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A Quick Look at 2025 Changes that Impact Social Security Beneficiaries
As expected each year, January brings a series of Social Security changes that impact participants. There’s really nothing new about these changes…they happen every year, but it’s always good for planning purposes to be sure they’re factored into financial plans for the coming year. The Motley Fool’s Maurie Backman, in a post on their website titled “Gear Up for These 3 Surprising Social Security Changes in 2025,” outlines three of these automatic program changes (spoiler alert – they’re not really surprises, they’re regular annual updates). Check out her post here.
When a child’s parent dies, does the money of survivor benefits just be put into an account until they turn 18, or does the guardian use whatever money needed to help support the child? Is it meant to be used to support the child until 18, and what’s still left at 18 then goes to the survivor?
Maureen
If you are the child’s representative payee, you are able to use whatever money is needed to help support the child. You do not have to save all of it. Then when the child turns 18, if they are still in high school, they will receive a letter from Social Security that they have to complete and return to Social Security for their Social Security benefits to continue until they graduate from high school or turn 19 whichever comes first. When the benefits go into the child’s name that is when Social Security will ask you to return any remaining funds so they may give them to the child. You should keep records of all the money used and what it was used for.
If you haven’t already become their representative payee, you need to contact your local Social Security office and make an appointment to apply to be their representative payee. This usually requires a face-to-face interview.
The following link contains the Guide for Representative Payees: https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10076.pdf
If you have any questions about your situation, please contact our free Social Security Advisory Service at 888-750-2622 or via email at SSAdvisor@amacfoundation.org.
Thanks for your comments.
Sharon Kleczka
Social Security Advisor RSSA/NSSA
The AMAC Foundation
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