How do I report the death of a Social Security beneficiary?

Funeral directors can report deaths to the Social Security Administration (SSA) in most cases. Social Security provides a form for this purpose. In addition, vital-statistics offices in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., have implemented Electronic Death Registration, a web-based system that aims to deliver death information to the SSA with greater speed and accuracy.

However, it is ultimately the survivors’ responsibility to ensure that Social Security is notified as soon as possible of a beneficiary’s death. You can do so by calling Social Security at 800-772-1213 or scheduling an appointment at your local Social Security office. (You cannot report a death to the SSA online or by email.) You will need to provide the deceased’s name, Social Security number, date of birth and date of death.

A representative payee — a person or organization appointed by Social Security to manage benefit payments for someone no longer able to do so — is also responsible for reporting a beneficiary’s death as part of their larger duty to notify Social Security of any event affecting that person’s payments.

Benefits end in the month of the beneficiary’s death, regardless of the date, because under Social Security regulations a person must live an entire month to qualify for benefits. There is no prorating of a final benefit for the month of death. If Social Security pays the deceased's benefit for that month because it was not notified of the death in time, the survivors or representative payee will have to return the money.

Keep in mind

The death of someone who was receiving or eligible for Social Security on their own work record triggers a one-time payment of $255 (often called the “lump-sum death benefit”) to a surviving spouse who was living with the deceased or collecting benefits on that person's record. If there is no surviving spouse, the $255 can go to a child who qualifies for benefits on the deceased’s record.