What is the Social Security death funeral benefit?
It pays a one-time, lump-sum death benefit of $255 to the eligible surviving family members to assist in meeting the burial expenses of the deceased individual who contributed to social security.
Here are some key details about this benefit:
What is it?
The Social Security death funeral benefit, also referred to as the burial benefit is a relatively small, lump sum payment provided by the SSA to qualifying relatives that helps to cover funeral and burial expenses when an eligible insured dies. It is not meant to pay for the full burial expenses, because the average cost of funeral internet service is more than seven thousand dollars, as stated by the National Funeral Directors Association. Instead, it offers a small monetary aid. The payment amount is 255 dollars and is considered nontaxable.
Who is eligible?
To receive the Social Security death benefit, the deceased must: To receive the Social Security death benefit, the deceased must:
- Were employed in a Social Security-covered industry and had paid in deductions from their paystub for a minimum working years (This is often ten years or forty quarters in most situations). An SSA record will provide indicating credits for each year that has been served.
Eligible family members include:
- A surviving spouse who is a member of the same household and has been residing with the deceased at the time of his/her death.
- He or she is a dependant minor child of the deceased who can qualify for SSA survivor’s benefits normally up to the age of 18.
- Minor and unemployed children who were dependent on the parent who died for monthly pocket allowance
- The legal guardians of the deceased, those who were entitled to at least half the amount of their support from their child
If none of the survivors qualifies for receiving the payments, the SSA may make a payment to any person who incurred the funeral expenses of the deceased person, for instance, a friend or a director at a funeral home.
How to claim the benefit:
The surviving eligible family members should visit the Social Security Administration office after the death of the concerned person to obtain the one-time payments that are given in the death benefit. They will need to provide information and documentation such as They will need to provide information and documentation such as:
- Evidence of the cause of death (death certificate)
- Funeral expense receipts
- Documents that would demonstrate the applicant’s qualification to be given aid such as records of relationship or support in cases where the applicant is a parent or child of the deceased.
- The position requires that the applicant give their social security number.
- Bank routing protocol should be established to allow the benefits to flow through EFT directly.
In the case of approval, applicants receive the $255 payment through a bank account or Direct Express debit card for those who do not have an account. The processing time should take 6-8 weeks, but payments are made after other Social Security claims and survivor’s benefits.
In what context can it be applied?
Differently from the rest of the benefits, the payout of the $255 death benefit can be used without any specific restrictions. Common purposes include:
- Reimbursing the person who paid for the funeral or toward unpaid funeral bills and fees, such as:- Reimbursing the person who paid for the funeral or toward unpaid funeral bills and fees, such as:
- Burial plot
- Cremation costs
- Casket or urn
- Headstone
- Funeral home services
- It was also not proper for the body, that is, clothing of the body or dressing.
- Flowers
- Obituary notices
- The expenses that relate to ferrying the body
- Specific monetary assistance for the bereaved household or the next of kin to cover for time lost at work or any other ways they spend time working on funeral arrangements or otherwise mourning
They are inadequate to cater for modern funerals, but every coin counts when families are trying to come to terms with the loss of their loved one. The Social Security death benefit offers a compositional thought in the fact that a fraction of the burial costs will be offset. It is, therefore, necessary that one find out the specifics of this burial benefit to qualify for this financial support from SSA in case a working family member has died.
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