Can I keep my deceased father's Social Security payment that arrived same day he died?

I'm sorry for your loss. I went through this last year with my mother. The Social Security payment is for the PREVIOUS month (March payment covers February), so if your father passed on April 15th, he was alive for all of March, meaning he was entitled to that payment. You do NOT need to return it. However, you should report his death to SSA immediately because they will not send any payments for April since he didn't live the entire month.

I dont think your dads neighbor knows what they're talking about!! When my uncle died we had to give back the money that came after he died. But im not sure about money that came ON the day he died. You should definitely call SSA directly and ASK them, thats the only way to be 100% SURE!!

The rule is actually pretty straightforward. Social Security benefits are paid in arrears, meaning the payment you receive in April is for March. Since your father was alive for the entire month of March, that payment belongs to his estate and you do not need to return it. You would only need to return payments that arrive for April or later months. However, there's a different issue to be aware of: there is no death benefit paid for the month in which the person dies, regardless of what day of the month they died. So if he died on April 15th, no payment will be issued for April (which would normally arrive in May). You should contact SSA to report the death as soon as possible to avoid any overpayments. The funeral home usually reports the death, but it's good to follow up.

When my dad died, I couldn't get through to Social Security for WEEKS. Kept calling and calling. The hold times were 2+ hours and sometimes I'd get disconnected after waiting all that time. Super frustrating when you're already dealing with grief.

My condolences for your loss. There's actually a small lump-sum death benefit of $255 you can apply for if you're the surviving spouse or a child eligible for benefits. It's not much but might help a tiny bit with those funeral costs.

Wait im confused about something - if benefits are for the PREVIOUS month, why do they take back the payment when someone dies early in a month? My friend's husband died on the 3rd and they made her give back his payment? This system makes no sense!

Just to add some clarity: Social Security benefits work on a month-of-entitlement basis. To receive benefits for a given month, the beneficiary must be alive for the ENTIRE month. So if your father passed on April 15th: - March payment (received April 15th): This is his and belongs to the estate because he was alive all of March - April payment: He would NOT be entitled to this because he wasn't alive for the entire month of April The funeral director was likely confused or misinformed. That March payment is legitimately part of your father's estate and can be used for funeral expenses.

make sure u save some of that money just in case until everything is sorted out. my aunt spent all the money and then had to come up with it later when ssa wanted it back and it was a whole thing