How To Find Your Work History
Each year the Social Security Administration provides a breakdown of your earnings, including your earnings for the previous year as well as a detailed report of your earnings history. You should receive a copy of this report by mail, but if you need a copy sooner than when it is sent out, you can request a Social Security Earnings report online or by phone.
Your earnings report will detail the years you worked, how much you made each year, the amount you paid into SSDI and the amount of money you would receive if you were to become disabled based on your earnings history through the last complete year of data.
You can contact the Social Security Administration for more information about the information found in your earnings report. Its a good idea to verify that the information included is accurate because this is what will determine your eligibility for SSI benefits and the amount you will receive.
In the event that you haven’t worked enough to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits, you’ll be able to get Supplemental Security Income benefits. Social Security has two programs to assist people who are incapable of working due to a debilitating condition .
Consumer Directed Attendant Support Services
Im my fiancées full time paid caregiver. He has a Traumatic Brain Injury and Epilepsy due to his TBI. He is on Medicaid, so there is a Program so that you can be a paid caregiver called CDASS . Its a home care choice for people with disabilities. Doesnt matter if youre family or not, if your loved one qualifies the caseworker determines how much care they require and that determines how much allocation the state allows per month. The loved one can have more than one caregiver. They can have as many as they want, but you have to stay within your monthly allocation amount. Before this program was brought to our attention I was paid through a Seniors Resource Center so there are other options out there. Please be aware that its not the same in every state. I live in Colorado.
Facing Divorce As A Stay At Home Mom
You have invested years of your life raising your children and taking care of the home. Unfortunately your marriage is coming to an end and you are uncertain of the future. Since you have devoted your time to raising your children, you have no outside employment, little experience in the workforce, and no income. Before stressing about the consequences of divorce, learn about how the court typically handles a divorce involving a stay at home mom.
Child Placement
A common misconception is that the court will automatically grant a stay at home mom primary physical placement of the children because they have been the main caretaker. This is incorrect. If the parents cannot agree to a placement schedule, the courts primary goal is to give the parents equal placement, adjusting the schedule based on the details of the case. For instance, the court will not give an over the road truck driving father 50% placement when he will be gone the majority of the time. However, if the father works a normal day job, then times of placement are not an issue.
As long as there are no abuse, alcohol or drug issues, the court will strive to achieve 50/50 placement between the parties as they feel this is in the best interest of the children. If you desire more placement, or have a reason the father should not have 50% placement, then you will have to fight for it.
Child Support
If one party has the children more than 75% of the time, child support is calculated using the following amounts:
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Social Security Survivor Benefits
There are three types of benefits available to surviving spouses: disabled widow benefits , survivor benefits, and mother’s and father’s benefits . The type of benefit a person is eligible for depends on his or her age and health and whether the surviving spouse cares for the deceased spouse’s children.
The Best Disability Insurance For Stay
You are probably wondering who we like to work with. First, we work with many disability insurance carriers. So, we are sure we can find one that meets your needs and budget.
However, there is one carrier that stands out to us. That carrier is Illinois Mutual. An A- rated carrier, Illinois Mutual operates in the middle-income market. More specifically, it offers a niche product designed for people like stay-at-home parents. Moreover, the premiums are generally very competitive. The underwriting process is simplified. This means no paramedical exam, blood sample, or urine sample required.
Additionally, they offer partial disability benefits without the requirement of total disability. This is an important provision as many disabilities start out as partial. For example, lets say you develop multiple sclerosis. For all intents and purposes, this condition starts out as a partial disability. You can do things, but you need help around the house. This is where a partial disability provision helps.
And, what about premiums, you ask? Depending on your health and age, the premiums could run anywhere from $0.50/day to $3.00/day. Think that is expensive? Do you or your spouse buy coffee or your lunch almost every day? Yes? What is more important? Having a plan in case of your disability or buying a cup of coffee? There are many ways to afford disability insurance.
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Here’s How Being A Stay
By Bethany K. Laurence, Attorney
Unmarried couples that live together are often at a disadvantage when it comes to Social Security benefitsespecially if one partner stays at home caring for children or running the household.
Typically, you qualify for Social Security benefits based on your own earnings record. If you don’t work at a job that requires payment of Social Security tax, you don’t earn credit towards Social Security benefits. But married couples get a benefitspouses are eligible for certain Social Security benefits based on the other spouse’s earnings record. These are called dependents’ benefits and survivors’ benefits . So, for example, if a husband stays at home and takes care of the kids for a number of years, he may still be able to collect Social Security benefits based on his wife’s earnings record.
Adults who live together, but are not married, are not eligible for their partner’s dependents’ or survivors’ benefits although their children are dependents of both. This presents an obvious disadvantage when one partner in a living together arrangement works outside the home and the other works in the home caring for kids or taking care of the household.
We Know How To Fight For Your Legal Rights
If you have worked and paid into the Social Security system then Social Security disability may be an option if you become disabled. Social Security disability is not a government handout and it is not welfare. Instead, it is a benefit that you have earned by paying into the Social Security system while you were working. You paid for this benefit out of your hard-earned paycheck and you deserve to receive monthly Social Security disability benefits now that you are disabled.
Your unique disability will be considered when you submit a Social Security disability application. We have helped many people get fair Social Security disability benefits, including people who suffer from the following types of medical conditions:
- Cancer
- Other mental disorders
- Immune system disorders
If you suffer from any of these medical conditions or any other disability then you will need to submit a complete Social Security disability application together with supporting medical documentation to show that you are unable to do the work that you did before you became disabled or any other kind of work. Once your claim is approved, you will receive monthly benefits based on the amount of your past wages, up to a maximum amount allowed by law.
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Pose Your Questions To Larry Here
Larry Kotlikoff: You do need 40 credits to qualify for your own retirement benefit. But you dont have to work another 15 quarters to get those extra 15 credits. If you earn enough in a given quarter, you can garner multiple coverage credits.
You do, it seems, now qualify for a spousal benefit. Your total check will be half of your husbands full retirement benefit for the rest of your life . There is no gain to waiting to collect your spousal benefit. And dont apply for retroactive benefits for any months prior to full retirement age because you will have your spousal benefit permanently reduced.
Jacqueline Illinois: I started taking Social Security at age 62 and continued working. I am now 66 and still working. My ex-husband passed away last year and had been on Social Security disability since 2010. We were married for 20 years. Am I able to draw my Social Security and draw from my ex-husbands Social Security? I have not remarried.
Larry Kotlikoff: You are eligible to collect the larger of either your current reduced retirement benefit or your widows benefit based on your husbands work record. This can also be described as collecting your own reduced retirement benefit plus your excess widows benefit, where the excess widows benefit is just the positive excess of your widows benefit over your own reduced retirement benefit. Your widows benefit will be calculated based on a special RIB-LIM formula for widows of disabled workers.
What If I Go Back To Work
Great! The plan we like to work with has the own-occupation definition. This means if you go back to work, and disabled, then your disability is based on that occupation. For example, lets say you go back to work as a teacher. Disability strikes. Your disability is based on your own-occupation as a teacher, not as a homemaker.
And, what if you currently work part-time? Contact us as there are other coverage provisions.
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Help For Stay At Home Moms: Government Benefits & Grants
Stay at home mothers have a critical and gratifying job; raising their children to be responsible, caring, empathetic adults.
However, suppose you want extra cash to support your family, start a business, return to college, or become self-sufficient. In that case, it could prove challenging to find government benefits and grants earmarked exclusively for homemakers.
Instead of searching for clear, apparent labels, cast a wider net and sort through an array of financial assistance programs that connect with another aspect of your identity.
The SAHM community finds relevant opportunities every day, and so can you if you know where to look and how to find crossing points. ;;
Im A Homemaker Can I Qualify For Disability Benefits
Any person, regardless of their gender, can choose to be a homemaker. However, statistically speaking, the bulk of unpaid domestic work falls on womens shoulders.
According to CNN, a United Nations report earlier this year estimated that women do more than double the amount of unpaid care and domestic work that men do. Although stereotypical housework may conjure images of cooking and cleaning, unpaid domestic work stretches outside the home to everything from driving children to after-school activities to picking up family prescriptions.
All of this is to say that being a homemaker or a stay-at-home parent is real, honest work. It requires the same amount of time and energy as any other job in the public or private sector. The domestic labor of parents or spouses is embedded into the framework of our society, regardless of gender.
Evansville has its fair share of stay-at-home parents and homemakers. From stay-at-home dads defying stereotypes to stay-at-home moms finding community in MOMS Clubs, Evansville has its own framework to support parents who choose to stay home.
The only difference between being a homemaker or stay-at-home parent and having a job outside of the house is this: You likely wont qualify for Social Security disability insurance benefits .
Why You Likely Wont Qualify for DIB
When You Might Qualify for DIB
Your Other Option: Supplemental Security Income
Help from an Evansville Disability Attorney
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The Basics Of Disability Insurance For Stay
Hopefully, you see the importance of disability insurance for stay-at-home moms and homemakers. OK, John. You make great points that I need disability insurance, but I dont earn an income. How can I get disability insurance?
We will discuss that soon. First, we will discuss some disability insurance basics that you should understand. Before I go any further, let me address the elephant in the room. No, likely, the disability insurance wont cost a lot of money.
One more thing, I am talking about long-term disability insurance. It is these types of situations which are financially devastating with families. Long-term disability insurance is for disabilities that last for longer than 3 months. Think about that. What would happen if you could not help for 1 year? This is why most financial hardships are related to long-term disabilities.
OK, John, but what happens in the short-term if I am sick or ill? Good question. There is short-term insurance. Short-term disability insurance is for those shorter durations. However. We feel that short-term disability insurance is a waste of money. Really. Rates are usually high because of high claims and benefits are low. What you really need in the short-term is an emergency fund to cover these costs.
You Are More Important People Than You Realize
We hear from stay-at-home moms and homemakers all the time. When we ask them what the family plan is if they became sick, injured, or disabled? Their response, It wont happen to me. Or, sometimes they respond that because they dont earn an income, they have no financial worth. John,;disability insurance isnt available because we dont earn an income. Well, the public doesnt help, either. Even Dave Ramsey says a stay-at-home mom or homemaker cant purchase a disability insurance policy. Nothing can be further from the truth. Dave: disability insurance is available on your wife, Sharon.
Look up the comparable salary of any stay-at-home moms and homemakers, and you will see that they are worth over $100,000 annually based on all of the important things they do. So, there is financial worth.
You have to answer the tough questions. ;What would family life look like if you are disabled? Would your spouse have to work more? Who could watch or be flexible with the children? Would you have the money to hire someone to take care of the kids? Or to do all of the things that you do? The tough questions can go on and on.
Disability is known as the destroyer of dreams. Your future and family dreams could be destroyed. They dont have to, though. With disability insurance, you have peace of mind knowing that you have a plan and income in place should the unexpected happen.
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Work Credit Rules For Ssdi Applicants
SSDI is designed for people who have already paid into the Social Security system by working over the years. The SSA measures a claimants work history with a work credits system, where most claimants, with some exceptions for young workers, need at least 40 credits to qualify for SSDI.
As you might infer from these eligibility standards, you cannot qualify for SSDI if you have never worked, because that means you have never earned any work credits. However, that doesnt mean youre out of options. Even if you do not meet the employment criteria for SSDI benefits, you may still be a perfect candidate to receive monthly SSI.
Unlike SSDI, SSI is;not;contingent upon how much work a claimant has performed in the past. Instead, SSI is designed to help people who have limited income and resources. Even if you have never worked before, you could potentially qualify for SSI as long as you meet the SSAs other eligibility standards.
First, youll need to belong to one of the following groups:
- You are at least 65 years old.
- You are blind.
- You have a severe, long-term disability.
In addition to fitting at least one of these descriptions, youll also need to meet the SSAs financial criteria for having limited income and resources. This means two things: you cant be earning too much money, and you cant have too many assets.
No 2 Survivors Benefits If You Are A Widow
If your husband has died and you are a widow, you can collect survivors benefits beginning at age 60. As long as your husband worked long enough to qualify for benefits, you can apply.
Typically, a person needs to earn wages from a job or self-employment for at least 10 years or earn 40 credits.
However, the younger a person is when they died the fewer credits needed in order to collect survivors benefits.
Important You cannot apply for these benefits online. Check the details on survivors benefitson the Social Security Administrations website for more details.
In addition to survivors benefits, you may qualify for a one-time payment of $255.00 if you were living with your husband at the time of his death, or were receiving benefits on his record.
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Get Started Open A Social Security Account
The first thing youll want to do is open your own social security account. Opening a;My Social Security;account online is easy. Its just like signing up for any other account youve opened online.
Once youve done that, it makes filing for Social Security spousal benefits a breeze.
This video explains how an account can benefit you and some of the things you can do with your online account.