FATHER DIED IN '69 HE WAS 48 AT TIME OF DEATH.CAN I HIS SON CLAIM HIS SOCIAL SECURITY????? MY FATHER WORKED TWO IF NOT THREE JOBS

Hi,

Social Security taxes that people pay go into a trust fund, not an individual account that can be claimed by an heir. The only way that a surviving family member can collect anything based on what a worker paid into Social Security is if they qualify for survivor benefits. A surviving child of a worker can only qualify for benefits if they are either a) under age 18, b) 18 to 19 and still in high school, or c) they are disabled and became disabled prior to age 22. Therefore, assuming that you're well over age 19, the only way that you could potentially collect benefits from your father's Social Security record is if you're unmarried and you're disabled based on an impairment that began prior to age 22.

Best, Jerry