Can my kids get Social Security benefits if I claim retirement at age 62 with children under 18?

Yes, when you claim Social Security retirement benefits, your minor children can receive dependent benefits until they turn 18 (or 19 if still in high school). Each child can receive up to 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is your full retirement age benefit amount. So based on your $1,900 FRA estimate, each child could receive up to $950 per month. However, there's an important consideration: the Family Maximum Benefit (FMB). There's a cap on the total amount your family can receive based on your record, usually 150-180% of your PIA. If the total benefits would exceed this maximum, each dependent's benefit gets reduced proportionally. Also important - your children can receive these benefits even though you're taking early retirement at 62, but your own benefit reduction for claiming early doesn't affect their benefit rate. Their benefits are based on your unreduced PIA.

my sister got benefits for her kids when she retired but they took FOREVER to process. like 5 months!!! make sure u apply for them right away when u do ur retirement application. good luck!!

This is called "child's benefits" and it's available for retirement, disability, OR survivor benefits. The rules are slightly different for each type. Since you're looking at retirement, here's what you need to know: - Your child must be unmarried and under 18 (or up to 19 if still in high school) - You'll need their birth certificates and Social Security numbers when you apply - Each child can get up to 50% of your full retirement age benefit - You MUST file for your own retirement benefits first before dependents can collect - Benefits continue until they turn 18 (or 19 if still in high school) But be aware - if your kids work, they'll be subject to the same earnings limit that affects you before full retirement age. For 2025, if they earn more than $22,450, they'll lose $1 in benefits for every $2 they earn above that limit.

Careful about the tax situation though!!! My husband retired early with a 16 yr old and our tax situation got messy FAST. The kid benefits pushed us into a higher bracket when combined with everything else. Might want to check with a tax person.

Does anyone know if private school tuition counts as an educational expense that can help with the child's benefits? My youngest is in a STEM academy that's quite expensive.

You should probably try to reach the SSA directly to discuss your specific situation. They can run calculations based on your actual earnings record to tell you exactly what your family would receive. Much more reliable than generalized advice here. I spent WEEKS trying to get through their 800 number until someone told me about Claimyr. It's a service that gets you through to a live SSA agent quickly. I used it when I had a similar question about dependent benefits. Check out their site at claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent I spoke with was super helpful and walked me through all the benefit possibilities for my family. Totally worth it versus waiting endlessly on hold.

Will your ex get half of ur retirement too? I'm confused because when my cousin retired, his ex-wife got benefits AND his kids got benefits but I think they were divorced. Just wondering how this all works for blended families.

my neighbor said her granddaughter got benefits when her son claimed SS but when she turned 16 and got a part time job the benefits stopped?? is that right??

Update: I went ahead and applied online for my retirement and children's benefits last week. The online system was pretty straightforward for my part, but I had to call the SSA for the children's portion. After getting quick help from that Claimyr service someone mentioned (which actually did work!), I spoke with an agent who confirmed both kids qualify and helped me complete their applications. The agent said each child would get approximately $950/month until they turn 18 (or graduate high school), and my benefit would be about $1,330. Combined, our family will receive around $3,230 monthly, which is well under the family maximum limit for my situation. The agent also emphasized I needed to function as the "representative payee" for the children's benefits since they're minors, meaning I'll need to complete an annual accounting form showing how I used their benefits for their care. Thanks everyone for your helpful advice! This will make a huge difference for our family finances.