What happens to my dad's social security retirement check after he dies?

There are no completely accurate answers on this forum regarding payment timing .
If you don't know all the details of how the SS payment system works , you will need to call SS , deal with the delays and ask about that specific account , as some payments are for the month in which they are paid and some are for the previous month .
Even the link above , although "technically" accurate , does not define what month your payment is for .
Just called on this hours ago and dealt with the 30 minute hold time . Could give the few details that concerned my question , but better you get your own questions answered from the horses mouth .

My mom Passed on Sept 4, her SS benefit went into her bank which was still an individual;l account and they returned it to SS.

From what I am reading here because she received benefits on the third week of the month , that SS will keep that monies ????

oops, I forgot the link. Sorry
https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10008.pdf

This page answers all the questions posted above. Basically, SSA gives an example if a person dies in July, they have to return the August payment. Read it, very informative.

When someone on Social Security dies, Social Security must be alerted so that the person's Social Security can be stopped. Around here last I knew, if the Social Security check came within a certain amount of days before the person died, the the family could keep whatever money was in the account and put it toward funeral expenses.

* If the check came after the recipient died, then it must be returned to Social Security, Social Security will claw the money back out of the account. Check your state laws on Social Security to see what all of the rules are. Ultimately the check will be stopped, but check your state laws to see all of the details about the check, see if your state laws allow you to keep the money that was delivered before the recipient died. Again, check your current state laws very carefully because each state may vary according to their own laws. Stay current on your state laws regarding Social Security. Learn as much as you can

Hi, my father passed this year April 2016, the FH we used handled SS, everything I have no complaints. I closed my fathers bank account after receiving his death certificate from the FH. I now notice that there is a SS payment in his account, is that deposit for March since he passed in April? Because there are no other deposits, my fathers checks came at the end of the month. What should I do about this check? I would like to put it towards the purchase of his headstone. My dad was a real cool dude, and it is his money, I feel he should still be able in some way spend it. Thank you.

Eliane....fl has nothing but parasites here, while your grieving your loved ones SS and the banks are out at the casino spending your dead families money. I never thought ide live to see the day ...this its unreal. all my relatives now look at me and no im rite as soon as the check cashes get the money out of the accts. they are just germy filthy basterds stealing family money.

First, let's be correct on the "Survivor's Benefit" of $255 not $250, and it is paid to the qualifying spouse or dependent child if there is one. Most funeral homes only fax a form called the "Statement of Death by a Funeral Director" to the local SSA office. This form will take the place of the Death Certificate so that when the family notifies SSA , in most cases the form will have already been received and the family will not have to prove the death by providing a death certificate. There is no confirmation between funeral home and SSA as to whether on not the form is received which is why it is advised that the family contact SSA and their bank to report the death. Even though many funeral homes may assume the task of contacting SSA it is still ultimately the responsibility of the next-of-kin to see that it has been properly reported.

My mother passed away on the 24th of the month.she was in a nursing home and they received her ssi check. I am her daughter and poa.she had around 400 dollars left in her account. She also received a check from my stepfathers pension.do I receive this money, if so how do I go about getting it?

My mother passed away on the 24th of the month.she was in a nursing home and they received her ssi check. I am her daughter and poa.she had around 400 dollars left in her account. She also received a check from my stepfathers pension.do I receive this money, if so how do I go about getting it?

Hey, igloo. That's what was funny. J was the deadbeat that couldn't hold job and A was the one "finding his orientation" (yark!). F was my dad who hated her post divorce and probably could have generated electricity by spinning in his grave that she got rated on his doctor's version.

GSA - yeah! Let's hope that middle spouse was Jim had a very high paying job for her to lasso!

Hey Igloo! Biggest thing to remember is that you cannot "stack" social security benefits. The amount may adjust but it's still one person one payment. You don't get Fred and Jim and Albert and your own as ex or widow. Per SSA to my mom who was a serial optimist.

Ah the strategies of being a widow......my understanding is that if you were married more than 1 time & more than 10 years on each, then divorced, when you finally decide to take SS you can choose the SS of the more high income spouse to be your benefit or your own SS. Usually is the later spouse as wages paid less in 1960's - 1980's, so a bigger SS base to pay out on later spouse wages. SS strategy is pretty complex if you can try to go to SSA info seminars or AARP ones before 62 & read up on just what taking early SS (@62) can mean.

Sendme2, I read Selzer question as "can I collect on ex after I remarry". If Selzer gets divorced the SS on ex can come into play again. Since you have to be married 10 years to have an ex calculated into income it's probably less likely to have multiples unless you started early;) given what I've read here and other forums, who knows?

And then, if one is the remarrying type, collecting a social security benefit calculated upon a previous spouse, do you still collect based upon that? Because reporting to SS if one remarries is required by law, I thought. Wouldn't that be some kind of fraud, how many husbands, under how many names can one wife collect????? I guess to unravel this, one wife could collect on her own SS calculated earnings. But on an ex-spouse after she remarries? I'm guessing no.

Guest, However, if you are again divorced, widowed cannot you go to SSA and claim income based upon first husband's calculated income instead of your own?

And, can you choose which spouse to have income calculated upon, as long as you were married the qualifying years ?

When you remarry you lose the ability to claim ex-husband benefits per SSA. As divorced and not remarried after more than 10 years marriage you could file. this is a factor in many seniors deciding not to remarry.

I also have an understanding that Social Security stops when someone dies and that the check must be returned. I've also heard that if it's not returned to social Security and someone else uses it, they can get in serious trouble when Social Security catches up to them and finds out about it

The ex husband I was married to for 12 years died unknown to me on May 27, I remarried June 3. Does anyone know if I can receive ex husbands benefits?

My mom died on February 19th. The funeral home sent notice to the SS that she was deceased along with the date. I signed the paperwork at the funeral home acknowledging this. My name was on my mothers checking and savings acct. It took 6 months before SS contacted the bank to stop the auto deposits of monthly funds and take back all the monies paid to my mother after she passed as well as the monies deposited in February. The funds that were deposited the 3rd of January was the last amt. that she was able to keep.

I'm 74, wife is 68. She receives first husbands death benefit + ss benefit, WilI I get any of her benefits if she dies?

I tried notifying the SS administration on the net that my Mom passed away. couldn't find a way to do it. So I called their 800 number. Waited almost a half hour and no one answered. So I quit trying. How can I let them know Mom's gone?

The next check that ia issued, for this month -- the month in which death occured -- would need to be returned, if the notice of death isn't processed by Social Security before the next paycheck cycle spits the check out.

No, that's incorrect. The check on the 3rd was payment for last month, and since death occurred on the 5th, the money will not need to returned. Social Security does not pay us in advance of the month, they pay at the end of the month. Remember that "end of month" is the date the pay period ends, not necessarily the last calendar day of the month. Some people receive their checks during the week of the month in which the day of month of their birthday falls, For example, if your birthday was on the 20th, your check would be issued around the 20th of each month, So many people wrongly believe they are being paid in advance by SS, when it reality, they are being paid in arrears, like most employers pay their employees -- after the work is done, not before.

Yes. As I've posted before on this site.......You are considered dead the entire month in which you die. The S.S. will sieze the amount they entered on her bank account after they verify her death. If her check appeared in her account on the third of the month, and she died on the fifth, they will retrieve that amount later.

My moms check comes on the 3, I'm her POA I went ahead and paid all her bills which I live with her then she died today the 5 th will S.S. make me pay it all back?

My moms check comes on the 3, I'm her POA I went ahead and paid all her bills which I live with her then she died today the 5 th will S.S. make me pay it all back?

My moms check comes on the 3, I'm her POA I went ahead and paid all her bills which I live with her then she died today the 5 th will S.S. make me pay it all back?

Our s/s checks normally arrive at the bank (direct deposit) on the third 3rd Wed of the month. My wife died on Jan 22, a Thursday and I immediately called s/s office and had Feb check stopped. Now s/s plans to hold almost 1/2 of my check for April !
No mention of why in the letter announcing that just a proclomation that they bwere keeping my money, equal to her check !!!
Anyone recognize this socialist policy??