Hi Larry,
I am 62 years old and I have to retire early for financial reasons.. I would be able to collect $1,773 per month in social security benefits. My wife is 70 years old and receives $525 per month in social security benefits. We have an autistic son who is receiving SSI benefits of $735 per month. I have a few questions. Will my sons SSI automatically terminate when I collect my social security benefits at age 62. Is it mandatory for me or my son to apply for SSDI for him when I retire at age 62 or can he continue to collect his SSI. If me or my son do not apply for SSDI when I retire at age 62, can he or I apply for it at a later time. If we can defer the collection of SSDI, is it limited to 50% of the amount of social security I received at age 62.

Thanks so much for your help!

Hi,

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a needs based benefit (https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/). It is intended as a last resort source of subsistence level income for disabled, blind and aged people with little or no other means of support. As a condition of SSI eligibility, a recipient is required to apply for any other types of benefits for which they may be entitled, such as Social Security.

So, assuming that your son became disabled before age 22, he'll be required to file for disabled adult child's benefits on your record whenever you apply for your benefits. And, assuming he's approved, his SSI payments will be reduced essentially dollar for dollar by his Social Security payments.

I'm not sure why your son isn't already receiving disabled adult child's benefits on your wife's record, but he probably should be if he was disabled before age 22 and she is his mother. You should probably check with Social Security to see if he's eligible.

When you do file for your benefits, your son could receive up to 50% of your full retirement age benefit rate (PIA) regardless of whether or not you take reduced benefits.

You may want to strongly consider using the maximization software available on this website in order to explore all of your filing options and determine the best overall strategy for you and your family.

Best, Jerry