What qualifies a child for social security benefits?

While Social Security is commonly known for retirement benefits, it also provides benefits to children whose parents are retired, disabled, or deceased, or on the child’s own record. However, for a child to qualify to receive Social Security benefits, there are certain requirements they must meet.

A child can qualify for Social Security benefits based on their parent’s work record. In this case, the parent must have earned sufficient work credits to qualify for benefits, and they must be receiving retirement benefits or disability benefits. A child may also qualify for benefits if the parent is deceased. The child must be unmarried, younger than 18 years or between 18 to 19 years for high school students, or 18 years or older and disabled. The child can be a biological child, adopted child, stepchild, grandchild, or step-grandchild.

Who can get child benefits?

For a child to qualify for child benefits from Social Security, he/she must meet certain requirements. First, child benefits are payable to children who are dependent and unmarried. They must be younger than 18 years, or 19 if they are high school students, to qualify for benefits. If a child is 18 or older and is disabled, they may qualify for benefits if the disability started before they turned 22.

For purposes of eligibility for child benefits, a relationship requirement and dependency requirement (PDF) must be met. To meet the relationship requirement, the child must be a biological child, legally adopted child, stepchild, grandchild, or step-grandchild. To meet the dependency requirement, the child must be dependent on the beneficiary for support at some point in time. Sometimes, the child may be deemed to be dependent on the beneficiary, but there are times when dependency must be proved.

How much do children receive in Social Security benefits?

A child may qualify to receive up to 50% of the parent’s full retirement benefits or disability benefits. However, if the child qualifies to receive survivor benefits, he/she can receive up to 75% of the parent’s full retirement benefit.

If there are other family members collecting benefits other than the child, the total amount of benefits that a family can receive is limited. The family can receive between 150% to 180% of the beneficiary’s full benefit amount based on their earnings record. If the total family benefits exceed the Social Security limit, the dependent’s benefits will be adjusted proportionately, except for the eligible worker who is collecting benefits.

For example, if John receives $1,500 per month in retirement benefits, a child can receive up to 50% of John’s monthly benefit i.e. $750. This would increase the family benefit to $150%. If John’s spouse becomes eligible to claim spousal benefits, he/she can receive an additional 50% of John’s monthly benefit i.e. $750. However, this would increase the family benefit to 200%, above the Social Security limit of $150 to 180%. Therefore, Social Security will reduce the balance proportionately between the two dependents without affecting John’s monthly benefits. Hence, both dependents will receive $375 each in monthly benefits.

What are the eligibility ages for child benefits?

There are three categories of eligibility ages for children receiving Social Security benefits i.e. minor child below 18, ages 18 to 19 for a full-time high school student, and a disabled child above 18.

A minor child of the deceased beneficiary may qualify to receive Social Security survivor benefits upon the death of the parent. The child can be a biological child, an adopted child, a stepchild, or a step-grandchild who was supported by the beneficiary at the time of death. The minor child can receive Social Security benefits up to age 18. However, if the child is a full-time high school or full-time elementary student, he/she can receive benefits up to age 19.

A disabled child who became disabled before age 22 can start taking benefits starting from age 18. In some cases, the disabled child may be receiving Social Security benefits before 18 and will continue receiving benefits when he/she attains age 18 or older.

SSI benefits for children

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a financial assistance program for people who are 65 or older, blind, or disabled with limited income and resources, but it is also available to children below 18 who meet certain requirements.

A qualifying child must have a physical or mental disability that results in several functional limitations. The disability must have lasted or be expected to last 12 months, or result in death. For blindness, there is no duration requirement. For a disabled child to qualify for SSI payments, they must not earn more than $1,350 per month, or $2,260 if they are blind.

When applying for SSI benefits for a child, you will be required to fill out a Disability Report to provide information about the child’s disability and how it affects their activities. You will also be required to sign a form that allows the child’s doctor to provide information to Social Security regarding the child’s disability.

Social Security Disability Benefits (SSDI) for Children

SSDI benefits pay monthly benefits to eligible workers and children of eligible workers. Adult workers may qualify for SSDI benefits if they have a disability that prevents them from working. This includes adults with disabilities or other special health care needs. In this case, the adult applying for disability benefits must have worked for a certain minimum number of years and earned a certain amount of credits to be eligible for benefits.

A child can also receive disability benefits based on their parent’s retirement or disability earnings. In this case, a child, adopted child, stepchild, or grandchild of a beneficiary can be eligible for benefits if they are unmarried, at least 18 years old, and have a disability that started before age 22. The child must be unable to do the work they did before the disability or other disabling condition, are unable to adjust to other types of work due to their condition, and the disability must have lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months.