Key Points
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The Social Security Administration pays benefits to dependent parents of qualifying deceased workers.
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You must be at least 62, and your child must have been providing at least half your financial support.
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You could get up to 82.5% of the benefit your child would have qualified for at the time of their death.
Ask most people who Social Security benefits help, and they can probably name seniors and people with disabilities. Some may even remember that the program pays benefits to spouses, some ex-spouses, and certain children of retired, disabled, and deceased workers. But there’s one group almost everyone forgets about: parents.
Parents of a deceased worker may qualify for a retirement benefit on their child’s work record. However, you must meet specific criteria to claim this type of Social Security check. Here are three things you need to know if you’re interested in pursuing a parental benefit.
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1. Qualification requirements
Your child must have worked long enough to qualify for Social Security benefits for you to claim a parental benefit based on their work record. If they worked for at least 10 years, there’s a good chance they qualified, and they may still have been eligible with a shorter work history, provided they worked at least 1.5 years of the three years leading up to their death.
You must also be at least 62 years old, and your child must have been providing at least half of your financial support at the time of your death. The parental benefit you qualify for must also be larger than the Social Security retirement or spousal benefit you’re eligible to receive. If it’s not, you’ll receive your retirement or spousal benefit instead.
2. How much you’ll get
Your parental benefit amount will depend on the Social Security benefit your child was eligible for at the time of their death. The larger their benefit, the more money you’ll receive.
It also depends on whether one or both parents are claiming checks on the deceased child’s record. When only one parent is claiming this benefit, they’ll receive 82.5% of the worker’s primary insurance amount (PIA). If both parents are claiming this benefit, they’ll each receive 75% of the worker’s PIA.
3. How to apply
Reach out to the Social Security Administration to see if you qualify for parental benefits and to begin the application process. You’ll need to provide your personal information and Social Security number, and you’ll need your child’s birth and death certificates as well.
If you’re having trouble locating this information, the Social Security Administration may be able to help you track some of it down. This process can take time, though, so it’s best to start as soon as possible if you think you’ll need these benefits to help make ends meet.
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