My husband was on 100% disability benefits beginning age 60 which automatically changed to Social Security benefits when he turned 65. Because we became permanent guardians of my grandchild I took my social security benefit at age 64. I have continued to work part-time. Both my husband and I are now 66 years old. Is there anything we can do now to increase our benefits or increase benefits in case one of us dies before our grandchild is 18. She is 6 now and we depend on both our benefits to raise her. We cannot adopt her because her parents won't give up their parental rights.

Hi,

Assuming that neither of you are potentially eligible for spousal benefits on the other's record, the only way that you could increase your benefit rate is a) with additional earnings, or b) if you voluntarily suspend your benefits in order to earn delayed retirement credits (DRC). Even additional earnings wouldn't necessarily increase your benefit rate unless you earn more than in one of the previous highest years used in computing your current benefit rate (https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10070.pdf).

Voluntarily suspending your benefits between full retirement age (FRA) and age 70 would increase your benefit amount by 2/3rds of 1% for each month that you forfeit benefits. Obviously, though, that would involve giving up your benefits entirely for some length of time, so that's only a viable option if you can afford to do so.

The only way that a child can qualify for benefits on a grandparent's record is if they are adopted by the grandparent, or if both of their natural parents are deceased or disabled (https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.03/handbook-0325.html).

Best, Jerry