Student reporting and Social Security: what students, parents and educators need to know

By: Hillary Hatch, Social Security Public Affairs Specialist

Social Security provides vital benefits to children of retired, disabled, or deceased, or beneficiaries. While payments typically stop at age 18, they can continue for full-time students.

If a student is 18 and still in secondary school (grade 12 or below), benefits generally last until graduation or up to two months after turning 19, whichever occurs first.

Three months before the student’s 18^th birthday, we send an expiration warning notice. Parents and students must act immediately on these instructions to prevent any income disruption.

Action Plan: Form SSA-1372-BK
To maintain eligibility, the student and school must complete Form SSA-1372-BK—including the Advance Notice of Termination of Child’s Benefits and Student’s Statement Regarding School Attendance sections:

• Student: Complete and sign page 2.
• School Official: Verify and certify the details on page 3.
• School Official: Keep pages 4 and 5 (Notice of Cessation) at the school.
• Submission: Mail or deliver certified pages 2 and 3 to the local Social Security office.

You can download the form at www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-1372.pdf. For more information on our children’s benefits, we invite you to download our publication, Benefits for Children, at www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10085.pdf.

School counselors, social workers, and parents play critical roles in tracking deadlines and signing off on attendance. To assist them, we provide a free, downloadable Educator Toolkit perfect for classroom lessons or informational school webinars. It includes:

• Lesson plans and talking points.
• Student infographics and handouts.
• Interactive quiz questions and answers.

We invite you to learn more and download the toolkit at www.ssa.gov/thirdparty/groups/educators.html.

Completing Form SSA-1372-BK accurately and promptly ensures that eligible students maintain their financial support without interruption. Please share this information with students, parents, and teachers in your life.

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