Form SSA-1372-BK is the Social Security student attendance form that keeps benefits paying past a child’s 18th birthday. The student fills out page 2, a school official certifies page 3, and those pages go to the local Social Security field office. Pages 4 and 5 stay with the school. Once processed, monthly benefits continue until the student turns 19 or finishes grade 12, whichever comes first.1Social Security Administration. Frequently Asked Questions – Students
Who Uses This Form
SSA-1372-BK is for a narrow group: children of retired, deceased, or disabled Social Security beneficiaries who are 18 and still attending elementary or secondary school at grade 12 or below. Benefits that would otherwise end at 18 can continue while the student stays enrolled full-time, up to age 19 or high school graduation.1Social Security Administration. Frequently Asked Questions – Students
College doesn’t qualify. Trade school doesn’t qualify. Only elementary and secondary schooling counts, and the form has to be certified by an official at that school.
What Counts as Full-Time Attendance
The certification on page 3 turns on a specific definition of full-time, and it’s worth knowing before the form is signed. To qualify, the student must be enrolled in a course of study that lasts at least 13 weeks, be scheduled to attend at least 20 hours per week, and be carrying a course load the school itself considers full-time for day students.1Social Security Administration. Frequently Asked Questions – Students
Summer break doesn’t cut off benefits automatically. Payments continue through a break of no more than four months if the student was attending full-time right before the break and plans to return immediately after.1Social Security Administration. Frequently Asked Questions – Students
Filling Out the Form
The Student’s Section
Page 2 is the student’s to complete. Expect the usual identifying fields: full legal name spelled as it appears on Social Security records, date of birth, current grade level, and the name and address of the school. The student also reports the expected date of graduation or program completion and confirms whether they are paid by an employer to attend school, since employer-paid attendance can disqualify them.1Social Security Administration. Frequently Asked Questions – Students
Sign and date it. The student’s signature is a statement that the information is true, and this is a federal form; misstatements carry real consequences.
The School Official’s Section
Page 3 is the certification. Bring the form to the school registrar, principal, guidance counselor, or another administrator who has access to enrollment records. That person confirms enrollment, checks the boxes indicating whether the student meets the full-time standard described above, fills in the school’s contact information, and signs.
The official keeps pages 4 and 5. Those pages explain the school’s ongoing role: notifying the Social Security Administration if the student stops attending, drops below full-time, changes schools, or otherwise loses eligibility.2Social Security Administration. How the Process Works
Homeschooled Students
Homeschooling is allowed, but the certification path is longer. The homeschool instructor acts as the school official on the form. The home school program must comply with the education laws of the state where the family lives, and the instructor may need to supply supporting documentation: a certificate of intent to homeschool, standardized test results, a list of courses being taught, and an attendance log.
Benefits will not start until SSA completes a formal determination that the home school satisfies both state law and the federal full-time attendance definition. Expect the review to take longer than a standard certification from a public or private school.3Social Security Administration. Home Schooling
Submitting the Completed Form
Pages 2 and 3, once signed by both the student and the school official, go to the local Social Security field office. The student can bring them in person or mail them. Pages 4 and 5 remain with the school, since that’s the school’s reference copy for its reporting obligations.2Social Security Administration. How the Process Works
Make a photocopy of pages 2 and 3 before you submit them. If there’s any question later about what was filed or when, that copy is the record.
When Benefits Stop
Filing the form once doesn’t lock benefits in through age 19. Payments end the month before the student turns 19, or the first month the student is no longer a full-time elementary or secondary school student, whichever comes first.1Social Security Administration. Frequently Asked Questions – Students
Several other events cut benefits off:
- The student marries.
- The student’s attendance falls below the full-time standard.
- The student is paid by an employer to attend school.
- The student completes grade 12.
Each of these has to be reported. That reporting duty falls on both the student and the school, which is why the school retains pages 4 and 5.2Social Security Administration. How the Process Works
When to File Another SSA-1372-BK
A fresh form is required any time the student changes schools or doesn’t graduate on the schedule shown on the previous certification.1Social Security Administration. Frequently Asked Questions – Students Transferring from one high school to another, moving from a public school to a home school program, or extending into an additional semester because of a delayed graduation all trigger a new certification.
The process is the same the second time: student completes page 2, new school official certifies page 3, pages 2 and 3 go to the local Social Security office, and the new school keeps pages 4 and 5. Waiting to file after a school change risks a gap in payments, since benefits can be interrupted while SSA processes the update.
One boundary worth naming: SSA-1372-BK has nothing to do with getting a driver’s license. State motor vehicle agencies use their own attendance verification forms for minors applying for permits and licenses, and those are separate documents handled by the state, not by Social Security. If you need proof of school attendance for the DMV, ask the school for the state-specific form rather than a copy of the SSA-1372-BK.