Social Security survivor benefits starting date after husband's mid-month passing - will payments begin in October?

First, I'm very sorry for your loss. For survivor benefits, Social Security pays benefits for the month of death, but not for any months after that. So since your husband passed in September, his September payment (which he already received) was payable, but not October. Your survivor benefits would typically start with the month of death, so September would be your first month of eligibility. However, benefits are paid in the month following the month for which they are due. This means your September survivor benefit would be paid in October, your October benefit paid in November, and so on. At your phone appointment, make sure to specify that you want benefits to begin immediately (retroactive to his death). They should be able to process this for you.

sorry about ur husband. dont forget to bring his death certificate to the phone meeting! they always want that and ur marriage certificate too

To clarify what others have said - Social Security doesn't prorate benefits for partial months. For the month your husband died, they'll pay his full monthly benefit OR your survivor benefit for that month - whichever is higher - but not both. Since you mentioned he already received his payment, you'll likely start receiving your survivor benefits for October, payable in November. This is because SSA has a rule that a person must survive the entire month to receive benefits for that month. When you speak with the claims representative tomorrow, specifically ask about the "month of death" benefit and when your first payment will arrive. Also, be prepared that they might need to schedule a follow-up appointment once they review all your documents. The whole process can take 2-3 months before payments start flowing regularly.

I went through this last year when my wife passed, and let me tell you, SSA gave me THREE different answers about when payments would start!!!! So frustrating! What ended up happening was I got NO payment for the month she died (April) and then my survivor benefits started the NEXT month (May) but weren't paid until June. The death benefit is separate - that's the one-time $255 payment they give you if you were living together. Make sure you ask about that too!

I just went through this process a few months ago. Between the confusing explanations and the ENDLESS hold times trying to reach someone at SSA, I was ready to tear my hair out. After spending 3 days trying to get through on their 800 number, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an SSA agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU As for your actual question - in my case, since my spouse died on the 23rd of the month and had already received his benefits for that month, my survivor benefits started the FOLLOWING month. Everything depends on whether your husband's September payment was already issued before he passed.

congrats on geting a appointment so fast! my mom waited 3 months!!! make sure they tell you about the lump sum death benefit too its not much but its something

Update after my appointment: The SSA representative explained that since my husband already received his September payment before he passed, I'll start receiving my survivor benefits for October (paid in November). There's no payment for the partial month of September. She did process the $255 death benefit which should arrive in 2-3 weeks. Thanks everyone for your help - the appointment went much smoother because I knew what questions to ask!

i think everyone here is making this way more complicated than it needs to be!!! i got survivers benifits when my husband died and they just told me when i wuold get paid. you'll find out tomorrow anyway so why stress about it tonight?

Glad your appointment went well! One thing to keep in mind is that survivor benefits have an earnings limit if you're under full retirement age and still working. For 2025, you can earn up to $22,320 without any reduction in benefits. Above that, they reduce your benefits by $1 for every $2 you earn over the limit. Make sure to report your expected earnings accurately to avoid overpayments that you'd have to pay back later.