How do you get the $250 death benefit from social security

Regular Army: Retired

Benefit Fact Sheet

Summary

A one-time payment of $255 can be paid to the surviving Spouse of a deceased Service member if they were living with the deceased, or, if living apart, was receiving certain Social Security benefits on the deceased Service Member's record. If there is no surviving Spouse, the payment is made to Children who are eligible for benefits on the deceased's record in the month of death. If no Spouse or Child meeting these requirements exists, the lump-sum death payment will not be paid.

Eligibility

The deceased Service member must have been either fully insured or currently insured under the Social Security system. Generally, the benefit is paid only to eligible survivors who were already receiving or are eligible to receive immediate monthly benefits derived from the earnings record of the deceased. Former Spouses are not eligible for this benefit. The benefit may not be paid directly to a funeral home. Military duty status at time of death is not a factor in determining eligibility.

Benefit Highlights

Only one beneficiary may receive the Lump Sum Death Benefit. If more than one beneficiary is eligible, such as in the case of multiple eligible Children, the Children would split the $255 lump sum. The current amount of

You can help by being ready to:

• Provide any needed documents; and

• Answer the questions listed below.

Documents you may need to provide

You may be asked to provide documents to prove eligibility, such as:

• A birth certificate or other proof of birth

• Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status if you were not born in the United States (More Info)

• U.S. military discharge paper(s) if you had military service before 1968

• W-2 forms(s) and/or self-employment tax returns for last year; and

• A death certificate for the deceased Service member.

Important: Photocopies of W-2 forms or self-employment tax returns are accepted, but only the original of most other documents, such as your birth certificate are accepted. All documents will be returned to you.

Do not delay applying for benefits because you do not have all the documents. The Social Security Office will help you get them.

Additional Information

For more information, please visit the Social Security Lump Sum Death Benefit webpage maintained by the Social Security Administration:
https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/survivors/ifyou.html

For information required when applying for the Lump-Sum Death Benefit:
https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-8.html

Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division:
https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/Casualty%20and%20Mortuary%20Affairs%20Operations%20Division%20(CMAOD) 

Document Review Date: 06 June 2022

Hector Pertuz | iStock | Getty Images

If you're handling the financial affairs for an older person who has died, you may wonder how the government knows to stop sending Social Security payments.

Or maybe there's a surviving spouse or dependent who is hoping those benefits can continue.

Although Social Security rules can be complicated, the bottom line is that a person's benefits end at death. And for survivors, whether you qualify depends on several factors.

Here's what to know.

Where to start

It's important for the Social Security Administration to be alerted as soon as possible after the person dies.

In most cases, funeral homes notify the government. There's a form available that those businesses use to report the death.

"The person serving as executor [of the estate] or the surviving spouse can also call Social Security," said certified financial planner Peggy Sherman, a lead advisor at Briaud Financial Advisors in College Station, Texas.

Whoever does the reporting should be armed with the decedent's Social Security number.

When payments stop

Be aware that a person is due no Social Security benefits for the month of their death.

"Any benefit that's paid after the month of the person's death needs to be refunded," Sherman said.

With Social Security, each payment received represents the previous month's benefits. So if a person dies in August, the check for that month — which would be paid in September — would need to be returned if received.

More from Portfolio Perspective

If the payment is made by direct deposit, the bank holding the account should be notified so it can return benefits that shouldn't have been delivered.

It may be no surprise that using someone else's benefits after they die is a federal crime, regardless of whether the death was reported or not.

If the SSA receives notice that fraud might be happening, the allegation is reviewed and potentially will warrant a criminal investigation. To combat duplicity, the agency matches records with other government entities to identify unreported deaths.

Benefits for survivors

If a spouse or qualifying dependent already was receiving money based on the deceased's record, the benefit will auto-convert to survivors benefits when the government gets notice of the death, Sherman said.

"For all other cases, the surviving spouse will need to call Social Security and schedule an appointment to apply for survivors benefits," Sherman said. "You cannot do this online."

If the widow or widower has reached their own full retirement age, they can get their deceased spouse's full benefit, Sherman said. They can apply for reduced benefits as early as age 60 (or, generally, age 50 if disabled), in contrast to the standard earliest claiming age of 62.

Meanwhile, if the survivor qualifies for Social Security on their own record, they can switch to their own benefit anytime between ages 62 and 70 if that payment would be more.

An ex-spouse of the decedent also might be able to claim benefits, as long as they meet some specific qualifications.

For minor children of a person who died, benefits also may be available, as well as to a surviving spouse who is caring for the kids.

Finally, upon the death of a Social Security recipient, a surviving spouse (or child) is generally given a lump sum payment of $255.

Does everyone get the $255 death benefit from Social Security?

Who is entitled to claim the Social Security death benefit?

How does Social Security pay when someone dies?

Why does Social Security only pay $255 for burial?