If you are receiving the money to help support the children as part of your immediate family, you are legally able to divide your household expenses (rent or house payment, HOA, security, electric, water, gas, phone, TV, Internet, trash, sewer, groceries,etc.) by the number of people in the household and charge that amount off to each child receiving benefits. Think of it as what another relative or caregiver would do to pay for the children's fair share.

Anything special that is purchased for them is charged off to them. Any special fees paid for child care, school, extra-curricular activities and sports ( including their uniforms and equipment), school lunches, school snacks, school supplies, shoes and clothes, haircare, etc.

Then you also have medical insurance premiums, co-pays, medicine, etc. If you have to pay for gas to have them driven to and from school and other events, that is charged off to them. If you are lucky, you might have something left to save for them.

I do not charge my credit cards, car payments, car insurance, or any personally dedicated accounts to the children, but every other bill that they are part of (as mentioned above), that was paid for by me before I became disabled gets charged off to their fair share. My personal feelings are that BEFORE I became disabled, I tried to give the kids everything they needed and keep them happy and involved in school and other healthy activities, and just because I am disabled, I am not goint to stop doing what I did before, if I have the money. I don't beleive the SSDI family support (children's benefits) was meant to be a savings for their future, but was meant to continue the support they received before disability. If you have money left over after their fair share and personal expenses, by all means save it, but don't short yourself out of fear of an accounting sheet.

I learned the term "fair share" from the social security representative who explained the process to me.