Your funeral director may bring this up without you asking while they are going over the things they are going to do for you.
Your funeral director will likely gather most of the information they need when doing their general intake for your deceased family member.
You will not be required to sign the Statement of Death form that your funeral director submits to the Social Security Administration. That form only requires the signature of a licensed funeral director.
If you want to visit a Social Security Administration office, search online on the Social Security Administration’s website for the office closest to you. However, in most cases it will be quicker and easier to report the death over the phone. If you are deaf and you need to call in to report a death, you can call the TTY number at 1-800-325-0778.
However, you can find information about the process, what documents you will need, and how to do a notification at www. socialsecurity. gov.
After calling in the death, a copy of the death certificate will need to be sent to the Social Security Administration. If it is taking a while to get a copy of the death certificate, you can still start the process of reporting a death. The process will just not be completed until the death certificate is filed.
If you are the widow or widower but you are also receiving benefits, you will not receive the deceased’s benefits in addition to your own. In most cases the Social Security Administration will determine which benefits are higher, yours or your survivor benefits, and you will receive the higher amount. [8] X Research source
A widow or widower that is 60 or older A widow or widower that is 50 or older and disabled A widow or widower any age caring for the deceased’s child who is under age 16 or disabled A surviving divorced spouse, under certain circumstances An unmarried child of the deceased that is under 18 years old An unmarried child of the deceased that is over 18 and disabled with a disability that began before the child was 22 An unmarried child of the deceased that is under 19 and a full-time student Parents of the deceased, age 62 or older, who were dependent on the deceased for at least half of their support
Proof of death - either from the funeral home or a death certificate The deceased’s social security number The applicant’s social security number Social Security numbers of dependent children The applicant’s birth certificate Marriage certificate - if a widow, widower, or surviving divorced spouse Divorce papers - if applying as a surviving divorced spouse The deceased’s most recent W2 Forms or federal self-employment tax return Direct deposit information for the survivors - including bank account number and routing numbers
