As students head back to school this week, Social Security says it's an odd connection but there is one between them and the back-to-school season.

An SSA-1372 is a student's statement regarding student attendance. Jack Myers with Social Security indicates children of disabled, retired, or deceased workers can receive monthly benefits until age 18. These benefits can continue until age 19 if your child is still a full-time high school student. If your high school student receives monthly Social Security benefits as a child and will be turning 18 this school year, they need to take action to prevent the stoppage of their benefits at age 18.  

Don't be caught off guard if you are a parent that has a student that will be doing driver's education at some point this year. Myers explains they will most likely need their Social Security card to get their driver’s license so start looking now for that card.  You likely know where it is, but in case you don’t, looking now will give you time to request a replacement before they need it. Social Security gets a lot of calls from parents who realize the day before their planned trip to the DMV that they’ve misplaced their child’s Social Security card.  It will take a few weeks to get a replacement, so it’s best to start that process early if you need to.

If you need to apply for a Social Security card, you can do that online and get the forms online. Myers lays out what you need to do for that process and reminds these forms and process is all free, so do not pay for anything from third party websites. 

If you need a replacement card, you can learn about how to get it at www.ssa.gov. 

Back to the SSA-1372 forms, you should receive an SSA-1372 form in the mail, but if not, you can get one at www.ssa.gov. Complete page 2 and then take page 3 to a school official for certification. Once complete, you can fax or mail the form to your local Social Security office, find it at www.ssa.gov/locator.