Can my 13-year-old receive Social Security benefits when I claim retirement benefits at 62?

Yes, your child CAN receive benefits when you start collecting retirement! These are called "child's benefits" and they're available to unmarried children under 18 (or up to 19 if still in high school). Each eligible child can receive up to 50% of your full retirement benefit amount, even if you take early retirement at 62. However, there's a Family Maximum Benefit that caps the total your family can receive based on your record, usually between 150-180% of your full benefit. This is different from survivor benefits, which is why you only saw it mentioned in that section. You should definitely factor this into your planning, but be aware that taking early retirement at 62 will permanently reduce both your benefit AND any benefits your daughter receives.

I went through this exact situation last year. When I filed for retirement, I brought my son's birth certificate and was able to apply for his benefits at the same time. The SSA representative told me it's called "auxiliary benefits" in their system. My son gets about $875/month now and will until he graduates high school. One thing to watch for - there's something called the "family maximum" that limits the total benefits paid on your record. If you have multiple children or an ex-spouse also collecting on your record, it might reduce what each person gets.

Adding to what others have shared, those child benefits can be REALLY complicated with the family maximum calculation. When I filed at 62, my 14-year-old twins each qualified for benefits, but they didn't get the full 50% each because of the family maximum. Also, if your daughter has any income from a job, there are earnings limits that could reduce her benefits. And YES, these benefits absolutely count for financial aid calculations on the FAFSA, which really messed up our expected family contribution when my oldest applied for college. I've been fighting with SSA for months about an overpayment notice because they said my son earned too much at his summer job. Their phone lines are IMPOSSIBLE!

does anyone know if the child has to live with the retired parent to get benefits?? my grandson lives with me (his grandmother) but my son-in-law is turning 62 and filing for SS next month. can my grandson still get benefits based on his dads record even tho he doesn't live with him?? they don't have a formal custody agreement if that matters

Be careful about counting on this money!! My sister's kids got their benefits reduced because of the family maximum when both she AND her ex-husband filed for retirement benefits in the same year. Something about dual entitlement and benefits being offset. Social Security explained it to her 3 different times and she still doesn't understand how they calculated it.

when i started getting ssdi my son got benefits and it was automatically added when i filed. but retirement mite be different?? u should apply for both at same time to make sure u dont miss paymens

Something important that hasn't been mentioned yet: If your daughter receives these benefits, they will need to be reported on college financial aid applications (FAFSA). These count as unearned income for the child and can significantly impact financial aid eligibility. Since you mentioned college funds, this is something to consider in your planning. Also, there are specific rules if your child works while receiving benefits. In 2025, beneficiaries under 18 can earn up to $22,300 without any reduction in benefits (this is the current annual earnings limit which gets adjusted yearly).

This is really helpful information everyone! I had no idea about the FAFSA impact - that's a huge consideration since we're hoping she'll qualify for need-based aid. It sounds like I need to run the numbers on whether the 5 years of child benefits would be worth the potential reduction in college financial aid. Does anyone know if there's a way to estimate what the family maximum would be in my situation? I only have one child and no ex-spouse collecting benefits, so I'm hoping we'd get closer to the full 50%. Also, when you all applied for the child benefits, did you need to bring any specific documentation beyond the birth certificate? I think I'm going to try that Claimyr service someone mentioned - after two failed attempts at calling SSA, I really need to speak with someone who can walk me through all these calculations before I make any decisions.

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to share my recent experience that might help with your planning. I just went through the Social Security retirement application process at 62 and applied for my 15-year-old son's benefits at the same time. A few key things I learned: First, you absolutely need to specifically mention and apply for the child's benefits when you file - it's not automatic like some people think. The SSA representative told me many people miss out on months of benefits because they don't realize they need to apply for both simultaneously. Second, regarding the family maximum calculation - since you only have one child and no ex-spouse collecting, you're likely to get much closer to that full 50% benefit for your daughter. In my case with one child, we hit about 85% of what the theoretical maximum would be, so the family maximum wasn't really a limiting factor. Third, about documentation - I brought my son's birth certificate, Social Security card, and a recent school enrollment letter. The whole process took about 90 minutes at the local office, and they were able to give me estimates for both my retirement benefit and his auxiliary benefit right there. The FAFSA impact is real though - definitely factor that into your college planning calculations. We're working with a financial advisor to model different scenarios since the timing of when benefits start versus when college aid applications are filed can make a significant difference in your overall financial picture.

As someone new to this community, I wanted to chime in with some additional information that might be helpful for your planning. I work in financial planning and see this situation frequently with clients approaching retirement. One thing that hasn't been fully addressed is the timing strategy aspect. Since you mentioned wanting to maximize your daughter's college financial aid eligibility, you might want to consider the timing of when you start benefits relative to when she'll be applying for college aid. The FAFSA looks at income from two years prior to the academic year, so if she's starting college in fall 2030, they'll be looking at 2028 income. Another consideration is that if you delay your retirement past 62, your daughter's potential benefits would also increase proportionally since they're based on your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). However, you'd be giving up years of actual payments, so it's a trade-off that requires careful calculation. Regarding the family maximum - with just one child, you're in a good position. The family maximum typically becomes a limiting factor when there are multiple children or when an ex-spouse is also collecting benefits on the same record. I'd strongly recommend getting a written benefit estimate from SSA before making your final decision. They can provide a formal calculation that shows both your retirement benefit and your daughter's auxiliary benefit under different claiming scenarios. This will give you the concrete numbers you need to make an informed decision about timing and college financial planning.

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to share some additional resources that might help with your decision-making process. I recently went through a similar situation and found that the SSA's online Retirement Estimator tool (ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/estimator.html) can give you preliminary estimates for both your retirement benefits and potential auxiliary benefits for dependents. One thing I learned that hasn't been mentioned yet is that you can actually apply for retirement benefits up to 4 months before you want them to start. This gives you more time to gather documentation and plan the timing, especially if you're trying to coordinate with college financial aid considerations. Also, regarding the FAFSA impact that several people mentioned - I discovered that some states have different rules for how Social Security benefits are treated in their state financial aid programs. It might be worth checking with your state's higher education agency to understand the full picture of how these benefits could affect aid eligibility beyond just federal aid. The local SSA offices can provide a personalized benefit statement that shows projections for different claiming ages, including estimates for dependent benefits. When I made my appointment, I specifically asked for a "benefit projection worksheet" and they were able to print out scenarios showing benefits at 62, full retirement age, and age 70, along with the corresponding child benefit amounts. Hope this helps with your planning! This community has been such a great resource for navigating these complex decisions.

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to add some perspective on the documentation process that might be helpful. I just completed my Social Security retirement application last month at age 62 and successfully applied for my 16-year-old daughter's benefits simultaneously. Beyond the basic documents others mentioned (birth certificate, Social Security card), I found it helpful to bring a copy of my most recent tax return showing my daughter as a dependent, and her school enrollment verification. The SSA representative said this helped streamline the process since it clearly established both the relationship and her student status. One thing that surprised me was that they were able to provide a detailed breakdown of the family maximum calculation right there in the office. Since you mentioned having just one child and no ex-spouse collecting benefits, you're likely in a very favorable position - I was told that single-child families rarely hit the actual family maximum limits. The representative also explained that child benefits automatically stop the month your child turns 18 (or graduates high school if still under 19), so that's built into their calculations when they show you the projected benefit amounts. This timing consideration might be important for your college planning since benefits could potentially stop before or during your daughter's freshman year depending on her birthday and graduation timing. I'd definitely recommend calling ahead to schedule an appointment rather than walking in - the wait times have been much better with scheduled appointments, and they can dedicate more time to walking through all the scenarios and calculations with you.