Why Can't I Get A Lump Sum Death Benefit For My Wife?
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“In this podcast, a widower asks Rusty why he wasn’t able to get a Social Security death benefit from his deceased wife. Rusty explains that the death benefit for survivors is only paid by Social Security in very specific circumstances, and can only be paid to certain dependents individuals.”
Dear Rusty: My wife passed away in September 2025 at age 64. We had been married for 43 years and started collecting benefits when I turned 62 and she was 63. She did not have enough work credits to claim her own SS and thus collected on my record. SSA told me that I was not entitled to receive the lousy $255 death benefit because my wife was collecting on my work record. Is this correct? Signed: Grieving Widower
Rusty’s answer in brief
Social Security was right. The one-time $255 lump-sum death benefit is paid only when the person who died was collecting, or was entitled to, a Social Security retirement benefit of their own. This wife did not have enough work credits and was collecting only a spousal benefit on her husband’s record, so no death benefit is payable.
When it is payable, it usually goes to the surviving spouse, or otherwise to a dependent child or, rarely, a dependent parent; ex-spouses are not eligible. It must be claimed within two years of the death, using form SSA-8 or by calling 1-800-772-1213.
This recording presents the viewpoints of the AMAC Foundation’s Social Security Advisory Staff, trained and accredited under the National Social Security Advisors program of the National Social Security Association, LLC (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation are not affiliated with or endorsed by the United States Government, the Social Security Administration, or any other state government. To request additional information, contact our Advisory Staff at 888-750-2622, or email us at SSAdvisor@AmacFoundation.org.