Social Security still depositing benefits after sister's death - how long until they stop payments?

This is definitely concerning. Social Security should stop payments almost immediately after receiving a death report. Those funds will need to be returned to SSA. The payments made for the month of death and any after are not payable - they'll eventually ask for all that money back. Did you receive an official receipt or confirmation number when you reported her death? Without that, they might not have properly recorded it in their system.

went thru this when my dad died last year. they kept paying for like 3 months after! then we got a letter saying we owed everything back. funeral home was supposed to report it but guess they didnt. big mess.

You need to take action immediately. Here's what to do: 1. DO NOT SPEND those funds - they will be reclaimed by SSA 2. Contact your local Social Security office again to verify they received the death report 3. Ask for a receipt number this time 4. If your sister was receiving direct deposit, contact her bank to inform them about the situation SSA's death reporting system should respond within 30-45 days maximum. The fact that payments continue after several months indicates the death report wasn't properly processed. Also, remember that benefits are paid in arrears - the June payment received in July was actually for May, so that one might be legitimate depending on her exact date of death.

I had the same problem when my husband passed last year. I reported his death immediately but they continued payments for 2 more months. The key is to DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. You need to call again and get a confirmation number for the death report. They will eventually send a notice of overpayment and you'll need to return all funds received after the month of death. They do offer payment plans if the full amount can't be returned at once, but interest may accrue depending on the circumstances. Don't spend any of that money!

sorry bout ur sister passing. when my aunt died last year her husband just kept the money and never told SS. now hes in big trouble with them. dont do that!

Have you tried using Claimyr to reach Social Security? I was in a similar situation and was getting nowhere after hours on hold. I found this service at claimyr.com that got me connected to a real SSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It was honestly worth it because I finally got a confirmation number for my mom's death report and they explained exactly what would happen with the overpayments. The agent even noted my account that I had been trying to report it for weeks.

One more thing to consider - if your sister was receiving Social Security benefits, someone in the family might be eligible for a one-time death benefit of $255. It's not much, but it's something. Usually goes to the surviving spouse or dependent children. You should ask about this when you finally reach someone at SSA.

The SSA is COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED right now!!! I worked 30+ years in benefits admin and I've never seen it this bad. Here's what happens: when someone dies, funeral homes are supposed to notify SSA through their electronic system. But then SSA has to match that to their records and manually stop payments. With staffing shortages, this can take MONTHS now instead of days. You MUST keep calling until you get confirmation that they've processed the death certificate and stopped payments. And DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!

Thank you everyone for the helpful advice. I'm going to try calling again tomorrow and will not give up until I get a confirmation number. I'll also make sure my brother-in-law knows not to touch any of those funds. I really appreciate all your experiences and suggestions during this difficult time.

I'm so sorry for your loss. This is unfortunately a common issue right now. When my grandmother passed away last year, we had a similar experience - SSA continued payments for about 4 months despite multiple reports of her death. Here's what I learned: SSA has been severely understaffed and their death reporting system has major delays. The payments you're seeing are considered "overpayments" and yes, they will eventually demand every penny back. However, they typically don't charge interest if you cooperate and return the funds promptly once they officially notify you. My advice: 1) Keep detailed records of every attempt to contact them, 2) Try visiting your local SSA office in person with the death certificate - this often works better than calling, 3) Set aside all those benefit payments in a separate account so you're ready to return them when asked. The good news is they usually offer payment plans if returning everything at once would cause financial hardship. Hang in there - this bureaucratic nightmare will eventually get resolved.

I went through this exact situation when my father passed away two years ago. The SSA kept depositing his benefits for nearly 6 months despite multiple death reports! What finally worked was going to the local SSA office in person with his death certificate, my ID, and a written timeline of all my previous attempts to report his death. The key things I learned: 1) Always ask for a receipt number when reporting a death - if they can't provide one, the report likely wasn't processed, 2) Keep a detailed log of every phone call, date, time, and who you spoke with, 3) Don't touch those funds - put them in a separate savings account immediately. When SSA finally caught up, they sent an overpayment notice for about $8,000. I was terrified, but they were actually pretty reasonable. They let me return it over 12 months with no interest since I had documented proof I'd been trying to report the death for months. The agent even apologized for their system failures. One tip: if you can get to your local office right when they open (usually 9 AM), you'll avoid the worst of the crowds. Bring multiple copies of everything. Good luck, and I'm sorry for your loss.