My sons father passed away in 2015. He left behind 3 children. They all receive survivors benefits or 1200*3. The oldest child is about to be 18. What happens then? Do the younger 2 then split his share?

Hi,

Not necessarily. First of all, if the 18 year old is still in high school, he could continue to receive benefits until he's 19. Or, if he's disabled, he could continue receiving benefits indefinitely.

If and when the oldest child's benefits do end, however, the remaining 2 children can be paid their maximum surviving child's rate of 75% of their deceased parent's primary insurance amount (PIA). The family maximum benefit (FMB) for survivor benefits is always at least 150% of the deceased worker's PIA, so if only 2 children are eligible for benefits then they can each be paid a full 75% of the PIA.

How much your youngest 2 children's benefits will increase after the oldest child's benefits stop depends on the FMB. The FMB could be anywhere from 150% to 187% of the deceased parent's PIA. If it's 150% in this case, then the youngest children would split the oldest child's benefit when he stops drawing. However, if the FMB is between 150% and 187% of the PIA, then the youngest children's benefits would go up when the oldest child stops drawing, but their increase would amount to less than the oldest child's full benefit amount.

For example, say 3 children are receiving survivor benefits on their father's record. The father's PIA is $1900, and the FMB is $3300. Each child could normally be paid 75% of the PIA, or $1425, but they can't be paid their full benefit because that would exceed the FMB. Instead, each of the 3 children are paid $1100, or one-third of the FMB. If only 1 or 2 children were eligible, they could each be paid their full rate of $1425 since that wouldn't exceed the FMB.

Best, Jerry