Social Security survivor benefits for kids - does amount change as each child ages out?

I'm sorry you're having to think about this scenario. To answer your questions: 1. Each child would be eligible to receive up to 75% of your wife's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is the benefit she would receive at full retirement age. 2. However, there's a Family Maximum Benefit (FMB) that caps the total amount all survivors can receive. It's typically between 150% and 180% of the worker's benefit. 3. When your oldest turns 18 (or 19 if still in high school), their benefits stop, and the remaining amount gets redistributed among eligible children, but still subject to that family maximum cap. 4. You as a spouse could also be eligible for benefits if you're caring for children under 16. You can create a my Social Security account for your wife at ssa.gov to see her estimated survivor benefits. This will help you calculate the gap you might need to fill with additional life insurance.

my neighbors kids got ss survivors when he passed away last year but they only got about $1100 each not the full amount of what he wouldve gotten. theres some kind of family limit they hit. also they had to go into the ss office with birth certificates and everything it was a huge hassle

The Family Maximum Benefit formula is complicated, but it's roughly 150-180% of the deceased worker's benefit. So if your wife would have received $3,000/month at her full retirement age, the total survivors in your family might be capped around $4,500-$5,400 combined. When your oldest ages out at 18, the amount DOES get recalculated and redistributed to the remaining eligible children, but still subject to that family maximum. So the younger children would likely receive more, up to their individual 75% of PIA limit. I would definitely recommend getting a much larger term policy. SS benefits are helpful but likely won't replace your wife's full income, especially considering the family maximum cap. Most financial advisors recommend 10-15x annual income for life insurance coverage.

I had to deal with this exact situation when my husband passed in 2022. The family maximum is the main thing you need to understand - it really limits what each child gets. In my case, with 3 kids, each one received about 55% of what my husband's full benefit would have been, rather than the 75% maximum, because we hit the family cap. When my oldest turned 18 last year, the benefit DID get recalculated and the two younger ones now get slightly more. I've been calling Social Security regularly to understand all this, and honestly, the wait times are ridiculous. I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that gets you through to a real SSA agent quickly - saved me hours of hold time. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. It was so helpful when I needed to sort out issues with my kids' payments.

How much is your wife's income? Because if its alot you defiantly need more insurence. My brother died and his wife only had like a 100k policy and it was GONE within 2 years on bills and mortgage and stuff. The SS helps but its not enuff to live on trust me!!

To answer your follow-up question - the family maximum benefit varies based on your wife's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). It's calculated using a formula: - 150% of the first $1,470 of PIA - Plus 272% of PIA between $1,470 and $2,118 - Plus 134% of PIA between $2,118 and $2,767 - Plus 175% of PIA over $2,767 These numbers adjust annually with COLA increases. That's why the general rule of thumb is 150-180% of the worker's benefit. With your wife earning $85k/year, I would strongly recommend increasing her term life insurance to at least $850k-$1.2M. Social Security benefits will help, but they're designed to be supplemental, not to fully replace lost income.

my sister gets survivors for her 2 kids and she says you gotta watch the annual earnings limit too if you're under fra and working while getting benefits for taking care of kids. she almost had to pay back a bunch cuz she went over by accident

DONT TRUST THESE CALCULATIONS!!! Every time I've called SSA I get a DIFFERENT answer about benefits!! One person says one thing, another says something else. They don't even know their OWN rules half the time!! Just get the biggest life insurance policy you can afford and DONT rely on the government!!

I went through this exact situation when my husband passed away in 2019, leaving me with two young children (ages 8 and 12 at the time). Here's what I learned from experience: The family maximum benefit is indeed the key factor - in our case, it was about 175% of my husband's PIA. Each child received roughly 58% of his benefit amount instead of the theoretical 75% maximum because we hit that family cap. When my older child turned 18 last year, the younger one's benefit DID increase, but only slightly - from about $1,850 to $2,100 per month. The family maximum still applies even with fewer recipients. One thing I wish I had known earlier: if you're caring for children under 16, you can receive spousal survivor benefits too (up to 75% of her PIA), but these also count toward the family maximum. So with you and 3 kids, you'd definitely be hitting that cap. My advice: definitely increase that life insurance policy significantly. At $85k income, you'll want at least $850k-$1M in coverage. The SS benefits help with basic needs, but they won't maintain your current standard of living. Also, create that my Social Security account ASAP to get her exact benefit estimates - it's free and gives you the real numbers to work with for planning.

I'm new to this community but wanted to share some additional considerations for your planning. Beyond the survivor benefits calculations everyone has covered well, don't forget that your children's benefits continue until age 18 (or 19 if still in high school full-time). One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that if any of your children become disabled before age 22, they may be eligible for survivor benefits indefinitely based on your wife's work record. This is something to keep in mind for long-term planning. Also, regarding life insurance - consider getting quotes for both term and permanent policies. While term is typically more affordable for large amounts of coverage, permanent life insurance can provide lifelong protection and may be worth considering for at least a portion of your coverage, especially given your wife's strong earnings history. Themy Social Security account suggestion is spot-on - that will give you the most accurate benefit estimates to base your insurance calculations on. Good luck with your planning, and I hope you never need to use any of this information.

I'm really sorry you're having to plan for such a difficult scenario. As someone who works in financial planning, I want to emphasize a few practical steps you can take right now: First, definitely create that my Social Security account for your wife at ssa.gov - it's free and will give you her actual benefit estimates rather than guessing. This is crucial for accurate planning. Second, when shopping for additional life insurance, consider getting quotes from multiple carriers. At 22 years of work history and presumably good health, your wife should qualify for competitive rates. Don't just focus on the premium cost - look at the financial strength ratings of the insurance companies too. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that survivor benefits are tax-free, while your wife's current income is taxable. So when calculating replacement needs, factor in that the after-tax impact of her $85k salary is probably closer to $65k-70k depending on your tax situation. Also consider that if something happened to your wife, you'd likely have some one-time expenses (funeral, etc.) plus ongoing childcare costs if you're working full-time. These aren't covered by Social Security but would come out of the life insurance proceeds. Given all the variables with the family maximum benefit, I'd lean toward the higher end of coverage recommendations - probably $1M+ in term life insurance to ensure your family maintains financial stability.

As someone who recently went through the Social Security survivor benefits process after losing my spouse, I wanted to add a few practical tips that might help with your planning: When you do create that my Social Security account for your wife, make sure to print out or save screenshots of her benefit estimates. I found it helpful to have these on hand when meeting with insurance agents to calculate coverage gaps. One thing that caught me off guard was that the application process for survivor benefits can take several months. There's often a waiting period before benefits actually start, so having adequate life insurance to cover immediate expenses is crucial. Also, keep detailed records of all your family's important documents (birth certificates, Social Security cards, marriage certificate) in one easily accessible place. When the time comes (hopefully never), having everything organized will make the process much less stressful during an already difficult time. The advice about getting quotes from multiple insurance carriers is spot-on. I'd also suggest asking about any accelerated death benefit riders that might allow access to some of the policy value if your wife becomes terminally ill - it's an extra layer of protection that doesn't cost much to add. Given your wife's strong work history and your family situation, the $1M+ coverage recommendation makes a lot of sense. Better to have more protection than you need than to find yourself with a coverage gap when it matters most.

I'm really sorry you're dealing with this stressful situation, especially after your wife's job loss. Having gone through something similar when we had to reassess our coverage, I wanted to share a few additional thoughts that might help. One thing I learned is that Social Security survivor benefits are adjusted annually for cost-of-living increases (COLA), which helps maintain their value over time. However, life insurance payouts are typically fixed amounts that don't adjust for inflation, so when calculating how much coverage you need, consider what $250k (or whatever amount you choose) will be worth in purchasing power 10-15 years from now. Also, since your wife just lost her employer life insurance, you might want to look into whether she's eligible for COBRA continuation of that coverage, even temporarily, while you shop for new individual policies. Sometimes employer group rates can be competitive for a short transition period. Given that your oldest turns 18 in just two years, you're looking at a relatively short window where all three kids would be receiving benefits simultaneously. This might actually work in your favor for planning purposes - you'll have the maximum family benefit amount for a shorter period, then it drops as each child ages out. The $1M+ coverage recommendations from others here are solid advice. With her $85k income and three kids, you'll want coverage that can replace her income for many years, not just pay off immediate debts.

I'm new to this community but wanted to chime in since I've been researching this exact topic after my own recent job change. One aspect I haven't seen fully addressed is how the survivor benefits interact with any state-specific programs or benefits your family might be eligible for. Also, when you're calculating that insurance coverage gap, don't forget to factor in that Social Security survivor benefits stop when your youngest turns 18 (or 19 if still in high school), but your mortgage and other financial obligations probably won't. That gap period between when survivor benefits end and when you might retire could be significant - potentially 10+ years depending on your age. I've been using some online calculators that factor in inflation, education costs, and other variables to estimate total coverage needs. The numbers definitely support what others are saying about needing significantly more than $250k in coverage. Have you considered splitting the coverage between multiple term policies with different lengths? For example, you might do a large 20-year term to cover the period when kids are home, and a smaller 30-year term to bridge into your own retirement planning. The my Social Security account suggestion everyone keeps mentioning really is the best starting point - those benefit estimates will give you the concrete numbers you need to make informed decisions about coverage amounts.

I'm so sorry you're having to navigate this difficult planning scenario, especially with the added stress of your wife's recent job loss. As someone who has worked with families in similar situations, I wanted to add a perspective that might help with your decision-making. One thing I've noticed is that many people focus heavily on replacing income through insurance, but don't always consider the changing expense structure your family would face. If something happened to your wife, you'd lose her $85k income, but you'd also have reduced expenses in some areas (her commuting costs, work clothes, etc.) while potentially increasing in others (childcare if you work full-time, household help, etc.). The Social Security survivor benefits provide a good foundation - based on her income level, you're probably looking at somewhere around $2,800-3,200 monthly for each child, but subject to that family maximum everyone has mentioned. With three kids plus your potential caregiver benefits, you'd definitely hit the cap. For life insurance, I'd strongly recommend looking at 20-year term policies in the $800k-1.2M range. This covers the period when your kids will be most dependent, and by the time it expires, your youngest will be approaching independence and your own retirement savings should be more substantial. Don't forget to also review and update beneficiaries on all accounts (401k, IRA, bank accounts) while you're doing this planning. These often supersede wills and are frequently overlooked. You're being very responsible by thinking through all of this proactively.