Social Security Death Benefits

The loss of a family member can be devastating, both emotionally and financially.  Social Security is meant to be a survivor program as well as a retirement program.  Most people are aware of Social Security retirement benefits, and many may even be aware that Social Security has disability benefits, but are you aware that there are Social Security death benefits as well?  In this article we will discuss the one-time lump sum death benefit, monthly survivor benefits, who qualifies for survivor benefits, and how to apply for benefits when a family member dies.

One-Time Death Benefit:

You may receive a one time payment of $255 when a family member dies, depending on your relationship to them and how long they have worked.  Generally, only surviving spouses and children of deceased workers qualify for the one-time death benefit.  In addition, the deceased family member must have worked long enough to be insured under Social Security, but it doesn’t matter if they were already collecting Social Security or not.

The death benefit payment is made to the surviving spouse living with the deceased person at the time he/she passed, or if there is no surviving spouse, the payment is made to a child of the deceased person.  Spouses who are not living together when one spouse dies may still receive the death benefit if they were eligible for benefits on the deceased spouse’s earnings in the month the spouse passed.  If there is no surviving spouse or child who qualifies for the payment, then no payment will be made.

This is a one-time, lump sum benefit; however some survivors may qualify for a monthly benefit in addition to the one-time death benefit.  You must apply for the lump-sum death benefit within two years of the family member’s death.

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How to Apply For Social Security

You’re getting ready to retire and you’ve made the decision to start collecting your Social Security retirement benefits.  What’s the next step?  You need to actually apply for your benefits (they aren’t automatic).

Probably one of the most common Social Security questions is how to apply for Social Security benefits.  There are three ways to apply for Social Security:

1.  You can apply online at www.SocialSecurity.gov.  However, at this time you can not apply for Social Security survivor benefits online.

2.  You can call 800-772-1213 to apply for benefits.

3.  Or you can visit an office in person if you want to talk to an employee face to face.  To find the closest office, visit the website at SocialSecurity.gov.

You will need to provide several pieces of information in order for your application to be processed:

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