimes people forget about work they did decades ago.

I work with families in this exact situation. Here's what you should do: 1. Call SSA and specifically ask for the "family maximum amount on your father's record" and then ask "what the auxiliary benefit reduction would be when another beneficiary is added" 2. If there will be a reduction, ask your mom to request a "month-by-month benefit projection" showing what both you and she would receive after she files 3. Consider having your mother schedule her application 3-4 months in advance through a phone appointment, and specifically request that the claims representative make a note about the family maximum calculation 4. If you rely on these benefits for essential expenses, start budgeting now for the potential reduction One important note: if your father passes away in the future, the family maximum calculation changes again, and survivor benefits have a different maximum formula than disability benefits.

wait i'm confused... I thought DAC benefits were only for adults who became disabled before age 22? Is that what ur situation is? Or are u just a minor child getting regular benefits? The rules might be different.

btw has ur dad been on SSDI for 2 years already? cuz if he just got approved recently and is still in his 24month medicare waiting period, that could change things too. the whole system is so COMPLICATED!!!!!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this stress! I went through something very similar when my husband started collecting spousal benefits on my record. The uncertainty was awful because I needed to know exactly how much my budget would be affected. One thing that really helped me was creating a spreadsheet with three scenarios: best case (no reduction), worst case (maximum possible reduction), and most likely case (based on the estimates people have given you here). This helped me prepare mentally and financially for any outcome. Also, when you do call SSA, ask them to mail you a written statement of the family maximum calculation after your call. Sometimes having it in writing helps avoid confusion later, and it's useful if you need to reference it when your mom actually files. The waiting and not knowing is the hardest part, but once you have the actual numbers, you can make a plan. Hang in there!

I just wanted to add something that might be helpful - if you're concerned about the financial impact, you might want to look into whether your state has any disability-specific financial assistance programs that could help bridge the gap if your benefits are reduced. Some states have supplemental programs for people receiving federal disability benefits. Also, when your mom does file, make sure she asks the SSA representative to explain exactly when the family maximum reduction would take effect. Sometimes there can be a delay between when someone files and when the reduction actually happens to existing beneficiaries, which could give you a little more time to adjust your budget. The whole situation is really stressful, but it sounds like you're being smart by researching this ahead of time instead of being caught off guard. That preparation will definitely help you get through this!

I'm really glad you're getting all this information ahead of time! One thing I wanted to mention that I don't think anyone has covered yet - if your benefits do get reduced due to the family maximum, you should know that the reduction would typically go into effect the month after your mom's spousal benefits begin. So if she files in January and her benefits start in February, your reduction would likely also start in February. Also, something that might help with the stress - SSA is required to send you a notice before any reduction takes effect. The notice should explain exactly how much your new benefit amount will be and when it starts. This gives you at least some advance warning, though not as much as you're getting by planning ahead like this. One last tip - if you do experience a significant reduction and it creates a financial hardship, some local disability advocacy organizations or Area Agencies on Aging might be able to connect you with emergency assistance programs or help you navigate other benefit programs that could partially offset the loss. It's worth reaching out if you need support getting through the transition period. You're doing everything right by researching this thoroughly. The uncertainty is tough, but being prepared will make whatever happens much more manageable!

I just wanted to share a resource that helped me when I was dealing with family maximum questions - your local SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery) program might have benefits counselors who specialize in these exact situations. They're free and really know the ins and outs of how different benefits interact. Also, if you haven't already, you might want to document your current monthly budget and expenses now, so you can quickly identify what adjustments you'll need to make if there is a reduction. Having that baseline will make it easier to plan for any changes. The anxiety of not knowing is really tough, but it sounds like you're handling this so well by getting informed ahead of time. Most people get blindsided by family maximum reductions, so you're already way ahead of the game by planning for this!

I'm going through a very similar situation right now! My mom is planning to file for spousal benefits next year too, and I've been worried sick about how it might affect my DAC benefits. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about some of these details like the different family maximum calculations for SSDI vs retirement benefits, or that there might be state supplemental programs available. One thing I wanted to add that might help you (and others in similar situations) - I found out that some Social Security field offices will do "what if" calculations over the phone if you ask specifically. They can tell you hypothetically what would happen to your benefits if another person were added to the record. It might be worth asking for this when you call. Also, if you're comfortable sharing, it would be really helpful if you could update this thread once you get the actual numbers from SSA. I'm sure there are other people in similar situations who would benefit from knowing how the process went and what kind of timeline to expect. Thanks for posting this question - it's made me realize I need to stop putting off making that call to SSA myself!