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How does the government know when someone dies?

In most cases, funeral homes notify the government that a person has passed away.

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When a loved one receiving Social Security benefits passes away, you may wonder how the government knows to stop sending that monthly money. Or, maybe there's a surviving spouse or dependent who relied on that income and wonders whether some sort of payment can continue. While Social Security rules can be complicated, the bottom line is that the decedent's benefits stop at death. For survivors, how to get benefits — or whether you qualify — depends on several factors.

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First, it's important for the Social Security Administration to be alerted as soon as possible after the person dies. In most cases, funeral homes notify the government. There's a form available that those businesses use to report the death. "The person serving as executor [of the estate] or the surviving spouse can also call Social Security," said certified financial planner Peggy Sherman, a lead advisor at Briaud Financial Advisors in College Station, Texas. More from Personal Finance:

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How you may be able to cut Medicare costs There are a couple of things to keep in mind. For starters, a person is due no Social Security benefits for the month of their death. "Any benefit that's paid after the month of the person's death needs to be refunded," Sherman said. With Social Security, each payment received represents the previous month's benefits. So if a person dies in January, the check for that month — which would be paid in February — would need to be returned if received. If the payment is made by direct deposit, the bank holding the account should be notified so it can return benefits sent after the person's death.

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It may be no surprise that using someone else's benefits after they die is a federal crime, regardless of whether the death was reported or not. If the Social Security Administration receives notice that fraud might be happening, the allegation is reviewed and potentially will warrant a criminal investigation. To combat duplicity, the agency matches records with other government entities to identify unreported deaths. As for benefits available to survivors: If a spouse or qualifying dependent already was receiving money based on the deceased's record, the benefit will auto-convert to survivors benefits when the government gets notice of the death, Sherman said. "For all other cases, the surviving spouse will need to call Social Security and schedule an appointment to apply for survivors benefits," Sherman said. "You cannot do this online."

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Why does Social Security take back money after death?

elderlawanswers.com - What to Do When a Social Security Beneficiary Dies - Elder Law Answers

Each monthly payment is made as payment for the previous month. Thus, a Social Security recipient must have survived the entire month to be entitled to the payment. For example, if a recipient dies on June 24, the payment made on July 3 will have to be returned. Consequently, in most cases the estates of decedents must pay back the Social Security Administration (SSA) for the last payment received. You will typically receive your Social Security payments at the same time each month. The date on which your payout falls each month is based on the day of the month you were born, with some exceptions. The executor, administrator, or next-of-kin should notify the SSA by calling the 800 number for the state in which the deceased resided. (Often funeral homes provide this service.) If the recipient had their Social Security payment deposited directly into their bank account, the SSA will arrange to withdraw the payment electronically. The bank account must remain open for at least 45 days following notification to the SSA of the death. If the payments were mailed rather than direct-deposited, the SSA will send a letter requesting reimbursement. Following the death of a Social Security recipient, the SSA will pay a lump-sum death benefit of $255 to: A spouse who was living with the deceased person at the time of death; or A spouse or a child who, in the month of death, is eligible for a Social Security benefit based on the deceased person’s record.

For information on applying for the death benefit, visit the SSA website.

You may also want to check out the SSA’s “How Social Security Can Help You When a Family Member Dies,” available in PDF format.

For more about Social Security, read these articles from ElderLawAnswers.com.

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