Social Security survivor benefits when spouse on hospice passes away - will widow keep her higher benefit amount?

I'm so sorry about your father. When the higher-earning spouse passes away, the survivor can receive the higher of: their own benefit OR the deceased spouse's benefit. Since your mom already receives the higher amount, she'll continue to get her own $2,450 monthly payment. There won't be any increase in this situation. Make sure you contact SSA promptly after your father passes to report his death so they stop his payments.

make sure ur mom gets the one-time death benefit too. its only $255 but every bit helps. sorry about ur dad

In my experience, you need to notify Social Security quickly when someone passes. I had to wait on hold for HOURS trying to report my husband's death last year. The funeral home offered to do it, but they made a mistake with his SSN and it caused a huge mess. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a real person at SSA. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me so much stress during an already difficult time.

Your mom might qualify for what's called a Widow's Insurance Benefit, but only if it would be higher than her current benefit. Since her own benefit is already higher than your dad's, she'll simply continue receiving her own retirement benefit. Remember that she should NOT cash any of your father's checks that arrive after his passing - those need to be returned to SSA. Also, if your parents have Medicare premiums deducted from both their benefits, those arrangements might change, so watch for any notices from Medicare.

WHEN MY HUSBAND DIED they TOOK AWAY his check the very next month!!! Make sure your mom has some savings because the SSA is FAST to stop payments but SLOW to start survivor benefits! And don't let your mom spend that money if his check comes in after he passes - THEY WILL WANT IT BACK and even take it from her bank account!!!

Thank you all for the helpful information. I'll make sure to notify SSA promptly when the time comes and will apply for that $255 death benefit too. It's a relief to know Mom will keep her current benefit amount without interruption. I appreciate the warning about not cashing any of Dad's checks that might arrive after his passing - will definitely watch for that. This community has been so supportive during a difficult time.

my mom went thru this last year with my dad...the hospice social worker helped her with all the ss paperwork before he passed which was super helpful maybe ask if they have someone who can assist you?

I'm sorry for what your family is going through. One additional thing to keep in mind - if your mom was receiving spousal benefits based on your dad's record instead of her own work record, the situation would be different. But since she's already receiving her own higher benefit ($2,450 vs $1,750), she'll continue getting that amount. Just make sure when you contact SSA to report the death, you specifically ask them to confirm that her payments will continue uninterrupted. Sometimes there can be brief processing delays, so it's good to get written confirmation of what to expect.