Social Security Survivor Benefits for Children
It is an unfortunate circumstance when a parent dies before a child has even reached the age of 18. It can make matters worse when the parent was the breadwinner of the family. To help ease the transition, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has established a program providing survivor benefits to children.
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How It Works
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Social Security survivor benefits come from the money paid into the Social Security fund of the now deceased parent. If the worker had reached retirement age, this is what he would have been paid, in monthly installments. But since he is not alive to collect his benefits, the money may be paid to his survivors, specifically his spouse and children under the age of 18. In many cases, it is set up to be directly deposited into the child's bank account and may be used for anything that benefits the child.
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Amount
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A child can receive 75 percent of what his parent would have earned if he was to receive benefits. This is based on how much the parent contributed to his Social Security fund over his lifetime. Combined family earnings are limited to less than 180 percent of the benefits the worker earned. As of October 2009 there is a one-time death benefit payment of $255 that is paid if the child meets certain requirements.
Eligibility
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The child must be unmarried and under the age of 18 to receive survivor benefits from the SSA. If the child is still in high school, she may receive benefits up to 19 years of age. If the child was disabled before the age of 22, she may receive benefits at any time if she remains disabled. The one-time death benefit has other requirements that must be met, and this payout is generally to help cover funeral costs. For children to receive survivor benefits, the deceased parent may be required to have worked for up to 10 years, but this depends upon the age of the parent when they died.
Applying for Benefits
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The surviving spouse needs to help the child file for benefits. If there is no surviving spouse, a lawyer or family member may assist in this. It can be done over the phone or at your local SSA office. Some information is required to file for benefits, including proof of death, Social Security number of the decedent, birth certificate, recent tax returns for the decedent, bank information for direct deposit and the Social Security number of the child.
Time Frame
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Applying for survivor benefits should be done as quickly as possible. If you don't have all the required information, it is still possible to initiate a claim. The SSA will help you get the records you need. Benefits may be paid from the time of the application, so the longer you wait to file, the less compensation you may receive.
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References
- Photo Credit "Free Scared Child Alone in the Dark Creative Commons" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Pink Sherbet Photography (D. Sharon Pruitt) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
