Will Social Security child benefits be affected if I don't claim them on my tax return but my ex does?

Good news! Tax dependency and Social Security benefits for children are completely separate systems. Your daughter can receive benefits on your record regardless of which parent claims her as a tax dependent. What matters for Social Security is the biological/adoptive relationship, her age (under 18), and your entitlement to benefits. The SSA doesn't even look at tax returns to determine child benefit eligibility.

When I applied for my kids they just needed birth certificates, not tax stuff. The SSA office was super helpful in my case.

Just to expand on what others have said - you'll need to bring: 1. Your daughter's birth certificate (original or certified copy) 2. Your daughter's Social Security card 3. YOUR Social Security card and ID 4. If you have a different last name than your daughter, bring documentation showing relationship (could be divorce decree mentioning children) You'll fill out form SSA-4-BK (Child's Application for Benefits). The benefits will be about 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount, subject to family maximum limits. And remember, since you're filing early at 62, your own benefit amount is reduced, but her benefits aren't affected by your early filing.

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my x claimed are daughter for yrs and i still got the child support payments so its not related i think. social security doesnt care about taxes they just want birth certificate and stuff

Just went through this exact situation last month! My daughter gets benefits on my record but her mom claims her on taxes. No issues at all. The agent didn't even ask about tax filing status during our appointment.

Adding to what everyone else said - just remember that since you're taking benefits early, your daughter's benefits will stop once she turns 18 (or 19 if still in high school). If you had waited until your Full Retirement Age, there wouldn't be any difference in her benefits, just yours. Also, depending on your ex-husband's earnings record, she might actually be eligible for higher benefits on HIS record when he files - children can receive on whichever parent's record provides the highest benefit, regardless of who has custody or claims them for taxes.

Quick question - does anyone know if the child benefits count toward the family maximum? My cousin had some issues with this but I don't remember the details.

Update: I managed to get through to SSA this morning! The agent confirmed what everyone here said - tax dependency has nothing to do with Social Security child benefits. Just wanted to thank everyone for their help and confirm the information was correct. Now I just need to gather her documents and schedule an appointment to apply.

Glad you got confirmation! One last tip - schedule the appointment for AFTER you've submitted your own retirement application. Her benefits are dependent on yours being processed first. You can actually apply for both at the same time, but make sure your retirement application is mentioned first when you schedule the appointment.