Social Security’s Benefits for Children
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: March 17, 2021
Social Security is with you through life’s journey — from birth, to death, and even beyond, by helping to care for surviving dependents. Every year, about 4.4 million children receive monthly benefits because one or both of their parents are disabled, retired, or deceased. When a parent becomes disabled or dies, Social Security benefits help to stabilize the family’s financial situation in an otherwise turbulent time.
Earlier this year, National Birth Defects Prevention Month in January and National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in March both raised awareness about medical conditions in children. Many families with children who have birth defects or developmental disabilities need medical and financial help. This is where Social Security’s commitment to helping children and families is most evident.
Social Security pays benefits through our disability insurance and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. Our disability program provides vital income for disabled children, including people disabled since childhood. To qualify for children’s benefits under our disability program, the applicant must be the child of a parent entitled to benefits and meet Social Security’s strict definition of disability. A person is disabled under the Social Security Act if he or she can’t work due to a severe medical condition that has lasted, or is expected to last, at least one year or result in death.
The SSI program provides payments to blind or disabled children who live in households with low income and limited resources if they meet our strict definition of disability. You can find more information on eligibility requirements by visiting our website.
Our publication, Benefits for Children explains all we do to care for children. Our website is also an excellent source of information. If you think a child you know is eligible for benefits, don’t wait. Share this information and help improve the child’s quality of life today.
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Tags: retirement, Social Security benefits, SSI, supplemental security income
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Jim Borland, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Communications
Jim Borland, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Communications
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Judy b.
My children recieve pay off of their father’s disability, but the problem we are having is that, they arent even getting half of what he makes…arent they supposed to recieve half of it? We dont understand. We had to fight to get it started.
R.F.
Hi Judy. Workers receive Social Security retirement and disability benefits based on their covered earnings. Members of their families may also qualify for benefits based on those earnings. However, there is a limit to the amount we can pay each family member.
Benefits for family members have always been limited by the family maximum rules. The maximum family benefit is the maximum monthly amount that can be paid on a worker’s earnings record. We hope this information helps!
Gary C.
My son’s mother is disabled. Is there a check that he is supposed to receive due to this. If so how do I apply for it.
Mert
I have some one whose husband is receiving social security disability and will be turning 65 this summer, they have a 10 year old son who is receiving monies off of his father’s disability. When age 65 is reached will the monies for the child stop. Thanks for your help
R.F.
Thank you for your question. Normally, benefits for children stop when children reach age 18, unless they are disabled. However, if the child is still a full-time student at a secondary (or elementary) school at age 18, Social Security benefits will continue until the child graduates or until two months after the child becomes age 19, whichever is first. We hope this information helps!
Trina
Question. My son received disability from about 2010-2012. I was a single mother working for the government. He has asthma and an IEP. Well, in early 2012 I was told they had paid too much so I wouldn’t get anymore payments. I called to make sure I didn’t have to send money, and the lady said not that it would probably even out. Fast forward to 2017. My son’s doc office had called about a bill and they noticed where it said he was eligible for Medicaid and wondered why I didn’t use it. I never knew! They looked further into for me, and found out since he was no longer getting disability, he was ineligible.
2018 I get a call from a Loan Officer regarding a home loan she asked who got disability. That reminded me of the situation for my son. She told me I should check into it. I called SSA. The lady asked when was the last time I had contacted them. I said probably 2012. She said we were sending letters to you asking for an updated address and banking information. I said, oh I moved and never got it. She said well, the payments stopped because you didn’t reply to the letters. She asked for an updated address and I asked if there was money owed to me. She said let me look, but she never answered and said that my son would need to reapply and I would have to get all the paperwork from the docs and schools. I asked how applied, and she said she was doing it for me.
My question is, does this mean there is possibly money owed to me? Did she avoid my question about money owed to me, because she isn’t allowed to answer that over the phone? Does anyone know?
R.F.
Unfortunately, but for security reasons, we do not have access to personal records in this blog and cannot answer your question at this time. Please continue working with your local office. You can request to speak with the manager to see how we can help to expedite resolution of your situation.
If you are unable to visit the local office, you can call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213, representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Generally, you will have a shorter wait time if you call later during the day or later in the week. Thanks.
Elva C.
I am the foster parent of my great nephew, his father was killed and he was receiving a Social Security Check, once his grandmother died and his mother has a criminal record the check was stopped. How can I find out more information about this?
R.F.
Thank you for your question, Elva. Normally, benefits for children stop when children reach age 18, unless they are disabled. However, if the child is still a full-time student at a secondary (or elementary) school at age 18, Social Security benefits will continue until the child graduates or until two months after the child becomes age 19, whichever is first. Also, if under age 18, we -generally- send payments to a representative payee.
One of our agents should provide better guidance. Please call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Or you and your great-nephew can contact the local Social Security office directly.
Bethany H.
Good afternoon,
I am following up because my daughter use to get child support until her father became ill and will not be returning to work probably for a couple of years. I believe his mother filed for SSI for him and they said that m daughter hi will be turning 12 this month should be getting it as well, but his family did not ask me for any information. I wanted to see if you can guide me in the right direction. he has been in the hospital for over a month so far, i did contact child support here in NJ to make them aware why he has not been able to pay, If you can guide me, i would appreciate it.
Thank you,
R.F.
Thank you for contacting us, Bethany. If the father qualifies for Disability Benefits, your daughter also may qualify for benefits on his record. See our publication: Benefits for Children for more information.
To see if your daughter is eligible for benefits and to schedule an appointment with the local Social Security office, call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Generally, you will have a shorter wait time if you call later during the day or later in the week.
Robert B.
I need help,
My daughter receives SSA payments because she is a minor and I am a retired worker.
I can find nothing related to do I need to file a yearly report for her (I see info.. on SSI and SSD, but not on SSA).
2. Do I need to keep her payments in a separate account or may I put it into one of my accounts? May I keep some of it in “cash”?
R.F.
Thank you for your question, Robert.
Each year, Social Security will ask you to complete a form to account for the benefits you’ve received for your daughter. You may access the payee form online after you receive the paper form in the mail. Because you need to enter information from the paper form online, you cannot access the online form until you receive the form in the mail.
Generally, we recommend that as a representative payee you establish a checking or savings account with a tittle that shows the beneficiary’s ownership of the funds and show you as the financial agent. For example: “(Your name), representative payee for (beneficiary’s name).” There is an exception for parents and spouses who are representative payees. A common checking account for all family members living in the same household who receive benefits may show a parent or spouse as the owner of the account. Children’s savings, however, must be in separate savings accounts for each child, showing the child as the account owner.
Our publication: A Guide for Representative Payees, provides more information on this topic. We hope this information helps!
Nancy V.
I am administrator for a child receiving disability.
He did not receive a payment in February. His name is
Ricardo Nino, El Dorado, Arkansas. An account was opened at First Financial Bank in El Dorado on his behalf. I sent the paper in that showed the account. Please check. The bank received no deposit from Social Security in February.
Thank you in advance….
R.F.
Hello Nancy. Unfortunately, and because of security reasons we do not have access to personal records in this blog and cannot assist you with this matter. One of our representatives should be able to provide you with an explanation.
Please call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213 for assistance. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Generally, you will have a shorter wait time if you call later during the day or later in the week. Thanks.
Linda D.
My husband and I have legal guardianship of 5 grandkids under the age of 17. I am now recieving Social Security benefits. Do they qualify as dependents to recieve any benefit from my Social Security ?
Thank you .
Lind Darr
R.F.
Thank you for your question Linda. Under current law, Social Security can only pay benefits to grandchildren if certain conditions are met. Generally, the biological parents of the child must be deceased or disabled, or the grandchild must be legally adopted by the grandparent. See “Benefits For Grandchildren” for more information.
Tiana K.
I have a situation where the father of my 11 year old child (he is married to another woman), even though he was eligible for Social Securty five years ago at the age of 62, refuses to apply for benefit because he absolutely refuses to put any money into my hands to raise his child. He refused to sign paternity papers, and manipulated/threatened me for over a decade not to go to the courts or ‘I will not like what I will find’. So I have two children to provide for on my income alone, food, shelter, childcare, medical, everything… thusly a decade slipped from me before I finally stopped and realized the man is living a life as if he has no child! His family has a lot of money so naturally, I feared he would hire big time lawyers to take my son from me. I finally kicked him to the curb and petitioned for child support and in the interim, exposed his affair to his family. When the judge adjudicated him to be the father via imposed DNA testing, and gave me the father’s SS number to go to the SS Administration to try to obtain benefits for my son, SS Administration told me the father has to fiist apply for benefit. So children have to go hungry and homeless and their future unstable because the government wants to protect these scrupulous older parents? What the heck?