338.Amount of Child's Insurance Benefit

338.1How is the child's monthly benefit amount determined?

A child's monthly benefit rate is:

1. One-half the insured parent's primary insurance amount if the parent is entitled to disability or retirement insurance benefits (see §302); or

2. Three-fourths of the parent's primary insurance amount if the parent is dead.

338.2When is the child's benefit amount less?

The benefit paid to a child may be less if:

1. The “family maximum” applies and the benefit rate must be reduced (see §§731-732); or

2. A disabled “child” is entitled to disability or retirement insurance benefits on his or her own Social Security record. In this case, only the amount by which the child's monthly benefit rate exceeds the retirement or disability insurance benefit is paid as the child's insurance benefit.

(See §§733-737 for the effect of simultaneous entitlement to other Social Security benefits on the child's insurance benefit.)