Social Security survivor benefits - still waiting for deceased parent's final check after 2+ years

I went through this with my husband who passed in 2023. It took about 8 months to receive his final check, which was much longer than I expected. Have you tried requesting to speak with a supervisor at your local office? When I hit the 6-month mark with no progress, I politely but firmly asked to speak with a manager who was able to find that my paperwork was stuck in a processing queue. Once they flagged it as delayed, I received the payment within 30 days.

omg the same thing is happening to me!!! my dad passed in 2024 and we STILL haven't gotten his last check. so frustrating!!!

after my wife died last year it took 6 months to get her final check. the ssa is just really slow with everything these days. you might have to just keep bugging them about it.

I've been in the exact same situation with my father's final check and finally got it resolved last month. My advice is to stop going to the local office - they often don't have the authority or ability to expedite these claims. Instead, I'd suggest trying Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual SSA agent on the phone. It helped me bypass the endless hold times and disconnections. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I got through to a phone agent, I explained that it had been an unreasonable amount of time, and they were able to locate my father's final payment in their system and release it. The payment arrived about 2 weeks later. Sometimes you just need to reach someone who can actually look into the specific issue rather than giving you a generic response.

When my aunt died I NEVER got her final check!!! They kept saying they were "processing" it but after a year I gave up. The whole system is BROKEN and they DON'T CARE about helping families after someone dies!!!!!

This is happening far too often. Here's what you need to know: 1) The final payment after death typically should be processed within 90 days if all paperwork is in order 2) After 6 months, this is considered a "delayed claim" and qualifies for special handling 3) Local offices don't actually process these payments - they're handled by regional Payment Centers 4) You need to specifically request a "dire need" or "critical case" designation due to the excessive delay I would suggest calling the main SSA number (1-800-772-1213) early in the morning (they open at 8am) and specifically stating that you need to speak with someone about a significantly delayed underpayment for a deceased beneficiary. Use those exact terms. When you get a representative, ask them to check if your form was actually forwarded to the Payment Center and request a follow-up call with a specific timeframe for resolution. If that doesn't work, contact your Congressional representative's office. They have caseworkers who specialize in Social Security issues and can often get results when individuals can't.

my neighbor said she got her husbands last check in just 2 months last year so its definitely not the same for everyone

has anyone tried calling their congressperson? my friend did that for disability and it worked!!

I'm so sorry for your loss and the additional stress this delay is causing. I'm dealing with a similar situation with my grandmother's final check - she passed in September 2023 and we're still waiting. The advice about calling early morning and asking for the Payment Center status is spot on. I finally got through last week using that approach and learned that our paperwork had been sitting in a "pending review" queue for over a year with no action taken. The representative was able to escalate it immediately once I explained the timeline. I'd also recommend keeping a detailed log of every contact attempt - dates, times, representative names, and what they told you. This documentation becomes crucial if you need to escalate to a Congressional inquiry. Don't give up - these payments are legally owed and there's no expiration date on claiming them.

I'm really sorry you're going through this - losing a parent is hard enough without having to deal with bureaucratic delays. I went through something similar when my father passed in early 2023. What finally worked for me was filing a complaint with the SSA's Office of Inspector General online. They have a specific category for "payment delays" and it seems to trigger a different level of review. After I filed the complaint, I received a call within 2 weeks from someone who could actually track down what happened to my case. Turns out the form had been misplaced in their system and needed to be reprocessed. The payment came through about 3 weeks after that call. You can file the complaint at oig.ssa.gov - it's worth trying if the other suggestions don't work out. The whole process shouldn't take this long and you deserve answers about what's causing the delay.

I'm so sorry for your loss and the frustration you're experiencing with this delay. I went through something very similar when my stepfather passed in 2023. After 14 months of getting nowhere with the local office, I finally got results by doing three things simultaneously: 1) Called the main SSA number at 8am sharp and specifically asked to speak with someone about a "delayed underpayment for deceased beneficiary" (using those exact words seems to route you to someone more helpful), 2) Filed a complaint with the SSA Office of Inspector General online at oig.ssa.gov under their "payment delays" category, and 3) Contacted my representative's office to open a Congressional inquiry. The combination of these three approaches finally got someone's attention and I received the payment within 6 weeks. Don't let them keep giving you the runaround - 18 months is completely unreasonable and you have every right to escalate this. Keep detailed records of every interaction and don't give up. These benefits are legally owed to you and there's no time limit on claiming them.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this on top of grieving your mother's loss. This delay is absolutely unacceptable - 18+ months is way beyond any reasonable processing time. I work in elder advocacy and see this issue frequently with SSA death benefits. Here's what I recommend: First, stop relying on your local office - they often lack the authority to resolve payment delays. Instead, call 1-800-772-1213 right at 8am and specifically request to speak with someone about a "delayed underpayment claim for deceased beneficiary." Ask them to check if your SSA-1724 actually made it to the regional Payment Center that processes these claims. Second, file a complaint with the SSA Office of Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov - select "payment processing delays" as your issue type. This often triggers a higher-level review. Finally, contact your Congressional representative's office and request help with a Social Security case - they have staff who specialize in these issues and can often get results when individuals hit bureaucratic walls. Document every interaction with dates, names, and outcomes. Don't give up - this money is legally owed to you and there's no statute of limitations on claiming it.

I'm really sorry for your loss and the additional stress this bureaucratic nightmare is causing. I went through something very similar when my father passed in late 2022 - it took 13 months to finally receive his final check. What ultimately worked for me was a combination approach: I called the main SSA number (1-800-772-1213) at exactly 8am and used the specific phrase "delayed underpayment for deceased beneficiary" which seemed to route me to someone with more authority. I also filed a complaint with the SSA Office of Inspector General online, and simultaneously contacted my congressman's office for a case inquiry. Within about a month of taking all three steps, I finally got a callback from someone who could actually see what was happening with the claim - turns out the paperwork had been sitting in a queue with no action for over 6 months. The payment arrived two weeks after that call. Don't let them keep brushing you off with vague "it's pending" responses. After 18 months, this is completely unacceptable and you have every right to escalate. Keep detailed records of every interaction and don't give up - this money is legally owed to your mother's estate.

I'm so sorry for your loss and the frustration you're experiencing with this unacceptable delay. As someone who works with families navigating SSA benefits, I can tell you that 18+ months is far beyond normal processing times and you have every right to demand action. Here's what I'd recommend: Call 1-800-772-1213 at exactly 8am and use the phrase "delayed underpayment for deceased beneficiary" - this specific terminology helps route you to representatives with actual authority to review payment delays. Ask them to verify your SSA-1724 actually reached the regional Payment Center and hasn't just been sitting in limbo. If the phone route doesn't work within 2 weeks, file a complaint with the SSA Office of Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov under "payment processing delays" - this triggers a different level of review. Finally, contact your Congressional representative's office for a Social Security case inquiry - they have dedicated staff for these issues and can often cut through bureaucratic delays. Document everything with dates, names, and outcomes. Don't let them give you any more vague "it's pending" responses - after 18 months, you deserve specific answers about what's causing the delay and a concrete timeline for resolution. This money is legally owed and there's no expiration date on claiming it.

I'm so sorry for your loss and the incredible frustration you must be feeling after 18+ months of delays. This timeline is absolutely unacceptable for what should be a straightforward final payment. I work as a benefits counselor and unfortunately see this type of delay more frequently than we should. Here's my recommendation for getting this resolved: 1) Call the SSA main line (1-800-772-1213) at exactly 8:00 AM and specifically ask to speak with someone about a "delayed underpayment claim for deceased beneficiary." This exact phrasing seems to route you to representatives with more authority to actually investigate payment delays. 2) When you get through, ask them to verify that your SSA-1724 form actually made it to the regional Payment Center that processes these claims - sometimes forms get stuck at the local office level and never get forwarded. 3) If calling doesn't produce results within 2 weeks, file a complaint with the SSA Office of Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov under their "payment processing delays" category. This often triggers a higher-level review. 4) Consider contacting your Congressional representative's office for a Social Security case inquiry - they have staff who specialize in cutting through bureaucratic delays like this. Keep detailed records of every interaction going forward. After 18+ months, you deserve specific answers about what's causing the delay and a concrete timeline for resolution, not vague "it's pending" responses. Don't give up - this payment is legally owed and there's no time limit on claiming it.

I'm so sorry for your loss and the additional stress this delay is causing during an already difficult time. Your 18+ month wait is absolutely unacceptable - I went through something similar when my grandmother passed in 2022 and it took over a year to resolve. What finally worked was being very persistent with phone calls and using specific language that seems to get better results. I'd recommend calling 1-800-772-1213 right at 8am (they're less busy then) and specifically saying you need help with a "delayed underpayment for deceased beneficiary" - that exact phrasing seems to route you to someone with more authority. Also ask them to confirm your SSA-1724 actually made it to the regional Payment Center, because sometimes forms get stuck at the local office level. If phone calls don't work within a couple weeks, you can file a complaint with the SSA Office of Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov or contact your Congressional representative's office - both can help cut through bureaucratic delays. Keep detailed records of every conversation including dates, names, and what they tell you. Don't give up - this payment is legally owed to your mother's estate and there's no time limit on claiming it. The system is frustrating but it can be resolved with persistence!