What is this mystery $500 SS check my husband received 6 months after his mother died?

This is most likely the Social Security lump-sum death benefit. It's a one-time payment of $255 that SSA pays to eligible surviving family members. However, it's usually only $255, not $500+, and normally goes to a surviving spouse who was living with the deceased. If there's no eligible spouse, it can go to a child who was receiving benefits on the deceased's record in the month of death. Was your husband receiving any benefits on his mother's record?

we got something similar when my dad died but it was exactly $255 and my mom had to go IN PERSON to the SS office to apply for it with the death certificate and everything. no way they just send it out randomly!

This could actually be a partial month's benefit payment that was due to your mother-in-law before she passed. Sometimes if a beneficiary dies before receiving their final month's payment, SSA will send it to the next of kin. The fact that it's more than $255 makes me think it's not the death benefit. Did your MIL receive SS benefits? The timing is odd though - they usually don't take 6 months to send these kinds of payments.

u should cash it quick b4 they realize they made a mistake lol... jk but seriously SS makes mistakes all the time and then they want the money back with INTEREST even if it was their fault!!

I had the EXACT same thing happen when my father passed. Turns out it was unclaimed benefits that he was entitled to but never received during his life. They calculated that he should have been getting $xx more per month for some reason, and they sent a lump sum to me as his next of kin. Could be something similar. Definitely worth calling to find out what it is exactly.

If you're having trouble reaching someone at SSA by phone (and who isn't these days?), I'd recommend using Claimyr. It's a service that helps you skip the phone queues and connects you directly to an SSA agent. Saved me hours of frustration when dealing with my mom's survivor benefits. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU or just go to claimyr.com. It's seriously worth it for situations like this where you need clarification on an unexpected payment.

Whatever you do, don't spend that money until you know FOR SURE what it's for! My cousin got a mysterious check from SSA after her mom died, cashed it, spent it, and then 8 months later they sent her a letter saying it was an error and she had to repay it. SSA doesn't just "gift" money - every payment has a specific purpose and eligibility criteria. Also, check if your mother-in-law had any pending claims or appeals with SSA at the time of her death. Sometimes when those are resolved posthumously, the payment goes to the next of kin.

did she just start getting SS recently? my aunt got backpay for benefits they shoudlve paid her earlier and when she died some of it came to my cousin

After reading all the comments, I think the most likely explanations are: 1. Underpaid benefits that were calculated after her death 2. Her final month's benefit payment 3. Some form of auxiliary or survivor benefit your husband qualified for The fact that it's $563 rules out the lump-sum death benefit, as that's exactly $255. And the fact it came without paperwork and 6 months later is unusual for any of these scenarios. When you do reach SSA, make sure to have your MIL's SSN, death certificate info, and your husband's ID ready. Ask specifically what type of payment this is and whether there are any more expected. Also confirm if this impacts any benefits your husband might claim in the future.

I work at a local SSA field office and can shed some light on this. The $563 amount and 6-month delay strongly suggests this is either: 1) A retroactive benefit adjustment (like if your MIL was underpaid due to a calculation error that was discovered after death), or 2) A final benefit payment that got delayed in processing. The lump-sum death benefit is always exactly $255, so that's definitely not what this is. Since your husband was her next of kin and she had no surviving spouse, any unpaid benefits would legally go to him. My advice: Don't cash it until you get clarification, but also don't panic - this kind of posthumous payment isn't uncommon. When you call SSA, ask for the "payment explanation" and request they mail you documentation showing what the payment represents. If you can't get through by phone, you can also visit your local field office with the uncashed check and they can look it up immediately.

Just wanted to add another perspective - I'm a financial advisor and see these situations occasionally with clients. Beyond what others have mentioned, this could also be a State-administered supplement that gets processed through SSA. Some states have supplemental payment programs for Social Security recipients, and when someone dies, any unpaid amounts can be forwarded to next of kin. The 6-month delay often happens because these payments have to go through multiple agencies for processing and verification. Definitely get that written explanation from SSA as Ravi suggested - you'll want it for tax purposes too, since depending on what type of payment it is, it might be reportable income for your husband.

I went through something very similar when my grandmother passed last year. We received an unexpected check for $620 about 4 months after her death. It turned out to be a combination of her final month's benefit payment plus a small retroactive adjustment for a COLA increase that hadn't been properly applied to her account. What helped us was bringing the uncashed check directly to our local SSA office along with her death certificate and my dad's ID (as next of kin). They were able to pull up her payment history immediately and show us exactly what the payment represented. The staff there was much more helpful than trying to navigate the phone system. One thing I learned is that SSA has up to 2 years to make these kinds of posthumous adjustments, so the 6-month delay isn't necessarily unusual. They often discover calculation errors or missed payments during their routine account reviews after someone dies. Just make sure you keep good records of everything in case you need them for taxes next year!