Social Security Benefits for Children
Posted on November 30, 2014 by bob in Social Security
With holidays and vacations, December is often considered a time to focus on the children in our lives. Whether we’re taking the kids to visit Santa, buying Hanukkah gifts, or volunteering for a toy drive, children are at the heart of the holiday season. And Social Security definitely knows a thing or two about helping children.
Social Security issues numbers for children, typically during the first weeks or months of their life. For information read Social Security Numbers For Children, available at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs. A child needs a Social Security number if he or she is going to have a bank account, if a relative is buying savings bonds for the child, if the child will have medical coverage, or if the child will receive government services. You’ll also need a Social Security number for a child to claim him or her on your tax returns. Typically, the hospital will ask if you want to apply for a Social Security number for your newborn as part of the birth registration process. This is the easiest and fastest way to apply.
If you wait to apply, you will have to visit a Social Security office and you must:
1. complete an Application For a Social Security Card (Form SS-5);
2. show original documents proving your child’s U.S. citizenship, age, and identity;
3. show documents proving your identity.
A child age 12 or older requesting an original Social Security number must appear in person for the interview, even though a parent or guardian will sign the application on the child’s behalf.
You can imagine the many diverse needs children around the world have. Children in some countries aren’t as
fortunate, and don’t have the strong social safety net we have in the United States. Social Security works to protect the needs of children, particularly if one or both of their parents are disabled, retired, or deceased. These benefits for children provide necessities, and help many minors complete high school. You can learn more by reading Benefits For Children, available at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.
Children with disabilities are among our most vulnerable citizens. Social Security helps those with qualifying disabilities and their families through the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. To qualify for SSI:
1. The child must have a physical or mental condition, or a combination of conditions, resulting in “marked and severe functional limitations.” This means that the condition(s) must severely limit your child’s activities;
2. The child’s condition(s) must be severe, last for at least 12 months, or be expected to result in death. If your child’s condition(s) does not result in “marked and severe limitations”, or does not result in those limitations for at least 12 months, your child will not qualify for SSI;
3. The child must not be working and earning more than $1,090 a month in 2015. (This amount usually changes every year.) If he or she is working and earning that much money, your child will not be eligible for disability benefits.
Learn the details by reading Benefits for Children with Disabilities, available at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.
Visit www.socialsecurity.gov/people/kids to learn more about what Social Security does to care for children. Caring for the next generation is a national priority, during the holidays and all year long.
Kylle’ McKinney, SSA Public Affairs Specialist, can be reached in Montgomery at 866-593-0914, ext. 26265, or by e-mail at kylle.mckinney@ssa.gov.
