I'm 65 years old, retired last summer and started collecting social security. I have a 17-year-old son who also started collecting a social security check as a dependent minor. Our checks went to the family checking account. I then had an automatic withdrawal and deposit to a 529 plan in his name that was managed by his mother. He turned 18 this summer and will be a senior in high school. I received a letter from social security stating that since he was turning 18, his check would be mailed directly to him. I had to have the high school fill out paperwork verifying he would be a senior in HS. After trying all day to contact social security (and getting hung up on several times), I finally managed to get through to my local social security office. I asked if I could have his check deposited into a joint savings account that would have his name and my name on it. The agent said that was not allowed. A direct deposit could only go to an account with only his name on it. Can you tell me if the agent was correct? Are we truly not allowed to have a joint account, or must I simply have the account labeled a certain way? I don't want to hand a high school senior a $1200 check each month and argue with him about putting the money in savings for college.

Hi,

What you were apparently told isn't entirely correct. Barring evidence to the contrary, when a child reaches age 18 they are considered by Social Security law to be capable of managing their own benefits. That means that they get to decide how best to use their Social Security benefits. And, even though your son's benefits are paid based on your earnings history, Social Security child benefits belong to the child who qualifies for them.

As is true with any mentally and legally competent adult who receives Social Security benefits, once your son reaches age 18 he could authorize his benefits to be directly deposited to a joint account that shows his name as co-owner of the account (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0202402050). However, you can't make that authorization for him. If your son wishes to have his benefits directly deposited to a joint account then he will need to make the request himself (https://www.ssa.gov/deposit/howtosign.htm).

Best, Jerry