Social Security Benefits for Children of Disabled Parents

If you receive SSDI due to a disability, your dependent children may also qualify for monthly cash payments from Social Security. This benefit is called the "Social Security child's benefit" or "dependent benefit," and it's based on your earnings record, not your child's disability status. Importantly, this benefit is only available to children of SSDI recipients, not SSI recipients.

Children of disabled parents can receive these family benefits if they're under 18 (19, if still in high school) or are "disabled adult children" (who became disabled before age 22). Read on to learn who qualifies, how much your child could receive, and how to apply.

Which Children Qualify for SSDI Benefits as Dependents?

For your child to collect dependents, or auxiliary, benefits based on your Social Security record, you must:

• be disabled and unable to work, and
• have earned enough work credits to qualify for SSDI.

But these aren't the only requirements. To be eligible for dependent benefits, your child must apply for benefits, as they're not automatic. And the child must meet Social Security’s relationship, age, and dependency requirements. (20 C.F.R. § 404.350(a).)

Qualifying Relationship to the Disabled Parent

For a child to be eligible for dependent benefits based on your Social Security record, the dependent child must be related to you in one of the following ways:

• biological child
• adopted child
• stepchild
• grandchild (if the parent is either disabled or no longer living), or
• stepgrandchild (if you have adopted the child or the parent is disabled or deceased).

Age Requirements for Child Dependent Benefits

Your child can receive dependent benefits if the child is:

• unmarried
• younger than 18, or
• younger than 19 and a full-time high school student. (Being a full-time student at a college or university doesn't qualify.)

If your child has been receiving dependent benefits but marries before turning 18, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will stop all dependent benefits.

Financial Dependency on the SSDI Recipient

To collect benefits based on your earnings record, the child must be your financial dependent (whether you're the parent or grandparent). For grandchildren and stepgrandchildren specifically, the SSA requires that you were providing at least one-half of the child's financial support when you started receiving SSDI. (20 C.F.R. § 404.364.)

Establishing Parentage for Benefit Eligibility

It doesn't matter if you were ever married to the child's other parent. Children born during a marriage and those born to unmarried parents are both eligible for benefits. But if you weren't married when your child was born, the disabled parent must establish parentage for your child to qualify for benefits based on that parent's work record.

How Much Can a Child Get From a Parent's SSDI?

The amount of SSDI dependent benefits your child can get is based on two things:

• the amount of your SSDI benefit (as the disabled parent), and
• the number of family members receiving benefits based on your qualifying earnings.

Children of disabled parents can receive up to 50% of the parent's SSDI benefit, every month. (20 C.F.R. § 404.353(a).) But if you have other dependents who are receiving benefits on your record (such as your spouse), your child will receive less than 50% because of the maximum family benefit, which we'll discuss below.

(Also, if your child is eligible for a survivors benefit, the child could get up to 75% of their deceased parent's basic Social Security benefit. More on this below.)

What Is the SSDI Maximum Family Benefit?

The SSA has set a maximum family benefit (MFB) limit—the total amount of the Social Security benefits paid to the whole family, including the disabled person's monthly benefit. (20 C.F.R. § 404.403.) The MFB is 150% of the disabled person's SSDI benefit amount.

For example, let's say you're a disabled parent receiving $1,500 per month in SSDI benefits. If you have one eligible child (and no eligible spouse), that child would receive a dependent benefit of about $750 per month (50% of your benefit amount). The total amount of your benefit and your child's benefit would be 150% of your SSDI amount, which doesn't go over the MFB.

If you have two eligible children, they would split the $750, so that each child would receive a dependent benefit of about $375 per month. The total amount of your benefit and your children's benefit would still be 150% of your SSDI amount.

Any time your family's total benefits would be more than the MFB, the SSA will reduce each dependent's benefit amount to bring the family's total down to the MFB. But note that the SSA will never change your SSDI benefit amount (as the disabled worker) to adjust for the MFB.

Note that for low-earners, the MFB could be lower, potentially reducing dependent benefits. Learn more about the maximum family benefit (MFB) limit.

Are There SSDI Benefits for Children With Disabilities?

Your minor dependent child can receive dependent benefits based on your work record (as the disabled parent) even if the child isn't disabled.

But if you have a child who is over 18 and has a disability, they can collect SSDI benefits if they qualify. For your adult children to continue to draw SSDI benefits based on your earnings record, they must:

• be unmarried
• be disabled, and
• have become disabled before age 22.

Learn more about filing for Social Security benefits for your disabled adult child.

Social Security Survivors Benefits for Children

A dependent minor child whose parent died while receiving SSDI disability benefits (or whose parent had earned enough Social Security credits before dying to be eligible for retirement benefits) is eligible for a survivors benefit. Disabled adult children are also eligible for survivors benefits, as long as they became disabled before age 22 and stay unmarried (with some exceptions).

How to Apply for Dependent Benefits as a Child of Disabled Parents

You can file for your child's benefit at the same time you file for disability benefits for yourself. If your disability claim has already been approved, call the SSA at 800-772-1213 (TTY: 800-325-0778) to set up an appointment to apply for the child's benefit. Setting up an appointment will reduce the amount of time you spend waiting in the Social Security office.

What You'll Need to Apply for the Social Security Child's Benefit

You'll probably have to complete the Application for Child's Insurance Benefits (Form SSA-4-BK) at your local SSA office, but an SSA representative can help you through the process. You can speed up the process by having the required documents and information ready.

To show that your child is eligible for benefits, you'll need to provide the SSA with:

• your child's birth certificate (or other proof of birth or adoption)
• your child's proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status (if your child wasn't born in the United States)
• proof that the disabled parent is married to the child's natural or adoptive parent (if the child is asking for benefits as a stepchild), and
• W-2 form(s) and/or self-employment tax returns (if the child had earnings last year).

If you're applying for survivors benefits, you'll also need to provide proof of the parent's death—for example, by bringing a death certificate.

If you're applying for benefits for your disabled adult child, you'll need to complete a couple of additional forms. The SSA requires you to fill out the following:

• an Adult Disability Report (SSA-3368) for the disabled adult child, and
• a Form SSA-827 to authorize the disclosure of information about your child (including medical records) to the SSA.

Note that the SSA will accept photocopies of W-2 forms, self-employment tax returns, and medical documents. But most other documents, including birth certificates, must be originals. The SSA will return the original documents to you.

Don't delay filing your application because you don't have some of the documents. An SSA representative can help you gather any documents you're missing.

Questions the SSA Will Ask About Your Child's Benefit Claim

In addition to the required documentation, the SSA will ask you to provide information about your child, the child's living arrangements, and the disabled worker (whether that's you or another parent). For each of the disabled parent's minor children (and adult children disabled before age 22), the SSA will need to know:

• the child's Social Security number
• your name and Social Security number (as the parent filing the claim on behalf of the child)
• your relationship to the child (natural, adoptive, or stepparent)
• the disabled parent's name and Social Security number (if that's not you)
• the child's relationship to the disabled parent (natural child, adopted child, stepchild, dependent grandchild, or something else)
• whether the child has lived with the disabled parent for each of the last 13 months (if not, where, when, and with whom the child lived)
• whether the child has been adopted by someone other than the disabled parent (and the adoption date)
• where the child currently lives—if not with you and/or the disabled parent, the SSA will need the name and address of the person with whom the child lives and their relationship to the child
• whether the child has ever been married (including the date and location of the marriage) and if no longer married, how, when, and where the marriage ended, and
• whether you or anyone else has ever filed for Social Security benefits, Medicare, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) on behalf of the child, and on whose Social Security record you applied.

If you're applying for Social Security survivors benefits on behalf of a child whose parent has died, the SSA will also ask about:

• the deceased parent's employment and earnings history
• the deceased parent's military service, and
• whether the deceased parent ever filed for Social Security retirement benefits, Medicare, SSDI, or SSI.

You might also want to learn about how to get auxiliary Social Security benefits for your other dependents.

FAQ on SSDI Dependent Benefits

Here are some frequently asked questions about Social Security benefits for the child of a disabled parent.

Can my child get benefits if I'm disabled?

If you worked a sufficient amount of time before you became disabled, you could receive a monthly SSDI check based on the amount of time you worked and how much money you paid into the Social Security system. And your children can also get a small monthly benefit when you start receiving SSDI.

If you don't have enough work history to qualify for SSDI, or you worked at a job that didn't pay into Social Security, you might be able to receive SSI disability benefits, which are based on need. SSI would provide benefits for you, but not for your family—only SSDI provides dependent benefits to your children. But kids with disabilities can receive disability benefits under the SSI program.

How do I know if my child is eligible for SSDI dependent benefits?

If you qualify for SSDI, your child can be eligible for dependent benefits as long as the child has a qualifying relationship with you—either as your biological or adopted child, or your dependent stepchild. (20 C.F.R. § 404.354.)

To qualify for SSDI dependent benefits, your child must be unmarried and:

• younger than 18 years old

• younger than 19 years old and enrolled full-time in a secondary school, or
• disabled, and the disability began before the child turned 22. (See our article about disabled adult children receiving SSDI to learn more.)

Can children get auxiliary benefits based on a noncustodial or divorced parent’s benefits?

Yes. A child can receive auxiliary (dependent) benefits from a noncustodial or divorced parent if that parent is entitled to SSDI and the child meets Social Security’s eligibility rules, including:

• being unmarried
• having a qualifying relationship with the parent, and
• meeting the age or disability criteria.

Can grandchildren receive Social Security dependent benefits?

If you’re raising your grandchildren or step-grandchildren, they could be eligible for SSDI dependent benefits as if they were your children. Your grandchildren can qualify if all of the following are true:

• Their parents are deceased or disabled.
• They began living with you before they were 18.
• They’ve lived with you for at least 12 months before becoming eligible for SSDI dependent benefits or, if under 12 months old, for most of their lives.
• You provide at least half of their financial support.

If you adopt your grandchildren, they don’t need to meet the above requirements because they’d be covered as your adopted children.

Can children get dependent benefits from SSI?

Dependent benefits aren’t available for children based on their parents’ SSI (Supplemental Security Income) benefits. But children from low-income households who have disabilities can get SSI. For more information, see our article on the differences between SSI and SSDI.

Can my child get back pay for dependent benefits?

Yes, your child is likely to receive some back payments dating back to when you became entitled to Social Security disability benefits. These back payments make up for the months it took the SSA to approve your claim. And just like you, your child can receive back pay up to 12 months before your application date (if you were disabled at least five months before your application date, due to the five-month waiting period). Learn more about how Social Security calculates back pay.

Can my child’s SSDI dependent benefits change over time?

Yes. The amount of a child’s Social Security dependent benefit can change over time. For example, the SSA will adjust the child’s benefit amount if the number of family members receiving benefits changes, because of the family maximum benefit rules (see above).

Dependent benefits can also increase with Social Security cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). So, as your benefits increase each year, your child’s benefits will also go up.

When will the SSA start sending dependent benefits for my child?

Once Social Security approves your child’s application for SSDI dependent benefits, payments will begin and continue monthly. SSDI benefits usually go to the parent or guardian, as representative payee, depending on the child’s age. Keep in mind that benefits continue only as long as your child meets the eligibility rules.

How long will your child receive Social Security benefits?

Generally, children will receive dependent SSDI benefits until they reach the age of 18. The benefit will end the month before their 18th birthday.

But if your child is a full-time high school student, the benefit will end when they graduate from or leave school, or two months after they turn 19, whichever happens first.

If your child became disabled before age 22 and is receiving disabled adult child benefits, monthly dependent benefits can continue indefinitely.

If I die, will my child continue to receive dependent benefits?

Yes, your child could receive a monthly survivors benefit for as long as the child remains eligible (according to the same rules as above). For more information, see our article on survivors disability benefits.