When you qualify for Social Security disability benefits, your children may also qualify to receive benefits on your record. Your eligible child can be your biological child, adopted child, or stepchild. A dependent grandchild may also qualify.
Be certain that you filed an application for these family benefits when you applied for disability. It happens sometimes that the family application is not activated and this can result in a huge loss of back benefits to family members.
To receive benefits, the child must be unmarried and be:
- under age 18; or
- 18-19 years old and a full-time student (no higher than grade 12); or
- 18 or older and have a disability that started before age 22.
Normally, benefits stop when children reach age 18 unless they are disabled. However, if the child is still a full-time student at a secondary (or elementary) school at age 18, benefits will continue until the child graduates or until two months after the child becomes age 19, whichever is first.