How to Apply for Social Security Survivor Benefits for a Child

Most people think of Social Security solely as a retirement program, but according the U.S. Social Security Administration, close to 4 million children who've had a parent die receive more than $1.5 billion in survivor benefits each month. Unmarried children under the age of 18, children who are 19 and are still attending secondary school full-time, and children of any age who were disabled before the age of 22 qualify to receive Social Security survivor benefits. Special circumstances may exist that qualify step-children, grandchildren, step-grandchildren, or adopted children to receive benefits as well. Social Security survivor benefits for children are intended to replace lost household income following a parent's death and can be used to pay for expenses associated with housing, feeding, clothing, educating, and providing other essentials to children who qualify to receive the benefit.

Steps

1. 1
   Contact the Social Security Administration as soon as possible after the date of death to apply for Social Security survivor benefits for a child.
   
   
   • Call the Social Security Administration toll-free at 1-800-772-1213 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing should call the TTY line at 1-800-325-0778.
   • Visit or call your local Social Security office. To find contact information for the Social Security office closest to you, go the Social Security Administration's website, click the "Find a Social Security Office," enter your zip code in the field provided, and click "Locate."
   • It is imperative that you start the application process as soon as possible. Benefits will be due retroactive to the date of death in most cases, but in some instances, benefits will only be retroactive to the date of application.
2. 2
   Gather the required application documentation listed in the "Things You'll Need" section of this article.
   • Bring document originals with you to your application appointment. The Social Security benefits intake representative will make copies of any documents for which copies are required.
   • Aside from requiring copies of certain documents such as the death certificate, you will be asked a number of questions during the Social Security benefit application process. Having these documents available for reference will help ensure your answers are correct and that your application is not delayed.
3. 3
   Arrive at the Social Security office as soon as it opens on the day you are instructed to apply for benefits.
   • Social Security does not make fixed appointments. You will be told what day to arrive to apply for Social Security survivor benefits for a child, but service on any given day is first-come, first-serve.
   • Avoid arriving at the Social Security office around lunch time or any later than 90 minutes before closing time.
4. 4
   Answer all questions from, provide all required documentation to, and sign any paperwork presented to you by the Social Security intake representative during the application interview.
   • The intake representative will provide you with a summary called a Receipt for Your Claim for Social Security Child's Insurance Benefits for each child for whom you are applying for benefits. Do not lose this. You will need it to check on the status of your claim later on. Make sure the intake representative also returns all original copies of important documentation to you before you leave the office.
   • Make sure you get a business card with your intake representative's contact information before you leave the office. Your intake representative is your local, flesh-and-blood contact person should there be any delay in application processing

 Tips

• You can check on the status of your application by visiting the Social Security Administration's website.
• If you live outside of the United States, read the Social Security Administration's publication "Service Around the World" for instructions on how to apply for Social Security survivor benefits for a child.

Things You'll Need

• Your photo identification
• Social Security card for yourself, the deceased, and each child for whom you are applying for survivors benefits
• Certified copies of the death certificate; marriage certificate, if applicable; divorce certificate, if applicable; each child's birth certificate; and each child's adoption certificate, if applicable
• Proof of earnings for the previous and current year for the deceased and for each child for whom you are applying for benefits (if applicable)