Will my younger children's SSDI auxiliary benefits increase when oldest turns 18?

Yes, your younger children's benefits will automatically increase when your oldest ages out. The family maximum benefit amount won't change, but it will be redistributed among fewer beneficiaries. Each child can receive up to 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), but if that would exceed the family maximum, their benefits are proportionally reduced. With one fewer child, the others should see an increase in their monthly payment without you needing to do anything. SSA handles this adjustment automatically when they process your oldest child's termination.

when my daughter turned 18 last yr the other kids payments went up by like $175 each. took about 6 weeks to see the change tho just fyi

This happened with my family too. My youngest got a bigger check after her brother graduated. But social security NEVER told us this would happen! We were surprised when the amount changed.

The family maximum benefit (FMB) is usually between 150% to 180% of your disability benefit. If your 3 kids each get $520, that's $1,560 total, so they're likely already hitting that maximum. When your oldest drops off, that same maximum amount will be split between 2 kids instead of 3, so each should receive approximately $780 per month (assuming the current total is exactly at the family maximum). The adjustment should happen automatically the month after your son turns 18. There might be a processing delay of 1-2 months, but they'll include back payments to cover the difference. One important note: if your oldest turns 18 mid-month, he'll still receive benefits for that entire month.

SSI and SSDI family benefits are so COMPLICATED!! When my oldest aged out, it took SSA almost 3 MONTHS to adjust my younger kids' benefits! No explanation, no letter, NOTHING! I kept calling that impossible 800 number and couldn't get any answers. Finally I got through to someone who told me it was "in processing" whatever that means. The system is BROKEN!

my cousin told me kids benfits stop at 16 not 18?? is that wrong? my daughter is 16 next month so now im worried

Just a heads-up, you might want to confirm with SSA that everything is correctly coded in their system. When my daughter turned 18, the benefit increase for my son didn't happen automatically because there was some flag in the system that wasn't updated. I had to visit our local office to get it fixed. Once they corrected it, they issued back payments for the months we missed, but it was a hassle that could have been avoided. Better to be proactive than wait for months wondering why there's no change.

btw if ur oldest is still in high school he can keep getting benefits until he graduates or turns 19, whichever happens first. my nephew did this and got an extra 6 months of payments

I went through this exact situation about 2 years ago when my oldest turned 18. The automatic increase did happen, but it took about 8-10 weeks to show up in our payments. My two younger kids went from getting around $485 each to about $720 each once the family maximum was redistributed between just the two of them. One thing I wish I had known - keep really good records of the payment amounts before and after the change. SSA didn't send any notification letter explaining the increase, and when I called months later with a question about something else, the representative seemed confused about why the amounts had changed. Having my own documentation helped clarify things quickly. Also, don't panic if the first month after your oldest ages out shows the same payment amounts - there's usually a processing delay, but they do include retroactive payments once it gets sorted out.

I'm in a very similar situation with my oldest turning 18 in a few months and two younger kids (13 and 10) also receiving auxiliary benefits. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful - especially knowing that the increase happens automatically but can take 6-10 weeks to process. One question I haven't seen addressed: does the timing of when your oldest child's birthday falls in the month affect anything? My daughter's birthday is at the very end of the month (the 29th), so I'm wondering if that might delay the processing even more since they'd have to wait until the following month to make the adjustment. Also, has anyone had experience with what happens if your oldest child decides to go back to school later? I know the benefits stop at 18 if they're not in high school, but what if they enroll in college or trade school - does that change anything for the family maximum calculations? Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences - it's made this whole process much less stressful knowing what to expect!

I just went through this same situation last year when my oldest turned 18. Your younger kids' benefits will definitely increase automatically - mine went from about $510 each to $765 each when redistributed between just two kids instead of three. The family maximum stays the same, but gets split fewer ways. A few practical tips from my experience: - The adjustment took about 7 weeks to show up, but they backdated it to the month after my oldest aged out - SSA doesn't send any notification about the increase, so don't worry if it seems to come out of nowhere - Keep screenshots of your payment amounts before and after - I had to reference them later when talking to SSA about an unrelated issue One thing that surprised me was how much the increase helped offset the loss of my oldest's benefit. While we lost his $510/month, the two younger kids each gained about $255/month, so our total family benefit only dropped by about $20. Much better than I expected! The process really is automatic once your oldest's benefits terminate, so you shouldn't need to call unless there are unusual delays beyond 8-10 weeks.

I'm going through this exact situation right now - my oldest turns 18 next week and I've been so anxious about how it would affect our family's benefits. Reading all these experiences has been incredibly helpful! It sounds like the key things to remember are: 1) the increase happens automatically but takes 6-10 weeks to process, 2) keep detailed records since SSA doesn't send notification letters, and 3) the financial impact isn't as bad as expected since the younger kids' increases help offset the loss. For those asking about timing - I called our local SSA office last month and they confirmed that benefits stop the month after the child turns 18, regardless of what day of the month their birthday falls on. So if your child turns 18 on the 5th or the 29th, they still get benefits for that entire month. Thanks everyone for sharing your real experiences and actual dollar amounts - it's made this whole transition so much less stressful knowing what to expect!

I'm currently dealing with this same situation and wanted to add my experience to help others. My oldest turned 18 three months ago, and the automatic increase for my two younger kids (ages 15 and 12) kicked in after about 9 weeks. They went from $495 each to $742 each - a really significant boost that helped cushion the loss of my oldest's benefit. One thing I learned that might help others: if you're getting close to the 10-week mark with no change, don't hesitate to contact your local SSA field office instead of the 800 number. The local office staff were much more helpful and could actually see what was happening with the processing. In my case, there was a minor coding issue that required manual intervention. Also, for budgeting purposes, the net impact on our total family benefit was only about $50 less per month than when all three kids were receiving benefits. The redistribution really does help offset most of the loss. Keep hanging in there - the system does work, just not always as quickly as we'd like!

This thread has been incredibly helpful - I'm in almost the exact same situation with my oldest turning 18 in two months and two younger kids (ages 13 and 11) receiving auxiliary benefits. Reading everyone's real experiences has completely changed my perspective on this transition. A few key takeaways I'm getting from all your stories: the automatic increase really does happen (just with delays), the financial impact is much less severe than expected due to redistribution, and keeping detailed records is crucial since SSA doesn't notify you of the changes. One question I haven't seen fully addressed - has anyone dealt with this during tax season? I'm wondering if the benefit changes affect how we report things or if there are any tax implications when the payment amounts shift. My youngest two currently get about $535 each, so if they jump to around $800 each like others have described, I want to make sure I'm prepared for any tax reporting changes. Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences and timelines - this community is a lifesaver when dealing with SSA's complex processes!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now - my oldest just turned 18 last month and I was really stressed about how it would affect our family finances. After reading through all these detailed experiences, I feel so much more prepared for what's coming! Based on everyone's shared timelines, it sounds like I should expect to see the automatic increase for my two younger kids (ages 14 and 16) sometime in the next 4-6 weeks. They currently get about $540 each, so if the pattern holds true, they should jump to somewhere around $810 each once the family maximum gets redistributed between just two kids instead of three. The most reassuring thing I've learned from this thread is that the net financial impact really isn't as devastating as I was expecting. Losing my oldest's $540/month but gaining roughly $270 extra for each of my younger kids means we're only looking at a small overall reduction in our monthly household budget. I've already started taking screenshots of our current payment amounts and set up better record-keeping like several of you suggested. And I have our local SSA office number saved just in case there are any processing delays beyond the 8-10 week timeframe everyone mentioned. Thank you all so much for sharing your real-world experiences and actual dollar amounts - it's made this transition so much less scary knowing what to expect!

I just wanted to add my experience to this incredibly helpful thread. My oldest turned 18 about 8 months ago, and like everyone else has shared, the automatic increase for my younger kids (now 16 and 13) did happen - it just took about 7 weeks to show up. What I found really useful was calling SSA about 2 weeks before my oldest's birthday to confirm that everything was set up correctly in their system. The representative was actually pretty helpful and walked me through what would happen. She confirmed that my oldest would get benefits for his entire birth month, then the redistribution would start the following month. My kids went from about $515 each to $775 each - so we went from $1,545 total for three kids down to $1,550 for two kids. Essentially no net loss, which was amazing! One thing I'll add that I haven't seen mentioned - make sure you update any automatic budgeting or savings plans you have set up based on those benefit amounts. I had completely forgotten that I had an automatic transfer set up based on the old payment amounts, so I was accidentally under-budgeting for a few months until I realized the payments had increased. Also, definitely keep calling the local office if you hit the 10-week mark with no changes. The 800 number is useless, but the local folks can actually see what's happening with your case and fix any glitches.

I'm facing this exact same situation and this thread has been absolutely invaluable! My oldest turns 18 in about 6 weeks and I have two younger kids (ages 15 and 12) who currently receive around $525 each in auxiliary benefits. Based on all the experiences shared here, I'm feeling much more confident about what to expect. It sounds like the key points are: the increase happens automatically but takes 6-10 weeks to process, the younger kids should see their benefits jump to around $785-800 each when the family maximum gets redistributed, and the net financial impact is much smaller than expected since the increases help offset the loss. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about calling ahead to SSA to confirm everything is set up correctly, keeping detailed records with screenshots, and having the local office number ready in case there are processing delays. The tip about updating automatic budget transfers is something I never would have thought of but will definitely need to do. Thank you to everyone who shared their real timelines and dollar amounts - knowing that most people saw only a $20-50 net decrease in total family benefits makes this transition seem so much more manageable. This community is amazing for providing practical, real-world guidance that you just can't get from SSA's official resources!

I went through this same situation about 18 months ago when my oldest turned 18. Your younger children's benefits will definitely increase automatically - it just takes some patience! My two younger kids went from about $510 each to $765 each once the family maximum was redistributed between just two children instead of three. The process took about 8 weeks in our case, and SSA backdated the payments to cover the months we should have received the higher amounts. One thing that really helped was setting up a my Social Security account online so I could monitor the changes more easily than calling that impossible 800 number. The financial impact was much less scary than I anticipated - we only saw about a $30 net decrease in our total monthly family benefits. Losing my oldest's $510 but gaining an extra $255 per month for each of my younger kids really helped cushion the blow. Make sure to document your current payment amounts with screenshots before the change happens. SSA doesn't send any notification letters about the increase, so having your own records is crucial if you ever need to reference the change later. Good luck with the transition!

I'm currently going through this exact situation - my oldest turns 18 in about 3 weeks and I have two younger kids (13 and 10) receiving auxiliary benefits. This entire thread has been such a lifesaver! Reading everyone's real experiences with actual dollar amounts and timelines has completely eliminated the anxiety I was feeling about this transition. Based on all the shared experiences here, I now understand that: 1) the increase happens automatically but takes 6-10 weeks to process, 2) my younger kids' benefits should increase significantly when the family maximum gets redistributed between fewer children, 3) the net impact on our total family budget will be much smaller than I feared, and 4) keeping detailed records is crucial since SSA doesn't send notification letters. My kids currently get about $530 each, so based on the patterns everyone has shared, they should jump to around $795 each once my oldest ages out. That would mean we go from $1,590 total for three kids down to about $1,590 for two kids - essentially breaking even, which is incredible! I've already taken screenshots of our current payment amounts, set up online account monitoring, and saved our local SSA office number just in case there are processing delays. Thank you all so much for sharing your real-world experiences - this community support has made what seemed like a scary financial transition feel completely manageable!