Can a minor receive Social Security benefits? Requirements and maximum amount
Social Security child benefits are funded by the federal government. They are aimed at young people who meet certain requirements at an individual and family level.
Social Security is a federal government program that provides financial support to eligible individuals and their families. Its primary purpose is to provide a safety net for individuals who are retired, disabled, or survivors of deceased workers, and to protect against the financial hardships that can result from these situations.
When one is looking for a job, the government requires that a person have a Social Security number.
One of the groups that are rarely related to Social Security benefits are minors. Young people are usually not eligible to receive such financial support but in specific circumstances, the state also issues payments to people in this specific population group.
The situation of many minors places them in the need to receive financial aid to carry out their studies or to cover basic needs in terms of hygiene, studies, and food, among others. To be able to avail of the assistance, they must request it under a series of guidelines.
Requirements for minors requesting Social Security aid
All minors who enroll in the program for Social Security benefits will have to pass two levels of conditions under which the state believes that their situation makes them qualified to receive financial support. First, the child’s parents need to pass a series of requirements.
Requirements for parents
- They must have worked and earned enough credit on their Social Security.
- They are entitled to Social Security retirement benefits or disability benefits, or they have died.
Next, the individual applying for support is also subject to a series of conditions that would make them eligible to receive aid from the federal government.
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Requirements for minors
- Be under 18 years of age.
- Be between 18 and 19 years old and be a full-time student (no older than 12th grade).
- Be 18 years old or older and have a disability (the disability must have started before age 22).
*In special cases, stepchildren, grandchildren, grandchildren-in-law, or adopted children may also be eligible to receive Social Security benefits.
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Total amounts of benefits
Although the amount to be received depends greatly on the living conditions of the minor, most of the time it is a figure corresponding to 75% of the figure that would be received by the parents in the event of their death or loss of custody.
In the event that the minor is placed in a favorable family environment and without notable setbacks, the amount received will depend greatly on the economic parameters and the conditions that the family shows in these aspects.