Do I need to list adult children on Social Security retirement application at 62?

You only need to list your minor children (the 7 and 9 year olds). The reason they ask is because dependent children of retired workers can receive benefits until they turn 18 (or 19 if still in high school). Your adult children don't qualify for benefits on your record unless they have a disability that began before age 22.

I just went through this exact same thing last year when I filed at 62! The SSA only cares about your minor kids because THEY might be eligible for benefits now that you're retiring. Your adult kids don't matter to them at all unless they're disabled (which it doesn't sound like they are). Just list the two young ones - that's what I did with my 12 year old.

list only the kids under 18, thats all they care about. the grown kids dont matter for your application unless their disabled.

When I applied last year, I spent THREE HOURS trying to get through to a real person at Social Security to ask this exact same question!! So frustrating! The application is so unclear about this. I tried calling like 20 times and kept getting disconnected. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent in about 15 minutes. They have this service where they wait on hold with SSA and call you when an agent picks up. Saved me so much time and stress! You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU if you're interested. The agent told me to only list my minor children, not my adult ones.

Only list your minor children (the 7 and 9 year olds). This is important because: 1. Children under 18 may be eligible for benefits on your record (generally 50% of your PIA) 2. The family maximum benefit (FMB) calculations only apply to eligible dependents 3. Adult children are only relevant if they became disabled before age 22 Make sure you have their birth certificates and Social Security cards ready. Also, something to consider: while you're taking benefits early at 62 (which means a permanent reduction to about 70% of your full retirement age benefit), your minor children can't receive benefits on your record until you actually start collecting. So the timing makes sense if you need the money now for family expenses.

LOL when I filed, I listed ALL my kids including my 42-year old daughter and the SSA lady called me and was like "ummm we just need the minor ones" 🤦‍♀️ The form is SO confusing!!!

I made the SAME MISTAKE on my application!!! I listed ALL SIX of my kids, even the grown ones. The SSA reviewer had to call me and get it straightened out which delayed my approval by TWO WEEKS!!!! They really need to make these forms clearer!!!! The SSA system is SUCH a mess - typical government bureaucracy!!!

wait so your kids can get money too??? I never knew that! I took ss at 62 last year and didn't put my 16yo son on the form cause I didn't understand what they were asking ugh

I just want to thank everyone for their helpful responses! I'm going to list only my 7 and 9 year old children on the application. I had no idea they might qualify for benefits too - that's going to be a huge help with their school expenses. I feel much better about submitting my application now.

Just wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful - when your kids do start receiving benefits, they'll get their own Social Security numbers on the payments, but the money will come to you as the parent/guardian since they're minors. Also, make sure to report any changes in their status (like if they get married before 18 or if your custody situation changes) because that can affect their eligibility. The SSA is pretty good about sending you annual statements showing what everyone in your family is receiving, which helps keep track of everything. Good luck with your application!

I'm a newcomer here but dealing with a similar situation. My husband just turned 62 and we're trying to figure out the same thing with our 15-year-old daughter. Reading through all these responses has been so helpful - I had no idea our daughter could potentially get benefits too! It's frustrating that the SSA forms aren't clearer about this. We were also confused about whether to list all our kids or just the minor ones. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's really reassuring to know we're not the only ones who find these applications confusing. Going to make sure we have all the right documents ready before we submit.

As someone who just went through this process a few months ago, I can confirm what others have said - only list your minor children (ages 7 and 9). The SSA is specifically asking about dependents who might be eligible for benefits on your record. Your adult children in their 30s don't qualify unless they have a qualifying disability that started before age 22. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier is that the children's benefits are substantial - they can receive up to 50% of your primary insurance amount each month until they turn 18 (or 19 if still in high school). Since you're taking early retirement at 62, your benefit is reduced, but your children's benefits are calculated based on your full retirement age benefit amount, so they're not penalized for your early filing. Also, don't worry too much about making mistakes on the application - the SSA reviewers are used to people being confused by these questions and they'll contact you if they need clarification. But listing only your minor children will definitely speed up the process!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for sharing such detailed and helpful information! I'm in a very similar situation - just turned 62 and considering filing for early retirement benefits. I have three adult children and one 14-year-old, and like the original poster, I was completely confused about which children to list on the application. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational. I had absolutely no idea that minor children could receive benefits when a parent starts collecting Social Security! The fact that they can get up to 50% of the parent's primary insurance amount is amazing - that could really help with my teenager's expenses as they approach college age. It's also reassuring to know that so many others have been confused by the SSA forms. The wording really could be much clearer about whether they want ALL children listed or just minors. Based on everyone's experiences here, I now understand I should only list my 14-year-old and have their birth certificate and Social Security card ready. This community is such a valuable resource for navigating these complicated government processes. Thanks again to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge and experiences!

As a newcomer here, I wanted to share my recent experience since I just went through this exact process two months ago! Like many others mentioned, you only need to list your minor children (the 7 and 9 year olds). I was also confused by the wording on the application and almost listed all my kids too. What really surprised me was learning that my 13-year-old would be eligible for benefits - I had no clue about that! She now receives about $800 per month, which has been a huge help with her school activities and saving for future expenses. The application process took about 6 weeks total, and they did contact me once for clarification on some work history details, but nothing related to the children's section. One tip: when you submit the application, they'll ask you to schedule an appointment (either phone or in-person) to complete the process. During that appointment, they'll verify all the information and let you know what your kids' benefit amounts will be. Make sure you have their Social Security cards and birth certificates ready for that appointment - they'll need the exact information from those documents. The whole process was much smoother than I expected once I understood what they were actually asking for. Good luck with your application!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this discussion! I'm 62 and about to start my Social Security application, and like everyone else here, I was completely baffled by the children question on the form. I have two adult sons (ages 28 and 31) and a 10-year-old daughter from my current marriage. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly eye-opening. I had absolutely no idea that my 10-year-old could potentially receive benefits when I start collecting! The fact that she could get up to 50% of my primary insurance amount is amazing news - that would really help with her school expenses and activities. It's both frustrating and reassuring to see that so many people have been confused by the same wording on these SSA forms. The government really needs to make these applications clearer! But thanks to this community, I now understand I should only list my 10-year-old daughter and make sure I have her birth certificate and Social Security card ready. This has been such a valuable learning experience. Thank you to everyone who shared their personal experiences and knowledge - it's made what seemed like an overwhelming process much more manageable!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to add my perspective since I'm currently going through this exact same process! I just turned 62 last week and have been staring at this confusing SSA application for days. Like the original poster, I have adult children (ages 26, 29, and 33) plus a 12-year-old from my second marriage, and I've been completely stumped by the children section. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so incredibly helpful! I had no idea that my 12-year-old could potentially receive benefits - that's such important information that isn't clearly explained anywhere in the SSA materials I've read. The fact that children can receive up to 50% of the parent's primary insurance amount is substantial and could really help with my son's expenses. It's both comforting and frustrating to see how many people have been confused by the same poorly worded question on these forms. The government really needs to make these applications more user-friendly! But thanks to this amazing community, I now understand I should only list my 12-year-old and have his birth certificate and Social Security card ready. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their personal experiences and knowledge. This discussion has transformed what felt like an overwhelming bureaucratic nightmare into something much more manageable. I feel confident now about moving forward with my application!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so relieved to have found this discussion! I'm 62 and just started my Social Security application process, and like everyone else here, I was completely puzzled by the children section. I have three adult children (ages 25, 27, and 30) and twin 8-year-olds from my current marriage. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly enlightening! I had absolutely no clue that my 8-year-old twins could potentially receive benefits when I start collecting Social Security. The fact that they could each get up to 50% of my primary insurance amount is amazing - that would be a huge help with their school costs and activities, especially having two the same age! It's so validating to see that virtually everyone has been confused by the exact same wording on these SSA forms. The application really could be much clearer about whether they want ALL children or just minors listed. But thanks to this wonderful community, I now understand I should only list my 8-year-old twins and make sure I have their birth certificates and Social Security cards ready. This has been such a valuable resource for navigating what seemed like an impossibly confusing government process. Thank you to everyone who shared their personal experiences and expertise - you've made this so much less intimidating!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to share that I'm currently dealing with this exact same situation! I just turned 62 and am preparing my Social Security application. Like many others here, I was completely baffled by the children question - I have two adult daughters (ages 28 and 32) and a 6-year-old son from my second marriage. Reading through this entire discussion has been incredibly helpful and educational! I had absolutely no idea that minor children could receive benefits when a parent starts collecting Social Security. The fact that my 6-year-old could potentially get up to 50% of my primary insurance amount is wonderful news - that would really help with his childcare and school expenses. It's both frustrating and comforting to see how many people have been confused by the same unclear wording on these SSA forms. The application really should be more specific about whether they want all children or just minors listed! But thanks to this amazing community sharing their real experiences, I now understand I should only list my 6-year-old and have his birth certificate and Social Security card ready. This discussion has been such a valuable resource for navigating what initially seemed like an overwhelming government process. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge and experiences - you've made this so much more manageable for newcomers like me!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this discussion! I'm 62 and just started looking into filing for Social Security, and like so many others here, I was completely stumped by the children section on the application. I have four adult children (ages 24, 26, 29, and 34) and an 11-year-old daughter from my current marriage. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly eye-opening! I had absolutely no idea that my 11-year-old could potentially receive benefits when I start collecting. The fact that she could get up to 50% of my primary insurance amount is amazing - that would be such a help with her school activities and future college savings. It's so reassuring to see that virtually everyone has struggled with the same confusing wording on these SSA forms. The application really should be clearer about whether they want ALL children or just minors! But thanks to this wonderful community sharing their real experiences, I now understand I should only list my 11-year-old and make sure I have her birth certificate and Social Security card ready. This has been such a valuable learning experience. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge and personal stories - you've transformed what seemed like an impossible bureaucratic maze into something much more manageable!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to thank everyone for this incredibly informative discussion! I'm 62 and just beginning my Social Security application process, and like so many others here, I was completely confused by the children section. I have three adult children (ages 25, 28, and 31) and a 9-year-old from my current relationship. Reading through all these responses has been so educational - I had absolutely no idea that minor children could receive benefits when a parent starts collecting Social Security! The fact that my 9-year-old could potentially get up to 50% of my primary insurance amount is wonderful news and would really help with his school expenses and activities. It's both frustrating and comforting to see how many people have struggled with the same unclear wording on these SSA forms. Based on everyone's shared experiences, I now understand I should only list my 9-year-old and have his birth certificate and Social Security card ready for the application process. This community has been such a valuable resource for navigating what initially seemed like an overwhelming government bureaucracy. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their real-world experiences and knowledge - you've made this process so much less intimidating for newcomers like me!