I am 49 yrs old and was approved for $1849/mth for SSDI effective May, 2016. My stepson (27) gets $945/mth for SSDI on his own record. He earns about $20k/yr from work which is over the SGA limit but is able to continue to receive his SSDI because his job is a heavily subsidized job where SSA determined that he does not earn or perform SGA. He has been disabled (physically & mentally ) since birth.
Can you tell me how much my family max. benefit or combined family max. benefit is?

Will you explain Combined Family Maximums (different than the Family Maximum), as it would apply to a husband receiving retirement benefits, a disabled adult child receiving benefits on the husband's record, and a wife who is receiving child in care benefits and who will soon be eligible on her own work record also. Her PIA is much less than 50% of her husband's PIA.

My husband retired at age 66 in October 2016. He receives $2649 in SS benefits. Our adult disabled son also receives benefits on my husband's record and I am receiving Child In Care benefits. My son and I are both entitled to 50% of my husband's amount ($1324) but since the Family Maximum applies, we each receive $993.

I plan to take early retirement @ 62 years of age. My PIA is currently calculated to be 2,000/month at that point. The Family Max looks like it calculates out to 3,500/month. At that point my wife will be 40 and our healthy child will be 8.
If I ask for benefits for both my wife and child, I believe that the extra 1,500 of monthly Fam Benefit would be split between them, leaving each with 750/month.
However, my wife will be earning over 40K yearly and should have her entire benefit wiped out by the Earnings Test.

My daughter and I receive SS benefits based on my husbands record. He is currently collecting retirement benefits. I am 53 and my daughter is 11 and we have been receiving benefits for 14 months. I know we each receive a reduce amount because we exceeded the family maximum, but it was still considerably more than her benefit alone would have been, even taking in to consideration my SS is taxed and hers is not. When my benefits end as she turns 16, will her benefit increase at that time?

I will begin drawing my social security Jan, 2017 when I am 70, so I maximized that. My wife is 6 years younger so will not be full retirement age until Jan, 2019. at which time I know she can draw a spousal benefit of 1/2 my what my benefit was at age 66. My question is this - is there a limit to the total amount we can draw from my primary and her spousal benefit? It seems I have heard that there is a maximum of $4500.

My husband (75) and I (70) have been married for almost three years. My husband has an adult (43) disabled son who lives in a group home for one. All of his expenses are paid by the state...house payment, food, etc.. I applied to receive spousal benefits on my husband's social security and was told that because of ....69 F3d 614 Parisi ll Cooney v. S Chater....that it would only increase my SS by $46 a month. We do not begrudge his son receiving any monies from my husband's SS.

Is there a maximum monthly benefit amount? Was this maximum reduced in 2016? I was told by a social security representative that my benefit was reduced by $300.00 yr. in 2016, since the maximum monthly payout was reduced this year. I am waiting, struggling to collect my benefits until 70, and never expected to receive less benefits by enduring this struggle. I am not wealthy and social security is all I will have to retire.
Is this true?

best, Bob

Dear Bob,