Social Security is meant to be a form of protection for working parents and their families. If a parent dies, their children may be entitled to receive benefits to compensate for the financial loss.
Unmarried children may collect benefits after a parent’s death if they are:
Younger than 18
Between the ages of 18 and 19, but are enrolled as full-time students at secondary schools
Ages 18 and older, but have serious disabilities that manifested before they were 22