Social Security Pays Benefits to Children After the Death of a Parent

A person consoling another with their arm around their shoulder.

Repost from Blog.SSA.Gov by Kathleen Romig, Office of the Commissioner

When many people think of Social Security, retirement springs to mind. But did you know that about 2.7 million children receive Social Security? More than half of these children get benefits after the death of a parent who worked and paid Social Security taxes.

In fact, 98 out of 100 children in this country could get Social Security if a working parent dies. In some cases, the child’s surviving parent is eligible for benefits as well.

The death of a parent can have negative financial, health, and educational effects on children, according to research by David Weaver of the University of South Carolina published in Population Review in 2019. When tragedy happens, we can help.

Social Security benefits are very valuable for surviving children and their families. They come from all walks of life and all races and ethnicities, income levels, geographic locations, and more.

Read the full article on the Social Security Matters Blog

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