Confused about SSA-1724-F4 form for survivor benefits - contradicting instructions about deceased spouse

just skip 2-5! if u lived with him thats all that matters for that question

Actually, this is a common point of confusion on the SSA-1724-F4. The two questions are evaluating different eligibility paths, and you need to answer both independently. For the household question - Yes, you lived together, so initially it tells you to skip 2-5. For the benefit entitlement question - Since you weren't receiving benefits on his record at the time of death (you had your own higher benefit), you would select "No" and technically proceed to item 2. However, the household question takes precedence in the form's logic flow. Since you answered Yes to living in the same household, you should skip items 2-5 regardless of your answer to the benefit entitlement question. The form is designed to establish eligibility through multiple possible paths, and living in the same household at time of death is the most direct qualification path for undisbursed benefits.

I went through this EXACT form last year when my wife passed away. The instructions are terribly written! I remember calling SSA like 5 times and getting different answers each time. Ultimately what worked was skipping 2-5 since we lived together. But make sure you've applied for the survivor benefits separately - that's a different process from this form which is just for any undisbursed benefits from the month of death.

To provide some clarity on the SSA-1724-F4 form: when you lived in the same household as the deceased at the time of death, you automatically qualify as the proper payee for any undispursed benefits under the POMS GN 02301.030 guidelines. That's why the form instructs you to skip items 2-5, as those questions are only needed to establish priority of claim when the surviving spouse wasn't living with the deceased. For your situation, you should: 1. Answer "Yes" to living in the same household 2. Skip items 2-5 as instructed 3. Complete the remainder of the form Your own benefit amount being higher than your spousal benefit isn't relevant to this particular form, which is strictly for claiming any payments that were due to your husband but not paid before his death.

The system is set up to make it as confusing as possible IMO!! My neighbor had this same issue and ended up hiring a lawyer just to get the measly last check which was only like $1500. So ridiculous!

Have you tried calling SSA directly? I know their hold times are crazy, but for something specific like this form question, you really need someone who can look at your exact case details. When I called about my late father's benefits last year, I waited over 2 hours just to speak with someone.

dont stress about the form too much!! when my dad died the SSA lady helped my mom fill everything out at the office. have u tried just going in person?

I want to add one more important note: make sure you're aware that as a widow, you have options regarding when to claim survivor benefits. Since your own benefit is higher right now, you might want to delay claiming survivor benefits until they would be worth more than your current benefit (potentially at your husband's FRA amount plus any delayed retirement credits). The undisbursed benefits form (SSA-1724-F4) is separate from this decision, but many people don't realize they have strategic options with survivor benefits even when their own benefit is currently higher.

I really hate how none of the SSA forms are available to fill out online. It's 2025 and we're still dealing with paper forms and contradictory instructions!!! The whole system needs to be modernized.