Social Security payment after death - Was my mom's January check for December benefits?
My mom passed away on January 8th, 2025 at age 79. I'm trying to figure out if the Social Security payment that was deposited to her account on January 15th needs to be returned or not. Someone told me that SS payments are for the previous month, so the January payment would actually be for December 2024 when she was still alive. Is this correct? The funeral home said they would notify Social Security about her passing but now I'm worried about what happens with this final payment. Does anyone know the official rule on this? I don't want to get hit with an overpayment notice later.
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Amara Chukwu
You're absolutely correct. Social Security benefits are paid in arrears, which means the payment received in January is for December benefits. Since your mother was alive for all of December, that payment is rightfully hers (and now her estate's). You do NOT need to return that payment. However, she would not be entitled to any payment for January (which would normally arrive in February) since she passed away during January. The SSA's rule is that a person must live through the entire month to receive benefits for that month.
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Liam O'Sullivan
•Thank you so much! That's a huge relief. I was really stressing about this since her checking account is still open and I wasn't sure what to do with that money.
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Giovanni Conti
sorry for your loss... my dad died last year and yes the jan payment is for december so your mom was entitled to it. the funeral home will notify SSA and they'll stop future payments automatically.
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Fatima Al-Hashimi
•This is mostly right but not completely. The funeral home MIGHT notify SSA but it's not guaranteed! When my husband passed, I had to call SSA myself because the funeral home dropped the ball. Better to make sure yourself than assume it's taken care of.
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NeonNova
When my aunt died last month we had to return HER payment but that's because she died on December 28th and then a January payment still came through. The bank actually froze her account when they found out she passed and then the social security office contacted us about returning the funds. I think as long as the person was alive the whole month of December the January payment is legitimately theirs. But I'm not 100% sure!
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Amara Chukwu
•You're correct about the general rule, but there's a key distinction in your aunt's case. Since she passed in December, she wasn't entitled to the full December benefit (which is paid in January). That's why you had to return it. In the original poster's case, their mother was alive all of December, so the January payment (for December) is properly payable.
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Dylan Campbell
I work with elder law, and I can confirm what others have said. Social Security benefits are paid one month behind - the payment received in January 2025 was for December 2024. Since your mother was alive for all of December, that payment belongs to her estate. However, you should be aware of a few things: 1. The payment for January (which would come in February) must be returned if automatically deposited 2. If your mother was receiving a widow's benefit or any other type of benefit besides her own retirement, there might be different rules 3. You should notify SSA directly about her passing, even if the funeral home said they would do it Also, depending on your situation, you may be eligible for a one-time death benefit of $255 if you're her surviving spouse or dependent child.
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Liam O'Sullivan
•Thank you for the detailed explanation. She was getting her own retirement benefits, not widow's benefits. I'll definitely follow up with SSA directly to make sure they know about her passing. Is the $255 death benefit automatic or do I need to apply for it?
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Dylan Campbell
•You need to apply for the death benefit - it's not automatic. You can call SSA directly to both report the death and apply for the death benefit in the same call. Do this sooner rather than later as there's a time limit on claiming the death benefit (generally 2 years, but better to handle it promptly).
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Sofia Hernandez
I've been trying to reach SSA to report my father's death for TWO WEEKS and can't get through! The phone lines are always busy or I get disconnected after waiting for an hour. This is ridiculous! The funeral home said they sent the death certificate but benefits are still being deposited. Anyone know a better way to contact them?
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Dmitry Kuznetsov
•I had the same problem last month trying to report my aunt's death. I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person at SSA in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They basically call SSA for you and then connect you once they reach an agent. I watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU) before trying it. It worked great and saved me so much frustration. Their website is claimyr.com if you want to check it out.
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Sofia Hernandez
•Thanks! I'll try that. I'm desperate at this point - I've been calling every day and can't get through.
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Fatima Al-Hashimi
IMPORTANT! Make sure you don't spend that January money until you're 100% certain you can keep it! The SSA has been known to demand money back months or even YEARS later if they think there was an error. Document everything and maybe even call them to confirm what others here are saying about it being for December. I've seen too many people get hit with surprise overpayment notices.
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Liam O'Sullivan
•That's a good point, thank you. I'll make sure to get something in writing from SSA before I close her account and distribute the funds.
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Giovanni Conti
wait i'm confused about something... if she died on jan 8 does that mean you DO have to return some money? since she wasn't alive the full month?
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Amara Chukwu
•No, that's not how it works. The January 15th payment was for December benefits (when she was alive the entire month). She wouldn't be entitled to the February payment (which would cover January) since she didn't live through all of January. But the payment already received in January is correctly paid since it covers December.
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Liam O'Sullivan
I just wanted to update everyone - I called SSA this morning and confirmed what you all said. The January payment was indeed for December and we don't need to return it. They also confirmed they received the death notification from the funeral home last week. Thanks for all your help and advice!
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Dylan Campbell
•Excellent! I'm glad you got official confirmation. Did you ask about the $255 death benefit while you were on the phone with them?
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Liam O'Sullivan
•Yes! They're sending me the form to apply for it. Apparently as her daughter I am eligible since she wasn't married at the time of her death.
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