Hi. My husband is waiting until his full retirement age before applying, but I have a question. We have an adult disabled child who was deemed disabled before age 22. I have not worked since my son was born and have cared for him full time. I understand he will be eligible for SSDI when my husband retires, but will I also be eligible for a sposal benefit? Also if we are able to receive both SSDI and a sposal benefit, what is the maximum benefit allowed? I ask because this will unfortunately be our only income. My husbands estimated SS at full retirement is $1,850.00. Thank you so much

Hi,

The type of benefit that your son may qualify for when your husband files for his benefits is a disabled adult child's (DAC) benefit. Assuming that your son does qualify for DAC benefits, then you may or may not qualify for unreduced child in care spousal benefits depending on the nature of your son's disability and the level of care that you provide. For more specifics, refer to the following sections of Social Security's operations manual: https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0301310035 & https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0301310040.

The family maximum benefit (FMB) amount on your husband's record would depend in part on his year of birth, so I can't tell you exactly how much it would be. In very approximate terms, though, if his full retirement age rate (PIA) is $1850 then the FMB would probably be roughly in the neighborhood of $3360 (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0300605910).

Your family's best filing strategy depends on a number of different factors, including your date of birth and whether or not you could be eligible for any benefits based on your own work record. You and your husband should strongly consider using our maximization software in order to explore and compare all of your varied options in order to determine your best overall strategy.

Best, Jerry