Ask Rusty: If My Brother Passed Away Late in the Month, Is a Social Security Check Still Owed for That Month?

Dear Rusty: My question concerns my brother’s death late in the month. Since he died before the month ended, does that mean he is not entitled to a Social Security payment for that month? Does dying before the end of the month prevent benefits from being paid for that month? Signed: Executor of my Brother's Estate

Dear Executor Sister: Please accept our sincere condolences on your brother’s passing. According to Social Security rules, monthly benefits are paid after the month in which they are earned, and that creates two important points in this situation:

1. Any Social Security payment your brother received during the month of his death belongs to him, or to his estate, because that payment was for the previous month.

2. Any benefit paid after that for the month in which he died must be returned to Social Security. If the agency was notified of his death, the bank that received the payment would normally take care of that automatically.

Social Security does not pay benefits for the month of death because the beneficiary must live through the entire month. Partial months are not payable. So even if your brother lived for most of that month, neither he nor his estate would receive Social Security benefits for that month. In fact, even someone who dies just before midnight on the last day of the month does not receive benefits for the month of death.

If your brother was married and his wife is still living, she may be entitled to a one-time lump-sum death benefit of $255, assuming she is also eligible for her own retirement benefit. Depending on her own retirement amount, she may also qualify for a surviving spouse benefit as your brother’s widow.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. It reflects the views and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, who are trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA, the AMAC Foundation, and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other government entity. To submit a question, visit our website or email us at [email protected]. Because we are a nonprofit organization, our services are free.