Eligibility

• If your child’s father is retired, collecting Social Security and providing more than half of his child’s support, the child is also eligible to receive benefits until she turns 18. If she enrolls in college, the Social Security administration extends that benefit until age 19. If your child marries while still receiving benefits, her benefits will end.
  
  

Benefits Amount

• The primary insurance amount, or PIA, is the amount of projected Social Security benefits an individual can expect to receive each month. How much you earned and contributed to the Social Security program during your working years determines your PIA. A minor child can receive up to half of his retired father’s PIA. If the child’s father opted for early retirement, he receives less than his PIA each month. The child, however, can still draw up to 50 percent of the full PIA benefit.
  
  

Considerations

• Your child isn’t the only one eligible for benefits when her father retires – you may qualify for benefits as well. You can apply for Social Security benefits based on your status as the child’s primary caregiver even if you have not yet reached retirement age or you were never married to the child’s father. You lose these benefits when your child turns 16.
  
  If you and the child’s father are currently married or your marriage to your child’s father lasted longer than 10 years, you qualify for benefits based on your marriage to your former spouse – regardless of whether your child receives them. When you reach retirement age, you have the option to either continue drawing benefits based on your former spouse’s work history or to draw benefits based on your own work history.
  
  

Disabled Children

• Children with a physical or mental disability can continue receiving Social Security beyond age 18, provided the disability appeared before age 22. Disabled children are eligible for Social Security benefits independent of any benefits their parents receive. Thus, if your child suffers from a physical or mental handicap, he can draw Social Security benefits before you or the child’s father becomes eligible for retirement benefits.