Social Security and my deceased father, what steps should I take?

Submitted by RhodiaRoad12 t3_10q21r2 in personalfinance

My father passed away last Sunday. My mom has tasked me to call the Social Security Administration to inform them. I've tried google what I should do but the website is confusing for me and I'm not sure which forms I should fill out. It's all new to me. I've been on hold for about 20 minutes but I'm not even sure if I'm on the right topic. Is there a step by step list of what I should do and what forms to fill out.

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meamemg t1_j6nc3hk wrote

I'm sorry you are dealing with this.

Usually the funeral director can help with tasks like this, if you don't have the time or energy.

1-800-772-1213 to report the death.

https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/survivors/ifyou.html has good info on survivor benefits. Things like:

  • Was your dad receiving social security payments yet?
  • Is your mom over 60?
  • Are you or your siblings under 19?

will effect whether you can/should apply for survivor benefits.

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meamemg t1_j6ncbcj wrote

Good advice automod. OP, you can confirm the phone number a the link I included.

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RhodiaRoad12 OP t1_j6ngob3 wrote

Thank you for the info and especially the link. The energy and time is pretty low but the page seems to answer the questions.

- I'm not 100% sure he was receiving benefits.

- My mom is over 60

- No one is under 19

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meamemg t1_j6nhh3g wrote

> My mom is over 60

So the big decision you/she will have to make is when to claim her social security benefits and/or her survivor benefits. She can claim as soon as 60 and as late as 70. The longer she waits the higher the monthly payment is. She also can claim one, then switch to the other. It will depend on how much she has earned over her career versus him, and how much money she has saved up otherwise for what makes the most sense. You'll want to do a bit of research before making a decision because it is generally irrevocable once you decide to claim benefits, so don't rush into it too quickly. (Unless she is over 67, then file the claim for survivor benefits now) There are some good calculators online that can help.

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BowzersMom t1_j6nujd7 wrote

In fact, if she creates an account at ssa.gov she can see what her actual benefit amount will be based on different scenarios.

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Snoo1560 t1_j6nldr8 wrote

I am sorry for your loss. One thing you need to do is get multiple copies of his death certificate. This will help you as you negotiate everything.

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cmc t1_j6ne4ut wrote

Generally, wherever he is now will be issuing a death certificate, which may take some time (I think it took about three weeks for my dad and two weeks for my mom). When the death certificate is issued, his status is updated with social security as well. With my mom, she received an SS payment the day after she passed and a month later, the money was taken back (auto-deposited then auto-debited so we didn't manually do anything, just made sure the money was there so it could be returned)

I would speak to the funeral director or hospital where his body is because in my experience, you don't have to specifically reach out to SS because the whole process moves together.

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RhodiaRoad12 OP t1_j6ngajf wrote

That's good to know, thanks. I had no idea where to turn but it makes sense that the process would be automatic once the death certificate is processed. We've reviewed a death certificate and are expecting copies of it in the coming weeks.

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lucky_ducker t1_j6nknft wrote

My wife passed on a Wednesday morning, the same day of her SSDI direct deposit. The deposit was reversed at 9:00 a.m. Friday morning, and I had to "apply" to receive her final benefit payment several weeks later.

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cmc t1_j6nkrxo wrote

Yeah, we didn't even bother fighting them about it. I honestly didn't know it was an option so we just let it go.

I'm sorry for your loss.

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