Hello,

Suppose Alice decides to take her Social Security retirement benefit in October. Then suppose that she and her husband Bill discover the following January that their adult child Chris, disabled since birth, can receive Disabled Adult Child benefits off her work record, and that Bill can also receive Child-in-Care benefits off her work record as well. Can Bill and Chris apply for their payments retroactive to Alice's start date in November or can their benefits only start after they apply in the following January?

Hi,

Yes, Bill and Chris in your example could claim their benefits retroactively to Alice's initial month of entitlement to benefits. Both disabled adult child's (DAC) benefits and child-in-care spousal benefits are unreduced benefits, and thus could potentially be claimed for up to 6 months prior to the month in which the application for those benefits is filed.

Best, Jerry