Within a family, a child can receive up to half of the parent's full retirement or disability benefits. If a child receives survivors benefits, they can get up to 75% of the deceased parent's basic Social Security benefit.
When a parent dies, their Social Security benefits cease. An adult child can't inherit the benefits. Only adult children with disabilities can receive Social Security benefits after their parents die. The amount of the monthly benefit payment is based on the parent's contributions in the form of SSA taxes (OASDI).
You're not under 21. If a parent dies when you are under 21, you get survivor benefits until that birthday. If a husband or wife dies, the surviving spouse gets benefits. Adult children do not get benefits, and in any case there is no such thing as Social Security ``dividing a benefit'' among surviving relatives.
If you are a parent and take care of your child who receives Social Security benefits and is under age 18, you can get benefits until your child reaches age 16. Your child's benefit will continue until he or she reaches age 18, or 19 if he or she is still in school full time.
When you die, certain members of your family may be eligible for survivors benefits. These include surviving spouses (and divorced surviving spouses), children, and dependent parents. How do I earn survivors benefits? As you work and pay Social Security taxes, you earn credits toward your Social Security benefits.
Your child's SSI payment amount will vary depending on the state you live in and whether your child has any countable income, but the federal base rate for 2025 is $967 per month. (Read our article on how much SSI pays for more information.)
A surviving spouse, surviving divorced spouse, unmarried child, or dependent parent may be eligible for monthly survivor benefits based on the deceased worker's earnings. In addition, a one-time lump sum death payment of $255 can be made to a qualifying spouse or child if they meet certain requirements.
Ninety-five percent of never-beneficiaries are individuals whose earnings histories are insufficient to qualify for benefits. Late-arriving immigrants and infrequent workers comprise the vast majority of these insufficient earners.
Parents specify what rights their kids inherit. Parents with more than one child can distribute everything equally, give percentages, or leave specific assets to a certain child. A parent with one child can leave all their assets to the child.
When a parent receives Social Security retirement or disability benefits, or dies, their child may also receive benefits. Under certain circumstances, a stepchild, adopted child, or dependent grandchild or step-grandchild also may qualify. To receive benefits, the child must be unmarried and: Younger than age 18.
Have you heard about the Social Security $16,728 yearly bonus? There's really no “bonus” that retirees can collect. The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a specific formula based on your lifetime earnings to determine your benefit amount.
These inheritance laws are complex, vary by state, and have two major consequences. You can't disinherit your current spouse. Unless you have specifically written adult children out of your will they, and sometimes your grandchildren, are entitled to an inheritance.
An adult child is unmarried and has a qualifying disability
If the child has a qualifying disability that began before age 22, they can start collecting a deceased parent's Social Security benefits when they turn 18. The benefit can last the rest of their life if their disability prevents them from working.
If you are married and you and your spouse have worked and earned enough credits individually, you will each get your own Social Security benefit.
This is good news when former spouses are not on good terms. Your ex cannot “block” you from drawing your spousal benefit. In fact, he probably won't even know if you are drawing off him unless he calls SSA to ask.
More than half of these children get benefits after the death of a parent who worked and paid Social Security taxes. In fact, 98 out of 100 children in this country could get Social Security if a working parent dies. In some cases, the child's surviving parent is eligible for benefits as well.
Who gets a deceased's pension is determined by the pension contract. Some pension contracts may stipulate that the pension ceases when the participant dies, while others may allow for the pension to be distributed to a surviving spouse or a dependent, such as a child.
If your total savings (including the inheritance) exceed certain thresholds, you may lose eligibility for means-tested benefits.
Some government and railroad employees are not eligible for Social Security. American expatriates retiring in certain countries—and some retired immigrants to the U.S.—can't collect Social Security benefits. Divorced spouses married for fewer than 10 years cannot claim benefits based on the earnings of their ex-spouse.
Even if you have never had a job where you paid into Social Security, you may still be eligible to receive benefits. Every month, 2.7 million children receive Social Security benefits payable when their parents (one or both) either retired, died or became disabled.
Don't include your child's Social Security benefits (Form SSA-1099) on your tax return. Your child's Social Security benefits are reported on a separate return, if necessary. Very few children need to file a tax return even if they get Social Security benefits.