What Auxiliary Benefits Are and How They Work

If you receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or have reached full retirement age and begun collecting retirement benefits, your child may receive auxiliary benefits based on your earnings record — even if your child has never worked. These benefits are separate from any benefits your child might receive for their own disability.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) pays auxiliary benefits to your child as long as certain conditions are met: you must be receiving SSDI or retirement benefits, your child must be under age 19 (or up to age 19 if still in high school full-time), or your child must be age 19 or older and disabled before age 22. The amount your child receives is calculated as a percentage of your own benefit amount, typically between 50 and 75 percent depending on how many family members are also collecting on your record.

Auxiliary benefits are not means-tested, which means your household income or assets do not affect whether your child can receive them. However, there are work and earnings limits that explore once your child turns 18 and is no longer in high school.

Key Takeaways

  • Your child can receive auxiliary benefits on your SSDI or retirement record without having worked or having their own disability, as long as you are receiving benefits and your child meets age or disability requirements.
  • A child under 19 (or up to 19 if in high school full-time) automatically qualifies if you are receiving SSDI or retirement benefits; no separate process is needed once you have reported the child to SSA.
  • A child age 19 or older can continue receiving auxiliary benefits if they became disabled before age 22, but SSA will conduct periodic reviews to confirm the disability continues.
  • Once your child turns 18, they face the same earnings limits as adult SSDI beneficiaries: in 2024, earning over $1,550 per month (or $2,590 if blind) can reduce or suspend their benefits for that month.
  • Your child's auxiliary benefit amount is typically 50 percent of your primary insurance amount, but the total paid to all family members on your record cannot exceed 150 to 180 percent of your benefit.

Age and Schooling Requirements for Non-Disabled Children

The simplest path to auxiliary benefits is if your child is under age 19 and not disabled. SSA will pay benefits to any child in this age group as long as you are receiving SSDI or retirement benefits. If your child is still enrolled in high school full-time, benefits can continue until the end of the month in which they turn 19, even if they have already passed their 19th birthday.

You do not need to file a separate process for your child's auxiliary benefits. Once you report your child's birth and Social Security number to SSA — either when you first explore for your own benefits or by contacting your local Social Security office afterward — SSA will begin paying auxiliary benefits automatically in the month your child turns 18 (or when ready if you report them after that age). If your child is still in high school when they turn 19, benefits continue through the end of that month.

The moment your child leaves high school before turning 19, or turns 19 and is no longer in school, their non-disability auxiliary benefits end. If your child becomes disabled before age 22, they may continue receiving benefits under the disabled adult child rules (see the next section).

Disabled Adult Child Benefits: Continuing Past Age 19

If your child becomes disabled before age 22, they can continue receiving auxiliary benefits on your record for life, even after turning 19 and leaving school. The disability must have begun before the month they turn 22 — SSA counts the onset date as the month symptoms first appeared, not the month of diagnosis.

SSA uses the same definition of disability for your child as it does for adult SSDI applicants: a physical or mental condition that prevents substantial work activity and is expected to last at least 12 months or result in death. Your child does not need to have worked to may have access to. The condition can be congenital (present from birth), acquired through injury or illness, or psychiatric.

SSA will review your child's case periodically — typically every one to three years depending on the likelihood that the condition will improve. During a review, SSA may request updated medical records, order a consultative examination, or ask your child to attend an in-person interview. If SSA determines your child is no longer disabled, benefits will end, though SSA must provide notice and an opportunity to request reconsideration before stopping payment.

How the Benefit Amount Is Calculated

Your child's auxiliary benefit is calculated as a percentage of your primary insurance amount (PIA) — the benefit amount SSA determined you were may have access to to at your full retirement age, before any reductions for early claiming. For a non-disabled child under 19, the standard rate is 50 percent of your PIA. For a disabled adult child, the rate is also 50 percent of your PIA.

However, there is a family maximum. The total amount SSA pays to you and all your family members receiving benefits on your record cannot exceed 150 to 180 percent of your PIA (the exact percentage depends on your birth year and the year you became disabled). If multiple children are receiving auxiliary benefits, or if your spouse is also receiving benefits, SSA divides the family maximum among all recipients, and each person's benefit is reduced proportionally.

For example, if your PIA is $2,000 and the family maximum is 175 percent ($3,500), and you are receiving $2,000 while two children are each may have access to to $1,000 (50 percent each), the total would be $4,000 — exceeding the maximum. SSA would reduce each child's benefit so the total equals $3,500. Each child would receive $750 instead of $1,000.

Work and Earnings Limits After Age 18

Once your child turns 18, they become subject to SSDI work and earnings rules. If your child is working or earning income, SSA will count those earnings against their benefit.

In 2024, if your child earns more than $1,550 per month (or $2,590 if blind), SSA will suspend their benefit for that month. This is called the substantial gainful activity (SGA) threshold. The dollar amounts increase each year based on national wage trends. SSA counts wages from employment, net income from self-employment, and certain other forms of earned income; it does not count unearned income such as gifts, inheritances, or investment returns.

Your child also has access to work incentives — rules that allow them to test work without when ready losing benefits. The most common is the trial work period, which allows your child to earn any amount for nine months (not necessarily consecutive) without any reduction in benefits. After the trial work period ends, there is a 36-month period during which benefits are suspended only in months earnings exceed the SGA threshold. These work incentives are the same ones available to SSDI beneficiaries of any age.

Reporting Changes and Avoiding Overpayment

You are responsible for reporting certain changes to SSA that affect your child's benefits. If your child starts working, you must report the job, the employer, and the expected monthly earnings. If your child's disability status changes — for example, if they recover from their condition — you must report that as well. If your child leaves school before turning 19, you should report the date they stopped attending.

Failing to report changes can result in an overpayment, which SSA will ask you to repay. SSA typically discovers unreported work through IRS wage records, which are matched to SSA records annually. If SSA determines you received benefits your child was not may have access to to, it will send a notice explaining the overpayment amount and your options to repay or request a waiver.

You can report changes by calling SSA at 1-800-772-1213, visiting your local Social Security office, or using your online my Social Security account if you have created one. It is better to report changes promptly than to wait for SSA to discover them through other means.

How Auxiliary Benefits Interact with Other Programs

Auxiliary benefits are counted as income for means-tested programs such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition information Program (SNAP). If your child is receiving SSI, the auxiliary benefit will reduce their SSI payment dollar-for-dollar after a small exclusion. However, auxiliary benefits do not affect your child's Medicare coverage — your child becomes may be able to access for Medicare automatically 24 months after becoming may have access to to SSDI benefits (whether their own or auxiliary), regardless of age.

If your child is receiving auxiliary benefits and you are also receiving SSDI, your child's benefits are not affected by your work activity or earnings. Your child's benefits continue as long as they meet the age or disability requirements, even if your own benefits are suspended due to work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to explore for my child's auxiliary benefits, or does SSA start them automatically?

You must report your child to SSA, but you do not file a separate process. Contact your local Social Security office or call 1-800-772-1213 with your child's name, date of birth, and Social Security number. SSA will begin paying auxiliary benefits in the month your child turns 18 (or when ready if you report them after that age), provided you are receiving SSDI or retirement benefits.

What happens to my child's benefits if I die?

Your child's benefits do not end when you die. Instead, they convert to survivor benefits based on your record. The amount and duration depend on your child's age and disability status at the time of your death. Your child should contact SSA when ready to report your death so the transition can be processed.

Can my child receive auxiliary benefits if I am receiving SSDI but have not yet reached full retirement age?

Yes. Auxiliary benefits are available to children of SSDI beneficiaries regardless of the parent's age. You do not have to wait until full retirement age. However, if you are receiving reduced retirement benefits (because you claimed before full retirement age), your child's auxiliary benefit is calculated on your reduced amount, not your full PIA.

If my child is disabled and receiving auxiliary benefits, can they also receive SSI?

Your child can receive both, but the auxiliary benefit reduces the SSI payment. SSA counts the auxiliary benefit as income and reduces SSI by that amount (after a small monthly exclusion). Many disabled children receive a combination of both programs because the total is sometimes higher than either program alone, and SSI provides access to Medicaid in some states.

What if my child turns 19 and is no longer in school — do I need to tell SSA?

Yes. Contact SSA to report the date your child left school. If you do not report it, SSA may continue paying benefits and later demand repayment of the overpayment. You can report by phone, in person, or through your online account.