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

Here in Florida - when my mom died (widow) the funeral home called the social security office to notify them. They told us they would make notifications as well as get the certified death certificates. She had direct deposit into her savings account and when I went to the bank (about a week after her death) to notify them to take her name off the account - it was a joint account with her name and mine - it was already in their records (from the State and/or SSA) that she had died. Word gets around fast, believe me.

The funeral home has nothing to do with Social Security. If the deceased has a remaining spouse, he/she will receive (upon notificiation to the S.S. office), a check for $250.00. Not only does the deceased receive no more money, the money he received in the month in which he died will be withdrawn from the checking/savings/money market account within 60 days....usually much sooner .
There are no "partial payments." If you die on the 31st of the month, then the entire month is considered the month of death......same thing happens if you die on the first of the month. Since Medicare is billed about one month in advance, and the S.S. benefits are paid one month in arrears, usually on the fourth Wednesday of every month, it shouldn't be a problem.
The Administration will calculate the new benefit due to the remaining spouse, based on the greater amount of the two recipients. Again, a check will be forthcoming on or about the fourth Wednesday of every month, to the remaining spouse, for that month. That's why I said that it is paid about one month in arrears. Example: The entire month of March benefit will arrive on March 28, 2012. if the spouse dies, there's no more money.

N1 - what I said was that often it is the funeral home director that contacts SSA to notify them of the death. They (funeral homes) routinely do this all the time. Most of the time the family is usually too bereaved and preoccupied with the trauma or drama of the death or traveling in for the funeral that contacting SSA is the last thing that one thinks about doing.

If there is not a pre-need done, the funeral home often suggests that the SSA death benefit of $ 250 be used towards funeral/burial expenses. That's about 1/4 of a cremation cost, so a lot of family do this.

Igloo: I respect your opinion tremendously, however I would not let any funeral home touch S.S. funds....no matter what they say. Take the $250.00, and pay the funeral home directly yourself. You have plenty of time to call Social Security...bereavement considered. There's no timeline that I know of. (within reason). Same thing with Life Insurance. I have directed my beneficiaries to take the money. Don't let the insurance company talk you into an Annuity (they love that). Take the money... the whole thing. Put it in to your own Savings, Money Market, Checking or if allowable, your IRA. Insurance companies love to keep the payout and tell you that you'll get a better return if you leave the money with them. Perhaps so, but take the money; it's yours.....buy a house, go globetrotting, buy a business, anything you want. Peace be with you.

Nolen - Sorry for the loss of your dad. It must be a difficult time for you.
Any heir or family can qualify for the one time "death benefit" of $ 255.

There are 2 types of SSA benefits, retirement (usually called SS) and disability
(which is called SSI or SSDI). Retirement survivor benefits go to a qualifying spouse or even a former spouse; a child under 18 (this age can be raised to 19 - 22 if full time college or if child certified disabled). SSA has a set formula on how spouse's and children's are done and qualify for. Disability benefits usually do not transfer to surviving family. Did you dad get both?

Your dad paid into the SSA and got benefits from SSA by receiving disability. The money that workers pay into SSA are in a central trust and used for claims. Some pay into never get a disability payment.Others never leave a survivor benefit either because they die before retirement age, or never work the credits needed to get SS or had no qualifying survivors. While others do and receive lots more benefit then they ever paid into the system. It's like insurance - say you pay a 1K premium for the year and if nothing happens you don't get that $ back but if there is a hail storm, you get 5K to fix the hail damage. The insurance company uses the $ paid by others to offset the cost of your claim. Kinda the same basic theory for how SSA is set up. It's all based on probabilities.

I have two friends who's husband's died - both are 2nd wives - one 68 and gets 100% of his SS retirement, the other 52 only gets 70%. For one, the first wife is also getting his SS too as #1 never remarried and they were married 15 years so qualifies. My mom gets a SS retirement benefit based on my dad's work - my mom is mid 90's in a NH and has been collecting on my dad's SS for like 30 years. For my mom, SSA has likely paid out lots more than my dad ever paid into it as he retired and died in the 1970's but most people don't qualify for 30 years! My uncle never married & worked 40 yrs but left no qualifying survivor to get his SS. We joke that he kinda balanced what my mom has been getting all these years.

FUNERAL HOMES HAVE NOTHING TO DO with SS. When your dad passes, cal SS immediately. My experience with my mom was this" She died on the 15th, we did NOT have to pay back any of the month. SS pays in the rears, like if he got paid on the 3rd, it was for the prior month. yes the spouse gets $250, but YOU, or the spouse have to call SS. this was my experience in AZ with my mom. HOpe it clears up a few things. The funeral home doesnt "take out anything from" the $250, that is a benefit, not to be messed with by them.

roibnkp, I think the funeral home role may vary -- though based on what, I don't know. My experience with my sister -- for whom I was conservator of person and estate -- was that the funeral home notified all legal parties of her death, and deducted the benefit check from the cost of the bill, in exchange for us filing the paper work to allow that. So, you are both right. The original questioner will need to ask the funeral home how they handle this.

Here in NY some funeral homes will do a lot of leg work for you-it is best not to pay the expenses right away-then they are more willing to do more for you-which I found out the hard way-I was only given a paper with the phone numbers of SS and such and most of the numbers were wrong-while a friend had all the calls done for her by the funeral home.

For Social Security recipients whose checks arrive on or about the third of every month, do I understand that that money is for the previous month or the current month? This situation does not apply to those receiving checks or deposits on the fourth Wednesday of every month.

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?