Ask Larry

What Happens To My Benefits Once I Make Over The Alloted Amount?

My children and I receive SSDI auxiliary payments bc my ex husband is disabled if I go back to work what will happen to my benefits once I make over the allotted amount

Hi. Assuming you're under full retirement age (FRA), $1 of your benefits would be withheld for every $2 that you make in excess of the Social Security earnings test exempt amount. The exempt amount for people who will be under FRA throughout 2023 is $21,240.

However, if you're receiving auxiliary divorced spousal benefits based on the record of an ex-spouse who's receiving Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits, then any benefits you lose due to the earnings test would be redistributed to any other auxiliary beneficiaries receiving benefits on the same account. Therefore, if only you and your children receive auxiliary benefits on your husband's SSDI account, then your lost benefits would end up being split amongst your eligible children.

If you are working or planning to work and if you expect your earnings to exceed the exempt amount, you should contact Social Security in order to give them an estimate of how much you'll be earning. They can then adjust how benefits are distributed to the eligible auxiliary beneficiaries.

Best, Jerry

Category: 
Posted: 
Dec 19 2022 - 2:35pm
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