SSA logo: link to Social Security Online home410. When is a surviving child entitled to child's insurance benefits?

A surviving child is entitled to child's insurance benefits if the conditions below are met:

  1. The worker-parent died either fully or currently insured;

  2. The child is the child of the deceased;

  3. The child is:

    1. Under age 18;

    2. Under age 19 and a full-time elementary or secondary school student; or

    3. Age 18 or over and under a disability as defined in §507.1 (which began before age 22); and

  4. The child was dependent upon the deceased parent (see§§ 334-337 for the dependency “tests”);

  5. The child is not married; and

  6. An application for child's insurance benefits is filed. (See §511 for completing application forms.)

    NOTE: An application is not required if the child was entitled to child's insurance benefits on the deceased parent's earnings record for the month before the month in which the parent died.