Children may be eligible for benefits if their parent is receiving a Social Security benefit or if that parent has passed away. These benefits are auxiliary benefits in addition to the regular benefit rate and are usually paid to the custodial parent.
Children’s benefits are payable until age 18 or until the child graduates high school, up to age 19 and 2 months. All of your natural children are eligible whether they reside with you or not and some step children are also eligible.
The amount payable to each child depends if it is a life or survivor case. In life cases, a child’s benefit cannot exceed 50 percent of your full rate, or 75 percent in survivor cases. There is a maximum payable on your record that cannot be exceeded.
Example: your benefit is 1000.00, the maximum on the record is 2000.00
In this scenario with a life case having one child, that child will get 500.00, the full half of your rate since the combined amounts of yours 1000.00 plus the child’s 500.00 does not exceed the maximum payable of 2000.00. If there were three children on this record they would all get 333.00. They cannot all get 500.00 since the total benefits payable on your record would then exceed 2000.00. There is only 1000.00 above your benefit payable to the auxiliaries so that amount is divided equally among them.
In same scenario but a survivor case, one child would receive 750.00 (75% of your rate), three 666.00. Once again, the maximum cannot be exceeded.
If your child is found to be disabled prior to age 22, they can remain entitled on your record into adulthood.
If you are approaching age 62 and have minor children, you will need to factor in their additional income to your household when making your retirement plans.
Maryellen Eckert
EDPNA
