Information You'll Need When You Apply for Mother's or Father's Benefits

Introduction

Whether it’s by phone or in person, we want your visit to go as smoothly as possible. You can help by being ready to answer the following questions and having as many of the needed documents as possible. Don’t delay filing your claim just because you don’t have all the documents. We’ll help you get them.

When you apply for mother's or father's benefits, we will ask you:

Your name and social security number;
The deceased worker's name, gender and social security number;
Your name at birth (if different);
Your date of birth and place of birth (State or foreign country);
Whether you or anyone else has ever filed for Social Security benefits, Medicare or Supplemental Security Income on your behalf (if so, we will also ask for information on whose Social Security record you applied);
Whether you have ever worked for the railroad industry;
Whether you have been unable to work because of illnesses, injuries or conditions at any time within the past 14 months (if "Yes," we will also ask when you became unable to work)
Whether the worker has a surviving parent who was dependent on the worker for 1/2 of his or her support at the time of the worker's death;
Whether you have earned social security credits under another country's social security system;
Whether you qualified for or expect to receive a pension or annuity based on your own employment with the Federal government of the United States or one of its States or local subdivisions;
The names, dates of birth (or age) and social security numbers (if known) of any of your or the worker's former spouses;
The dates of each of your marriages and, for marriages that have ended, how and when they ended;
The dates of each of the worker's marriages and how and when they ended
The names of any unmarried children under 16 or disabled in your care;
The amount of your earnings for this year, last year and next year; and
Whether you and the deceased worker were living together at the time of death.

Depending on the information you provide, we may need to ask other questions.

You also should bring along your checkbook or other papers that show your account number at a bank, credit union or other financial institution so you can sign up for Direct Deposit, and avoid worries about lost or stolen checks and mail delays.