Social Security survivor benefits - still waiting for deceased parent's final check after 2+ years
My mother passed away in May 2023 and I've been trying to get her final Social Security check processed since then. SSA sent me a letter stating she was due a final payment for May 2023 and included instructions on what form to submit (I believe it was the SSA-1724). I completed everything and submitted all the paperwork promptly, but here we are almost 18 months later with absolutely nothing. I've visited our local office twice and all they tell me is "the form has been processed and is pending." No further explanation, no timeline, nothing! Has anyone here successfully received a deceased relative's final SS check? How long did your case take to resolve? I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever see this money. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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CosmicCruiser
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.
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Mateo Hernandez
•Thank you for sharing your experience. I didn't think to ask for a supervisor - that's a great suggestion. Did you have to make a special appointment or could you request the supervisor during a regular visit?
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Aisha Khan
omg the same thing is happening to me!!! my dad passed in 2024 and we STILL haven't gotten his last check. so frustrating!!!
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Ethan Taylor
•This is unfortunately becoming more common. The SSA is severely understaffed and these death benefit claims are getting backlogged. I recommend both of you call the national SSA number and specifically request a "critical payment" status review. Explain that it's been well beyond the normal processing time (which should be 60-90 days max). Be persistent and document everything - get the name of every person you talk to and the date. Sometimes the forms get misplaced in their system and need to be resubmitted.
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Yuki Ito
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.
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Carmen Lopez
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.
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Mateo Hernandez
•Thank you for the suggestion! I'm definitely going to check out that service. The local office has been completely unhelpful and I've given up trying to call directly because I can never get through. Did you have to provide any additional information to the phone agent beyond what was in the original paperwork?
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Carmen Lopez
•Just have your mother's Social Security number, death certificate information, and a copy of the form you submitted (if possible). The phone agent asked me for the approximate date I submitted the original paperwork and which office I submitted it to. Having that information ready helped them track down the status quickly. Good luck!
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Andre Dupont
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!!!!!
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QuantumQuasar
•While I understand your frustration, I don't think it's accurate to say they don't care. The SSA is dealing with a massive backlog and staffing shortages post-COVID. That said, you shouldn't have given up. There's no statute of limitations on claiming these benefits as long as you have the proper documentation. Even now, you could potentially reopen your case. For the original poster: Make sure you're following up with the Payment Center, not just your local field office. The field offices don't process these payments directly - they forward the paperwork to specialized Payment Centers. You can ask your local office for the contact information for the Payment Center handling your region.
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Ethan Taylor
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.
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Mateo Hernandez
•This is incredibly detailed and helpful! I had no idea about the different processing centers or the "dire need" designation. I'll definitely try calling the main number first thing tomorrow morning. Thank you so much for laying out the specific steps and terminology to use - that makes a huge difference.
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Yuki Ito
my neighbor said she got her husbands last check in just 2 months last year so its definitely not the same for everyone
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Aisha Khan
has anyone tried calling their congressperson? my friend did that for disability and it worked!!
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CosmicCruiser
•Yes, Congressional inquiry is often effective when you've exhausted normal channels. Most Congressional offices have staff dedicated to helping constituents with federal agency problems. They can often get answers when individuals can't. Just be sure you've tried working directly with SSA first, documented those attempts, and can clearly explain what steps you've already taken.
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