Determine if your child is eligible for Social Security Benefits
What is SSI?
Under the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, a child from birth to age 18 may receive monthly payments based on disability or blindness if:
- He or she has an impairment or combination of impairments that meets the definition of disability for children and
- the income and resources of the parents and the child are within the allowed limits.
The child must not be doing any “substantial” work, and must have a medical condition that has lasted or is expected either to last for at least 12 months or to result in death.
You will find helpful links to the online forms and the steps you need to take to apply for childhood disability benefits at www.socialsecurity.gov/applyfordisability. At this time, you cannot complete an application for SSI childhood disability online, but you can complete the Child Disability Report Form online. You can also view the Fact Sheet and Checklist in the Child Disability Starter Kit to see what information you will need and the kinds of questions we will ask when you have your disability interview in your local Social Security office or over the phone. The Disability Report asks for information about the child’s conditions or impairments.
How do I apply?
If you are under age 18 or you are applying for disability benefits for a child, you can fill out some of the necessary information online, but you must contact Social Security to complete the application process.
If you have further questions or need to schedule an appointment, call our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY, 1-800-325-0778) between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday Or, you can visit your local office.