Form SSA-1372-BK is the Social Security Administration’s “Advance Notice of Termination of Child’s Benefits,” used to certify that a child turning 18 remains a full-time student and can keep receiving survivor or disability benefits. For a homeschool family, the student fills out the attendance pages, the parent-instructor signs the certification page as the school official, and the completed form goes to your local SSA office by mail or in person before the month the child turns 18. Benefits can continue until the student turns 19 or finishes secondary-level education, whichever comes first.1Social Security Administration. Frequently Asked Questions – Students
The SSA usually mails the form to families before the child’s 18th birthday. If it doesn’t arrive, you can download it from the SSA website or pick one up at a local office.2Social Security Administration. SSA-1372-BK – Advance Notice of Termination of Child’s Benefits
What to Gather Before You Start
Have these details in front of you before you begin filling in fields:
- The student’s full legal name as it appears on government-issued ID, and their Social Security number.
- The name and mailing address of your homeschool or umbrella school.
- The student’s current grade level, based on credits completed and curriculum progress rather than age. One high school credit is roughly 120 hours of study in a subject under the widely used Carnegie unit benchmark.3Carnegie Foundation. What Is the Carnegie Unit?
- The expected month and year of graduation.
- The school year being certified (for example, 2025–2026).
The SSA may also ask for evidence that your state’s homeschool requirements are being met. That can include a copy of the notice of intent filed with your school district, records of state-mandated testing, a course list, or an attendance log.4Social Security Administration. POMS RS 00205.275 – Home Schooling Pull those together before you submit so you’re not making a second trip.
Completing the Student’s Pages
Pages two and three of the form are the “Student’s Statement Regarding School Attendance.” The student fills them out. Expect fields for the student’s name, Social Security number, and details about the school’s schedule.
The attendance thresholds matter. The SSA considers a student full-time only if enrolled in a course that lasts at least 13 weeks and is scheduled to attend at least 20 hours per week.1Social Security Administration. Frequently Asked Questions – Students A homeschool schedule that meets both numbers qualifies. If your weekly hours or program length fall below those minimums, the student will not be certified as full-time and benefits will end.
Signing as the School Official
Page four is the “Certification by School Official” section. For a homeschool, the parent who runs the program signs page four as the school official — the SSA’s own policy manual treats the home schooling instructor as the certifying official.4Social Security Administration. POMS RS 00205.275 – Home Schooling If your family is enrolled in an umbrella or cover school, the administrator or principal of that school signs instead, because the umbrella school holds the student’s records and reports attendance.
Whoever signs is attesting that the student is enrolled and meeting the state’s education requirements. The signature carries a perjury declaration; under federal law, making a false statement under penalty of perjury can carry up to five years in prison.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1621 – Perjury Generally That’s a remote scenario for a routine benefits form, but it’s the reason every field needs to be accurate.
Keep pages four and five with the school official after signing. The SSA uses page five later if the student stops attending full-time before benefits would otherwise end.
Submitting the Form
Bring pages two and three, with the school official’s certification, to your local Social Security office, or mail them in the envelope the SSA provides with the form.2Social Security Administration. SSA-1372-BK – Advance Notice of Termination of Child’s Benefits The SSA does not accept SSA-1372-BK through an online upload portal.1Social Security Administration. Frequently Asked Questions – Students
Timing is the part most families get wrong. Submit the form before the month the child turns 18 to avoid a gap in benefits. If you’re mailing it, factor in delivery time and the SSA’s processing time. If your state compliance documents (notice of intent, testing records, course list, or attendance log) are being sent along, include them in the same envelope or bring them to the same appointment.
Why Forms Get Rejected
If the SSA sends the form back, the reason is usually one of a short list of issues. Check each of these before you submit:
- The student’s name on the form doesn’t match their Social Security record or government ID.
- The school official’s signature is missing, or the parent signed a section meant for the student.
- The weekly hours or course length reported fall below the 13-week and 20-hour thresholds.
- State compliance documents the SSA asked for weren’t attached.
A returned form can add weeks to processing, and during that gap benefits may stop. Reading each page top to bottom before mailing is worth the fifteen minutes.
Keeping Copies
Photocopy every page you submit, and hold onto the supporting documents you sent with it: the attendance log, course list, testing records, and any notice of intent filed with the district. Keep homeschool records for at least two years; keep high school records, transcripts, and any notice of intent or declaration filed with state or local officials permanently. If the SSA has follow-up questions, or if the student later needs to prove educational history for college, military enlistment, or licensing, the paperwork is already in one place.
A Note on Other Verification Requests
SSA-1372-BK is specific to Social Security benefits. Other agencies that ask homeschool families for enrollment verification — state DMVs for learner’s permits, state labor departments for work permits, auto insurers for good-student discounts, military recruiters — use their own forms and their own standards. A signed SSA-1372-BK does not substitute for those. If you’re facing more than one verification request in the same year, ask each agency in advance which document it wants and who is authorized to sign it.