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Learn About Social Security Benefits for Surviving Children

Survivors benefits for your children are available through your Social Security benefits after you pass. Preparing Social Security survivor benefits for children ahead of time can help secure your family’s immediate future should anything happen to you unexpectedly. By creating a surviving children Social Security planner, you will no longer need to worry about how your children will provide for themselves when you are gone. Social Security benefits for surviving children can give you a sense of security and provide your children with helpful support should anything happen to you. To help you prepare benefit options for your surviving children, you can read the helpful sections below. Learn about who is eligible to receive surviving children benefits and how much they can receive depending on the Social Security you have accumulated.

Find Out the Requirements for Surviving Children to Get Social Security Benefits

Social Security benefits for surviving children are available for all children younger than 18 years of age, or children still attending elementary or secondary school. Social Security survivor benefits for children are available for disabled children of any age as long as they became disabled before reaching 22 years of age. Under specific circumstances, your Social Security survivor benefits can also extend to:

  • Stepchildren.
  • Grandchildren.
  • Step grandchildren.
  • Adoptive children.

These special cases for Social Security survivor benefits are determined by the Social Security Administration (SSA), so you may want to do further research if your potential beneficiary falls under any of the above categories. For example, if you became the legal parent of a child before he or she reached 16 years of age, the child would be eligible to receive survivor’s benefits after your passing. To learn more about the requirements for SS survivor’s benefits for children, download our complimentary guide today.

Survivors benefits for your children can be helpful at any age, and these benefits provides them with the financial security they will need if you are no longer with them. Surviving children’s benefits can also help them prepare for higher education and give them a better chance of affording the school they wish to go to. Survivors benefits for your children may be able to offer your family a small comfort and help them sustain their lifestyle even in your absence. If you have any children who fall into the aforementioned eligibility categories for senior Social Security survivor’s benefits, you can start thinking about your Social Security plan and what you need to do to prepare for the future.

Learn the Maximum Amount of Social Security Survivor Benefits for Children

Survivors benefits for your children will be available if you earn enough Social Security credits before you pass. You usually become eligible for Social Security retirement benefits after you have completed 10 years of work and paid Social Security taxes. However, limited senior SS benefits for surviving children may still be available for your family if you have accumulated at least six credits before you pass. The maximum amount of survivors benefits your children can receive varies greatly depending on the amount of Social Security Credits you have earned, your children’s ages and whether or not you received Social Security or government benefits before your passing. Social Security benefits for surviving children are usually equal to or lesser than 180 percent of the base benefit rate. If the monthly benefits paid to your family ever exceed this amount, the benefit amount will be recalculated to fit the maximum quantity limits set by the government. In addition, approximately 75 percent of your Social Security base benefits rate will be allotted to your surviving children on a monthly basis.

Survivor Social Security benefits for your children are limited to the Social Security benefits amount you would have received if you were still alive. This means that they will not receive more than the Social Security benefits you would have received if you were still living, and it will not exceed the amount of Social Security credits you received from working. The Social Security credits required for survivors benefits will depend heavily on your age when you die. Although any of your family members can be eligible for survivors benefits, the amount will depend on the overall credits you earned before your passing. Your credit amount, age and additional benefits will determine your base benefit rate and the monthly amount your surviving children will receive. Calculating the senior survivors benefits available for your children can be very difficult, especially if you have accumulated more credits. For more information, download our comprehensive guide.

Learn How To Apply For
Social Security Retirement
With Our Help

As an independent and private company, we are proud to help our users learn about the benefit application process.

  • Get Free Information with Our Guide
  • Take our optional survey to receive, based on your answers, related offers from our partners!
  • Keep Updated with Curated Content