Who qualifies for the $255 social security death benefit

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How to prepare for the meeting with SSA?
Documents you might be asked to provide
What questions will they ask you?

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

When a Social Security-insured worker dies, surviving spouses or children get to claim a unique payment of $255. This is a separate payment to the SSA survivor benefits and claimants can benefit from both at the same time.

Eligible spouses have priority when claiming the benefit, followed by the deceased worker's childrens.

If you are eligible for the Social Security lump sum benefit and you would like to apply to receive the payment, you must either call the national SSA office through their toll-free service number at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or visit any of their local Social Security offices around the country. No other online options are provided.

An appointment is not required but if you don't want to wait to apply for your benefit, SSA recommends that people call them before schedule a meeting and therefore, avoid any possible queues.

How to prepare for the meeting with SSA?

Documents you might be asked to provide

birth certificate or other prove of birth such as ID or driving license
Evidence of U.S. citizenship
U.S. military discharge paper(s) if you had military service before 1968;
W-2 forms(s) and/or self-employment tax returns for the last year;
The death certificate of the deceased worker

In order to help speed up the processing of your application, you must be aware of the documents you might be asked to provide when you apply and prepare any possible questions you might be asked. Any missing information will slow down your application request.

Note that SSA only accepts photocopies of W-2 Forms and self-employment tax returns, all the other documents presented must be in their original form.

What questions will they ask you?

Some of the questions applicants will be asked for are: name and social security number as well as those of the deceased worker, children and any other former spouses. Illnesses or conditions 14 months prior to the deceased death, the amount of money he or she earned in his last year of life will also be questions for family members.

To learn all of the questions you will be asked visit the SSA official website.

Only the widow, widower or child of a Social Security beneficiary can collect the $255 death benefit, also known as a lump-sum death payment. Priority goes to a surviving spouse if any of the following apply:

The widow or widower was living with the deceased at the time of death.
He or she was living separately but collecting spousal benefits on the deceased’s earnings record.
He or she was living separately but is eligible for survivor benefits on the deceased’s record.

In the absence of a qualifying widow or widower, the lump-sum payment can go to a son or daughter who is eligible for benefits on the deceased’s work record — that is, the child is unmarried and either a minor; an 18- or (in some cases) 19-year-old who is still in high school; or an adult offspring who is disabled.

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.

You can apply by calling the Social Security Administration at 800-772-1213 or contacting your local Social Security office. Local offices fully reopened April 7 after being closed to walk-in traffic for more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Social Security recommends calling in advance and scheduling an appointment to avoid long waits.

You may need to provide the late worker’s birth and death certificates and other documents. You might also need to answer questions about the deceased’s family, financial and Social Security status, as enumerated in Social Security form SSA-8.

If there is no eligible spouse or child to collect it, no death benefit is paid.

Keep in mind

The death benefit is a one-time payment, not to be confused with survivor benefits, which are continuing payments made to the surviving spouse, ex-spouse, children or, in rare instances, the parents of the deceased.