The short answer
When someone dies, the funeral home usually reports the death to Social Security if you give it the person's Social Security number; otherwise call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213, because a death cannot be reported online. Benefits are not paid for the month of death, so a payment that arrives for that month must be returned: do not cash the check, and ask the bank to send back a direct deposit. A surviving spouse who lived with the person, or certain children, can receive a one-time payment of $255 if they apply within two years, and the spouse, children and sometimes dependent parents may qualify for monthly survivor benefits. Someone also has to file the person's final federal income tax return, and debts are paid from what the person left behind, not generally by the family, unless a relative co-signed or shared the account.
In the first few days
Very little has to happen in the first days, and most of it is a matter of telling the right people. The funeral home usually reports the death to Social Security, but only if you give it the person's Social Security number, so have that number ready when you make arrangements. If no funeral home is involved, or you are not sure it reported the death, call Social Security yourself at 1-800-772-1213. Social Security cannot take a report of death online.
- Order several certified copies of the death certificate. Banks, insurers, pension plans and the courts each tend to want their own.
- Find the paperwork that names who decides: a will, a trust, or the designation of an executor.
- Secure the home, the car and the mail. Ask the post office to forward mail to whoever is handling the estate.
- Write down every benefit the person received: Social Security, SSI, a pension, veterans benefits, Medicaid, SNAP or housing assistance. Each one needs to be told.
The last payment may have to go back
This is the rule that surprises families most. Social Security does not pay benefits for the month a person dies. Because benefits are paid the month after they are due, the payment that arrives in the month after the death is the one for the month of death, and it has to be returned even if the person died on the last day of the month.
If it came as a paper check, do not cash it. If it came by direct deposit, tell the bank about the death and ask it to return any Social Security funds received for the month of death and later. Keeping those payments creates a debt, and Social Security can recover it from the estate or from benefits paid to survivors. SSI follows its own rules for the month of death, so ask Social Security what applies if the person received SSI.
The $255 payment and monthly survivor benefits
Social Security pays a one-time lump sum of $255 when someone with enough work credits dies. It goes to a surviving spouse who was living with the person, or to a spouse who was already receiving benefits on the person's record. If there is no eligible spouse, a child who was receiving benefits on the record, or who could, may receive it. You must apply within two years of the death.
The larger benefit is monthly. A widow or widower can receive survivor benefits as early as 60, or 50 if disabled, and at any age while caring for the person's child under 16. Unmarried children under 18, or up to 19 if still in high school, and adult children disabled before 22 can also qualify, and in some cases a dependent parent. A divorced spouse can be paid if the marriage lasted at least ten years. Our guide to survivor benefits explains the amounts, and the guide to divorced spouses covers former spouses.
If you already receive benefits on your own record, Social Security may simply pay whichever amount is higher, but it does not always switch you automatically, so ask. Survivor benefits are applied for by phone or at an office, not online.
Tell each program that paid a benefit
Social Security shares death reports with Medicare, so Medicare coverage ends without a separate call. Most other programs need to hear from the family:
- Medicaid and SNAP. If the person lived with others who receive benefits, the household has changed, and the change must be reported within the program's deadline. Our guide to reporting changes lists the usual ones.
- Housing assistance. A public housing agency or voucher program has to recalculate the rent for the remaining household members.
- Pensions and annuities. A pension may stop, or continue at a reduced rate for a surviving spouse who was named for it.
- Life insurance and employer benefits. Contact each insurer and the person's last employer about group life insurance, final pay and retirement accounts.
- Medicaid estate recovery. If the person was 55 or older and received long-term care through Medicaid, the state may seek repayment from the estate; see our guide to estate recovery.
If the person was a veteran, contact the Department of Veterans Affairs as well, because it may help with burial costs and can pay benefits of its own to a surviving spouse or children. A federal civilian or military retirement pension is run by its own agency, so it needs its own notice, and so does any state or local government pension.
The final tax return
Someone has to file the person's final federal income tax return for the year of death, by the usual deadline in April of the following year. A surviving spouse can generally file a joint return for that year, signing as the surviving spouse when no personal representative has been appointed.
If a refund is due and you are not a surviving spouse filing jointly, you may need Form 1310, the statement of a person claiming a refund due a deceased taxpayer. A court-appointed representative who attaches the court certificate usually does not need it on an original return. Keep the person's last few years of returns and records: they show what was reported and make the final return easier to prepare.
Debts, collectors and identity theft
A person's debts are paid from what they left behind, under state law. If the estate cannot cover them, the debts generally go unpaid; family members do not inherit them. You may owe a debt yourself if you co-signed the loan or held a joint account, and in community property states and states with laws on necessary expenses, such as some health care costs, a spouse can be responsible. Being only an authorized user on a credit card does not make you liable.
Debt collectors may contact the executor or a surviving spouse, but they may not claim you are responsible for a debt you do not owe. Be wary of calls that start soon after an obituary appears, especially ones that ask for bank details. Identity thieves also watch for deaths, so ask the three credit bureaus to note the death on the person's file and watch for new accounts. Our guide to benefit scams shows the approaches to expect.
Common questions
Can I report a death to Social Security online?
No. The funeral home usually reports it if you give it the Social Security number. Otherwise call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or visit an office.
Do I have to return the Social Security payment that came after my parent died?
Usually yes. Benefits are not paid for the month of death, and the payment that arrives the following month is the one for that month, so it has to go back. Ask the bank to return a direct deposit, and do not cash a check.
Who can get the $255 death payment?
A surviving spouse who lived with the person, or a spouse already receiving benefits on the record. If there is none, a child who receives or could receive benefits on the record may qualify. Apply within two years.
Am I responsible for my parent's credit card debt?
Generally not. Debts are paid from the estate, and if it runs out they usually go unpaid. You can be liable if you co-signed or shared the account, or under certain state laws for spouses.
Official sources
Take the calls in order
Start with the calls that stop money going out wrongly: Social Security, the bank and each program that paid a benefit. Then turn to the applications that bring money in, beginning with survivor benefits, which can be the largest. The survivor benefits calculator gives a first estimate before you call.
