My wife died 10 years ago in a car accident at age 34, and I didn't receive any SS benefit for our two kids, now age 16 and 17. Should I look into benefits I could potentially receive for our kids or is it too late? I'm age 44.

Hi,

No it isn't too late to claim benefits for your children, but you can only get benefits retroactively for up to 6 months so you'll want to look into filing as soon as possible. Children can be eligible for benefits up until they reach age 18, or until age 19 if they are still in high school, or at any age if they became disabled prior to age 22 (https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10085.pdf). Of course, their deceased parent must have paid into Social Security long enough to be insured for survivor benefits.

Also, assuming that your wife paid into Social Security long enough to be insured, you may qualify for widower's benefits in the future. You must be unmarried (or remarried after age 60) and at least age 60 to qualify, though.

Best, Jerry