Social Security dependent benefits for my teen son - can he collect if I delay my retirement benefits?

Yes, your child can receive benefits on your record even if you're not collecting retirement benefits yourself! You need to file for retirement benefits but then immediately request "suspension" of your own benefits. This allows your son to receive his dependent benefits (generally 50% of your PIA) while you continue to earn delayed retirement credits until 70. This is sometimes called "file and suspend." Your son's benefits will continue until he graduates high school or turns 19, whichever comes first.

My sister tried 2 do this last year and they told her wrong info 3 times!!! Make sure u talk to someone who ACTUALLY knows the rules not just the first person who answers!!

The previous advice is not entirely accurate. The "file and suspend" strategy was largely eliminated by Congress in 2015 through the Bipartisan Budget Act. However, what you can do is file for your retirement benefits now, which will allow your son to collect dependent benefits (up to 50% of your PIA). Yes, this means you'll start receiving your retirement benefits earlier than planned, but given that your son will receive benefits for almost 3 years, the combined total might offset the reduction from claiming early. Alternatively, if your son's other parent is deceased, disabled, or retirement-eligible, he might qualify for benefits on that record instead, which would allow you to delay your own benefits as planned. This gets complicated quickly and depends on your specific family situation.

I dealt with almost this exact situation last year. Here's what worked for me - I found that calling Social Security was IMPOSSIBLE. I kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real SSA agent in about 20 minutes. They have this system that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. There's a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I finally got through to someone knowledgeable, they explained all my options clearly. In my case, I did have to start taking my benefits for my son to get his, but at least I was able to make an informed decision after talking to a real person. The peace of mind was worth it.

Uhhhh the people giving advice here are WRONG! My neighbor works for SSA and says you MUST be collecting your benefits for your kid to get anything. There is NO WAY to delay yours and still get child benefits, that loophole got closed years ago!!! The ONLY exception is survivor benefits if the other parent died.

so sorry about your confusion with all this! i went through something similar with my grandson (raising him) and the rules are super confusing. hoping you figure it out!! social security people were actually nice when i finally got to talk to someone in person at the office

Just wanted to add that if you do have to claim early (before 70), the reduction to your benefit isn't as bad as it seems at first glance since you're already at FRA. You'd only be giving up the delayed credits (8% per year), not taking an early reduction. And your son getting 50% of your PIA for 3 years might make up for it financially in the long run. But each situation is unique so definitely get official advice from SSA.

One more thing to consider: Even if you start your retirement benefits now, your son's benefits won't affect your own benefit amount. His payments come on top of yours, not out of your share. And remember, if he's still in high school, he can receive benefits until he graduates or turns 19, whichever comes first. But they won't continue through college unless he becomes disabled before 22.

my friend says if u go to the SS office in person instead of calling u can get better answers faster!!! worth a try

After reading through all these comments, I want to clarify: The most accurate approach is to contact SSA directly for your specific situation. The rules around dependent benefits are complex and have changed over the years. What was true pre-2015 is different now, and what works for one family might not apply to another based on various factors including age, disability status, and family composition. Document everything when you speak with them, including the name of the representative, date and time, and what you were told.