Confused about Social Security survivor benefits - Which SS payment can SSA reclaim when parent dies mid-month?
My father passed away on February 18th, 2025 and I'm trying to sort out his Social Security payments. SSA just took back his payment from 2/28/25 through direct deposit reversal, which makes sense. But now I'm confused about his January payment he received on 1/30/25. I just received his 1099-SSA showing only one month's payment for 2025. Is this the payment from 1/30/25 which was technically for February? I'm confused because I thought Social Security benefits were paid one month behind (so January's payment covers December). I read somewhere that the recipient needs to be alive for the entire month to keep that month's payment, but I'm not clear if that means SSA should have also reclaimed his 1/30/25 payment since he didn't live through all of February. The 1/30/25 payment included the 2025 COLA increase, same amount as what was originally deposited on 2/28/25 (before they took it back). I'm trying to figure out if the 1099 is correct or if they made a mistake. Any help sorting this out would be appreciated!
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Dmitry Kuznetsov
I'm sorry for your loss. Let me try to clarify this for you. Social Security benefits are paid in the month following the month they are due. The payment received on January 30, 2025 was for January 2025 (not February). The payment deposited on February 28 that was reclaimed was for February 2025. The rule is that a person must live through the entire month to be entitled to that month's benefit. Since your father passed on February 18, he wasn't entitled to February's benefit (which was paid on 2/28). However, he was alive for all of January, so he was entitled to keep January's payment (received 1/30). The 1099-SSA showing one month's payment for 2025 (January) is correct. Hope this helps clarify things.
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Sofia Hernandez
•Thank you for explaining! So the payment on 1/30 was actually FOR January (not December 2024), and since he lived all of January, we keep that payment. And the payment they took back was February's payment because he didn't live the entire month. That makes sense now. I was getting confused about which month each payment was actually for.
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Ava Thompson
so sorry bout ur dad. when my mom died last year they took back her last payment too and it was SUPER confusing!! the way i understand it SS pays u for the current month not the previous month like some benefits do. so yeah the Jan payment was FOR January. they only claw back the month someone dies if they didn't live the whole month. thats y they took Feb payment back.
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Miguel Ramos
•This is WRONG information! Social Security retirement payments ARE for the previous month. The payment received in January is for December benefits, February payment is for January, etc. Please don't spread misinformation! The reason they took back the February payment is because a beneficiary must live the ENTIRE month to be entitled to that month's payment. OP's father didn't live through all of February, so the payment was reclaimed.
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Zainab Ibrahim
When I handled my aunt's affairs after she passed, I went through a similar situation. Here's how it works: Social Security benefits for retirement (which I assume your father was receiving) are paid in arrears, meaning the payment received in January was actually for December 2024, not January 2025. However, the rule about being alive the entire month still applies. Your father was alive all of January, so he was entitled to January's benefit (which would have been paid on February 28). But since he passed away on February 18, he wasn't alive for the entire month of February, so he wasn't entitled to February's benefit (which would have been paid on March 31). The 1099-SSA showing one month's payment for 2025 is correct because your father was only eligible for January's payment in 2025. The December 2024 payment (received in January 2025) would have been reported on his 2024 1099-SSA. The SSA doesn't make these things easy to understand!
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Sofia Hernandez
•Now I'm confused again. If the January payment was for December 2024 like you're saying, then why would it have the 2025 COLA increase? And if that's the case, shouldn't they have reclaimed the January payment too since that would have been for January (and he didn't live through all of February)? The SSA rep told me they only took back February's payment.
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Dmitry Kuznetsov
•The previous commenter has it partially wrong. Let me clarify: - The COLA increase takes effect with the January payment (received late January 2025) - That January payment is FOR January (not December) - Your father lived all of January, so that payment was correctly kept - He didn't live all of February, so February's payment was correctly reclaimed There's a lot of confusion about this even among people who've dealt with it before. The SSA website states that "Social Security benefits are paid in the month following the month for which they are due." But this doesn't mean they're for the previous month - it means they're paid after the month has completed.
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StarSailor
my condolences! Just went thru this with my mom too. The SS payment you get is for that current month. So the payment on 1/30 was for January. The one on 2/28 was for February. Since he didn't live all of February they took back the Feb payment. It's confusing cuz for a lot of other benefits you get paid for the previous month but SS doesn't work that way for retirement benefits.
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Connor O'Brien
•I've worked on benefit cases for years, and this is getting confusing even for me! Let me try to set the record straight: Social Security retirement benefits are paid in the month they are due, but after the month has completed. So the January payment is FOR January but paid at the end of January. The February payment is FOR February but paid at the end of February. The confusion comes because some people think "paid in arrears" means the payment is for the previous month, but it actually just means they pay after the month is complete (rather than at the beginning). Since your father lived through all of January, that payment was correctly kept. Since he didn't live through all of February, that payment was correctly reclaimed. The 1099-SSA showing one payment for 2025 (January) is accurate.
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Yara Sabbagh
Just went through this nightmare with my husband who passed in October. You would not BELIEVE how much trouble I had getting a straight answer from SSA!!! Kept getting disconnected or waiting 2+ hours on hold. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual SSA agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent explained that SS benefits are for the current month but paid at month's end. So January payment = January benefits. February payment = February benefits. Since your dad didn't live through all of February, they took back that payment. The 1099 showing one month's payment (January) is correct. Hope this helps!
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Sofia Hernandez
•Thanks for sharing that resource. I've been trying to call SSA to confirm but keep getting the busy signal or disconnected. I'll check out that service if I can't get through soon. Glad to hear the 1099 is correct.
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Miguel Ramos
The SSA system is DELIBERATELY CONFUSING! When my father died last year, they took back his last payment AND tried to take additional money claiming an "overpayment" that wasn't real! I had to fight for MONTHS to get it resolved. The payment schedule is intentionally complex so they can reclaim more money. I don't trust that 1099 - check it CAREFULLY against the payments received. And RECORD EVERYTHING when you talk to them because they'll tell you different things each time you call!
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Connor O'Brien
•While the system can definitely be frustrating, the payment schedule actually follows a consistent logic: benefits are paid for the current month, but after the month ends (because you need to live through the entire month to be entitled to that month's payment). The 1099-SSA showing one payment for 2025 (January) is likely correct in this case based on the information provided. If there are concerns about its accuracy, it's certainly worth calling SSA to verify, but the basic principle of benefit payments is being applied correctly here.
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Keisha Johnson
When my wife passed, they actually deposited an extra month's payment that I had to return. The rule is simple: the person must be alive for ALL days of the month to receive that month's benefit. Your father was alive all of January, so the January payment is correct to keep. He wasn't alive all of February, so they correctly reclaimed February's payment. One thing to note: if your father was receiving Social Security, you may be eligible for a one-time death benefit of $255 if you're his spouse or dependent child. Be sure to apply for that if you qualify.
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Sofia Hernandez
•Thank you for mentioning the death benefit. My sister already applied for that since she was handling most of the arrangements. Good to know the 1099 is showing the correct information.
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Ava Thompson
sorry about your dad but count yourself lucky they only took back one month!! when my grandpa died they somehow took back 3 MONTHS of payments and said he wasnt eligible!! took my aunt almost a year to get it fixed and by then we had already paid all his bills from our own money! the whole system is a mess.
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