Child in Care
get spousal social security before FRA without penalties
I wrote about Child in Care last year, here’s a link if you’d like to go back and review that article. As a reminder, in the context of the Disability community, the Child in Care is (typically) a benefit paid by Social Security to a spouse who has not yet reached Full Retirement Age (FRA) and isn’t working because they are caring for a disabled child. To qualify the other spouse must have started collecting their Social Security retirement benefits.
The advantage of using the Child in Care benefit is your Social Security is NOT reduced if you take it before you reach FRA. Usually, there is a penalty for filing for your Social Security benefits before FRA, and it can be as much as a 40% reduction in what you’ll receive. If you’re a caregiving spouse without much of a work history this can have a very negative impact on your household when you become a widow(er).
I don’t know how familiar your office will be, so I prefer to err on the side of caution. I recommend you be very specific with the Social Security representative when you apply for benefits. Make sure they understand you are not applying for “spousal benefits”. Be prepared to prove you are caring for a disabled child, and pay attention to how much you receive. It should be 50% of your spouse’s benefit regardless of your age.
