When someone becomes eligible to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), their family members – i.e. spouses and dependent children – may also be eligible to receive assistance in the form of auxiliary benefits. The amount of these benefits is based on taxes the primary beneficiary paid into Social Security programs while they were employed.
There are a number of requirements family members have to meet before they qualify for auxiliary benefits. For spouses to be eligible for auxiliary benefits, they must be over the age of 62 or be the joint caregiver of children under 16 years of age. It’s important to note that it’s possible for spouses to qualify for benefits even after divorce.
For children to qualify they must be a dependent under the age of 18, or under age 19 if they are enrolled in school full time and unmarried. Children who become disabled before reaching the age of 22 may also receive auxiliary benefits.
