Family
The administrative side of a new baby
A short list of time-limited steps, several of which open windows that close.
The birth certificate and the social security number are usually arranged together at the hospital, and both are needed for nearly everything that follows, including adding the child to health cover and claiming tax credits.
A birth is a qualifying event for health coverage, opening a limited enrolment period to add the child. The window is measured in days, and missing it generally means waiting for the next open enrolment.
Leave entitlements differ between the federal unpaid provision, state paid programmes where they exist, and employer policy. Each has its own notice requirement, and these are best confirmed in writing well before the due date.
Beneficiary designations, wills and guardianship arrangements are the ones most often deferred. Nominating a guardian is the single most important document for a family with young children and is straightforward to put in place.
What to do next. Add the child to health cover inside the enrolment window, and nominate a guardian in writing.
studentaid.gov outranks this page. Rules, figures and dates change
between academic years. This is written to help you read the official sources, not to
stand in front of them. Start there.
Nothing here is a determination. We cannot tell you what you qualify
for, and no website can. The programme and the office that runs it decide that, after
you apply.
Still have a question?
Describe what you are trying to work out and a member of the team will answer, or direct you to the office that makes the decision.