Who notifies social security when someone dies?

When someone dies, family members have a lot to deal with, from planning the funeral, managing their grief, to administering the deceased's estate. Amidst the grief, one key task that most families forget to do is to notify Social Security of the death. Social Security requires that a death must be reported immediately after it occurs.

Most of the time, the funeral home notifies Social Security of the death as part of its client services. The family of the deceased person is required to provide the funeral home with the deceased’s details, including their name, Social Security Number, and date of birth. The family can also report the death to Social Security by calling 1-800-772-1213 anytime between Monday to Friday from 8.00 am to 7.00 pm.

Who reports a death to Social Security?

Most funeral homes will report a death to Social Security as part of their client services. Social Security provides a form that funeral homes can use to report a death. The funeral director will need to fill out Form SSA-721 (PDF) and submit it to Social Security.

Funeral homes can also use Electronic Death Registration, a web-based system created by the Vital Statistics office, to report deaths to Social Security with greater accuracy. The funeral home only reports death based on the information provided by the deceased person’s family.

The survivors of the deceased person bear the responsibility of ensuring that Social Security is notified of the beneficiary’s death as soon as possible. They can provide the deceased’s information to the funeral director, or notify Social Security directly by calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213, or by contacting the local Social Security office.

Where Social Security has appointed a representative payee to manage benefits on behalf of a beneficiary, and the beneficiary dies, the representative payee is responsible for reporting the death to Social Security as part of their duty of notifying Social Security of any events that affect the beneficiary.

How long do you have to report a death to Social Security?

When a beneficiary dies, the death must be reported to Social Security as soon as possible. However, Social Security does not provide a specific time limit within which to make the report, but it should be immediately after the death occurs.

If the family of the deceased is unable to make the report, they should provide the deceased’s Social Security Number and other personal information to the funeral director. The funeral director will use the information to report the death to Social Security.

When Social Security is notified of the death, it stops further benefit payments to the deceased’s family. However, if the deceased’s family delays in notifying Social Security, and Social Security pays benefits to the deceased beneficiary, the benefits must be refunded. If the family spends the benefits, they will be considered to have committed a federal crime and potentially warrant a criminal investigation.

What happens if Social Security pays benefits after the beneficiary's death?

If Social Security pays benefits to a beneficiary after death occurred, the survivors of the deceased person must return the money. Typically, Social Security pays benefits in arrears, and benefits for the current month are paid in the following month.

For example, benefits for January are paid in February, while February’s benefits are paid in March, and so on. Therefore, if a beneficiary died in January, and the deceased beneficiary’s account was credited in February, the payment must be refunded. How the payments are refunded depends on how the benefits were paid.

If Social Security paid benefits through direct deposit, contact the bank or other financial institution that received the payment and ask them to refund the payments to Social Security. If Social Security paid benefits by check, you should not cash the check if the payments were made after the beneficiary died. Instead, return the check back to the Social Security address.

When the death is reported and processed, Social Security will pay a one-time lump sum payment of $255 to the surviving spouse or children. This death benefit can be used for any purpose, including funeral expenses.

Do you have to report to Medicare after a beneficiary dies?

If the deceased person was enrolled for Medicare Part A and B, the coverage will be canceled when the beneficiary’s death is reported to Social Security. The deceased’s family won’t be required to make a separate report to Medicare when the death occurs.

If the deceased had a Medicare Part C or Part D, the family won’t be required to report the death. Instead, Medicare will notify Medicare Part C and Part D, and the plan will discontinue the coverage and stop further billing.

If the deceased had enrolled for a Medicare Supplement insurance plan, the deceased’s family will be required to report the death to the plan. You can contact the plan by phone using the contact details indicated on the deceased person’s insurance card.

Who gets benefits on the deceased’s record?

If the deceased beneficiary had earned enough work credits to be eligible for Social Security benefits, some family members may be eligible for survivor benefits.

A surviving spouse or surviving ex-spouse may be eligible for benefits on the deceased person’s work record. He/she will need to call Social Security or schedule an appointment at the local Social Security office to apply for survivor benefits. The surviving spouse can claim benefits starting from age 60, or 50 if they are disabled. If the widow or widower is caring for the deceased spouse’s minor child under age 16, he/she can claim benefits at any age.

A minor child of the deceased person can claim survivor benefits on the deceased's work record. The child must be younger than 18, or 19 if they are a full-time student in an elementary or secondary school. Also, an unmarried disabled child who became disabled before age 22 may be eligible for survivor benefits. Additionally, an adopted child, grandchild, stepchild, or step-grandchild may be eligible for benefits under certain circumstances.

Parents of the deceased beneficiary may also be eligible for survivor benefits. The parents must be receiving at least half of their support from the deceased beneficiary. They must be at least age 62 or older to start claiming survivor benefits on the deceased’s earnings record.