Will my disabled adult son's SSDI affect my survivor benefits or future retirement benefits? Family Maximum question

Great question! The family maximum does apply in your situation, but it works differently than you might think. When you eventually apply for either survivor benefits on your late husband's record or your own retirement benefits, the family maximum will come into play. This is the maximum total amount that can be paid to all beneficiaries on one earnings record.Your son's SSDI benefits as a Disabled Adult Child (DAC) are likely based on your husband's earnings record. The total benefits paid to all survivors (you and your son) cannot exceed the family maximum, which is generally 150-180% of the deceased worker's benefit. If the total would exceed that maximum, your benefits might be reduced (not your son's). However, when you claim your own retirement benefits, your son could potentially switch to your record if that would give him a higher benefit amount. Then a different family maximum would apply based on your earnings record.

Thank you for explaining! So if I understand correctly, my son's benefits won't be reduced, but mine might be if we hit that family maximum? I didn't realize my son's SSDI is probably based on his father's record - that makes sense now. If I delay claiming my own retirement until 70, would that potentially increase the family maximum since my own benefit would be higher?

my brother is disabled and gets SSDI and when my mom finaly claimed her retirment it didnt effect his payment at all so dont worry about it

That's not always the case though. It depends on which record the disabled adult child is drawing from and what the family maximum is. Every situation is different with Social Security!

Wow, I went through something similar and it was SO confusing!! The SSA reps gave me different answers every time I called. The family maximum DOES apply but it's calculated based on whose record benefits are being paid from. Your son is probably receiving benefits based on your deceased husband's record (these are called DAC benefits - Disabled Adult Child). The key thing is that if benefits need to be reduced because of the family maximum, they reduce the benefits of everyone EXCEPT the disabled adult child. So your son's benefits should be protected no matter what.BUT you should definitely talk to SSA directly to confirm for your specific situation. I spent WEEKS trying to get through on the phone, it was beyond frustrating!!!

I had the same experience trying to reach Social Security when figuring out my mom's benefits. After being disconnected four times and waiting on hold for hours, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in about 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - totally worth it for complicated questions like family maximum calculations that you can't just find online. The agent was able to run calculations specific to my mother's situation.

Thank you for sharing your experience! That's exactly what I was worried about - getting different answers from different SSA reps. It's reassuring to hear that my son's benefits would be protected. I'll definitely reach out to SSA to get specifics for our situation.

There's a lot of confusion about family maximums. Here's the technical answer: The family maximum does apply to adult disabled children, but with special protections. Your son's benefit as a Disabled Adult Child (DAC) on your deceased husband's record is protected - meaning his benefit won't be reduced due to the family maximum.However, any survivor benefits you claim might be reduced if the total family benefits exceed the maximum. The family maximum for survivor benefits is between 150-180% of your late husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA).Important: If you claim your own retirement benefits later, your son may have the option to switch to your record if it would provide a higher benefit. At that point, a new family maximum calculation would apply based on your earnings record.For accurate calculations specific to your situation, you need to speak with SSA directly.

Wait I thought disabled adult kids get benefits based on thier OWN work record not the parents?

It depends on the situation. If a person becomes disabled before age 22, they can qualify for benefits on a parent's record as a

JUST A WARNING about those family maximums! I got caught in this exact situation and ended up with a $4500 OVERPAYMENT notice because SSA didn't apply the family maximum correctly when my wife and I were both collecting on my deceased father-in-law's record along with my disabled brother-in-law!! Make sure you get EVERYTHING in writing and check your benefit amounts carefully every month!!

Oh no, that sounds like a nightmare! Did you have to repay it all? This is exactly why I'm trying to understand everything before I apply for anything.

To address your specific question about delaying until 70 - yes, that would likely increase the family maximum if your son switches to your record. The family maximum is roughly proportional to the Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), so a higher PIA from delaying to 70 would create a higher family maximum.However, there's an important consideration: If your son is receiving DAC benefits on your deceased husband's record, switching to your record might not be advantageous unless your benefit amount would be significantly higher. This is because DAC benefits on a deceased parent's record are paid at 75% of the deceased parent's PIA, while DAC benefits on a living parent's record are only 50% of that parent's PIA.This is why getting a benefits calculation directly from SSA is so important for your specific situation.

That's really helpful, thank you! I didn't realize there was a difference between the 75% vs 50% depending on whether the parent is living or deceased. It seems like keeping my son on my husband's record might be better, but I'll definitely get SSA to run the numbers. I appreciate everyone's help in understanding this complicated situation!

I'm dealing with a similar situation and wanted to add something important that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure to ask SSA about the "deemed filing" rules when you do apply for survivor benefits. Since you're over your full retirement age for survivor benefits (which is different from regular retirement age), you have more flexibility in timing. You can potentially claim survivor benefits now without being forced to claim your own retirement benefits, which gives you more control over maximizing your total lifetime benefits. Also, don't forget that survivor benefits aren't subject to the earnings test once you reach full retirement age for survivors (around 66-67 depending on your birth year), so you might be able to claim them even while working full-time. The family maximum calculations are definitely tricky, but having that survivor benefit option gives you more strategic choices for when and how to claim.

As someone who just went through this process with my own family, I want to emphasize something that saved us a lot of headaches - when you do contact SSA, ask them to run a "what-if" scenario calculation for you. They can show you exactly how different claiming strategies would affect both your benefits and your son's. One thing I learned is that the timing of when you claim can make a huge difference. Since your son is likely receiving DAC benefits on your deceased husband's record at 75% of his PIA, and those are protected from family maximum reductions, you might actually have more flexibility than you think. Also, keep detailed notes of every conversation with SSA - date, time, representative's name, and what they told you. I had three different reps give me three different answers about family maximums, so having everything documented helped when I had to escalate to a supervisor to get the correct information. The calculations can be complex, but once you get the right person who understands DAC benefits, they can walk you through all the scenarios step by step.