How long does it take to receive $255 death benefit from social security

Regular Army: Retired

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How do I get the $255 Social Security death benefit?
Does the Social Security death benefit come automatically?
Do you get a Social Security check for Month of death?
How long does it take for Social Security to take back money after death?

Benefit Fact Sheet

Summary

A one-time payment of $255 can be paid to the surviving Spouse of a deceased Service member if they were living with the deceased, or, if living apart, was receiving certain Social Security benefits on the deceased Service Member's record. If there is no surviving Spouse, the payment is made to Children who are eligible for benefits on the deceased's record in the month of death. If no Spouse or Child meeting these requirements exists, the lump-sum death payment will not be paid.

Eligibility

The deceased Service member must have been either fully insured or currently insured under the Social Security system. Generally, the benefit is paid only to eligible survivors who were already receiving or are eligible to receive immediate monthly benefits derived from the earnings record of the deceased. Former Spouses are not eligible for this benefit. The benefit may not be paid directly to a funeral home. Military duty status at time of death is not a factor in determining eligibility.

Benefit Highlights

Only one beneficiary may receive the Lump Sum Death Benefit. If more than one beneficiary is eligible, such as in the case of multiple eligible Children, the Children would split the $255 lump sum. The current amount of

$255 has not changed since its inception and is not indexed for inflation. Application is made by calling 1-800-772-1213. (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or by visiting your local Social Security office. An appointment is not required, but if you call ahead and schedule one, it may reduce the time you spend waiting to apply.

You can help by being ready to:

Provide any needed documents; and
Answer the questions listed below.

Documents you may need to provide

You may be asked to provide documents to prove eligibility, such as:

A birth certificate or other proof of birth
Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status if you were not born in the United States (More Info)
U.S. military discharge paper(s) if you had military service before 1968
W-2 forms(s) and/or self-employment tax returns for last year; and
A death certificate for the deceased Service member.

Important: Photocopies of W-2 forms or self-employment tax returns are accepted, but only the original of most other documents, such as your birth certificate are accepted. All documents will be returned to you.

Do not delay applying for benefits because you do not have all the documents. The Social Security Office will help you get them.

Additional Information

For more information, please visit the Social Security Lump Sum Death Benefit webpage maintained by the Social Security Administration:
https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/survivors/ifyou.html

For information required when applying for the Lump-Sum Death Benefit:
https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-8.html

Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division:
https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/Casualty%20and%20Mortuary%20Affairs%20Operations%20Division%20(CMAOD)

Document Review Date: 06 June 2022

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U.S. Social Security Administration

Are you the surviving spouse or caregiver for the child of a worker who died? If so, you or the child(ren) may be eligible to get a special lump-sum death payment of $255. To qualify, you or the child(ren) must meet certain conditions.

For more details, visit the If You Are The Survivor page.

In most cases, you can get a lump-sum death payment if you were living in the same household when your spouse died. If you were living apart, you may still qualify for the lump sum death payment if, during the month they died, you met one of the conditions below:

You were already getting benefits on their record. Or
You became eligible for benefits on their record upon their death.

If there's no eligible surviving spouse, a child may get the payment if, during the month the worker died, they met one of the conditions below:

They were already getting benefits on the worker's record. Or
They became eligible for benefits upon the worker's death.

If you or a surviving child does not currently get benefits, you must apply for this payment within two years of the date of death.

Visit the Social Security Contacts page to view all of our contact options. Read “Getting Help from Social Security” on the COVID-19 page to learn about our safety protocols. You can also learn about our online and additional services. This includes free interpreter services.

To learn more about Social Security, visit our Home page or call us:

1-800-772-1213
TTY 1-800-325-0778

Last Updated: 03/15/2022

Parents age 62 or older who received at least one-half support from the deceased can receive benefits. A one-time payment of $255 can be made only to a spouse or child if they meet certain requirements. Survivors must apply for this payment within two years of the date of death.

If the spouse or child was already receiving family benefits on the deceased's record, the death benefit will typically be paid to them automatically once the death is reported to Social Security. If that is not the case, the survivor must apply for the death benefit within two years of the death.

Let us know if a person receiving Social Security benefits dies. We can't pay benefits for the month of death. That means if the person died in July, the check received in August (which is payment for July) must be returned.

If the recipient had her Social Security payment deposited directly into her bank account, the SSA will arrange to withdraw the payment electronically. The bank account must remain open for at least 45 days following notification to the SSA of the death.