How to prove homeschooled teen qualifies for Social Security student benefits? SSA keeps rejecting forms!

Yes! I went through this exact nightmare last year. The key is getting the right person at SSA who understands homeschool laws in your state. You need to bring: 1. Your homeschool curriculum documentation 2. Any state notification forms you filed (if Texas requires them) 3. A detailed weekly schedule showing at least 20 hours of educational activities 4. A letter explaining how your homeschool functions as a private school under Texas law Make sure on the SSA-1372 that in the school official section, you sign as the administrator of your homeschool. In the name of school section, put something like "[Your Last Name] Family Homeschool" to make it look more official. Don't give up! They MUST accept homeschooling as valid for student benefits, but many SSA employees aren't trained on this specific situation.

my son gets survior benfits too and we homscool. had same problem last year. ssi office kept saying they need an "official" to sign the form. its so annyoing they dont know there own rules!!!! we had to drive 2 hours to a different ss office cuz the first place was useless.

I work with homeschooling families on legal issues, and this is unfortunately common. Social Security Policy Operations Manual System (POMS) section RS 00205.285 specifically addresses homeschooling and student benefits. Print this out and bring it with you: https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0300205285 Key points: - Homeschooled students DO qualify for student benefits - The parent/teacher is considered the school official - You need to show your instruction meets state requirements - You must demonstrate at least 20 hours of weekly instruction Texas has very relaxed homeschool laws, so just document your curriculum and schedule carefully. Be very specific about hours and subjects on the SSA-1372 form.

Same thing happened to us in Georgia!!! Social Security is HORRIBLE about homeschooled kids. We ended up losing 3 months of payments (over $5000!!!) while fighting with them about this. KEEP CALLING and KEEP FIGHTING. They will eventually process it correctly, but you have to be PERSISTENT. We finally got a supervisor who fixed everything, but it took FOREVER. So frustrating how they treat homeschool families like we're trying to commit fraud or something.

Have you tried contacting your states homeschool association? Texas Homeschool Coalition I think? They probably deal with this all the time and might have specific advice for Texas residents.

I had the worst time getting through to anyone at Social Security to help with this exact issue last year. After getting disconnected four times and spending hours on hold, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual person at SSA in about 20 minutes. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I actually talked to someone, I explained the homeschool situation and referenced the POMS guidelines another commenter mentioned. Still took two tries, but we got it straightened out. The phone service made it SO much easier than waiting on hold for hours.

my niece is homeschooled and gets benefits. my sister had to submit 1. attendance records 2. grades 3. curriculum outline. dont give up! your approved in texas as a homeschooler so SS has to accept it they just make it harder than it needs to be.

Just wanted to add - make sure you're specific about the courses she's taking on the form. List actual subjects like "Algebra II" rather than just "Math" and "American Literature" rather than just "English." This helps show it's a legitimate educational program. Also, if she does any dual enrollment with community college courses or online programs, definitely include those details!

And DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! Every phone call, every person you talk to, every form you submit - write it all down with dates and names. I wish I had done this from the beginning with our situation. When you finally get someone helpful, having a detailed timeline of all your attempts makes a huge difference in getting back benefits if they've been incorrectly suspended.

One more important tip: Social Security requires that student benefits recipients be full-time students. For homeschoolers, this means at least 20 hours per week of instruction time. Make sure your documentation clearly shows she meets or exceeds this requirement. Include study time, research projects, field trips, and other educational activities in your hourly calculations.