To apply for Social Security survivor benefits, call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or visit your local field office. You cannot file this application online the way you can for retirement benefits.1Social Security Administration. Survivor Benefits Contact the SSA as soon as you reasonably can after the death, because retroactive payments are limited and waiting can permanently cost you money.
How to File the Application
Call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) to start. A representative will offer you a choice: complete the application by phone in a scheduled interview, or come into a field office in person. Phone interviews tend to be easier if you have limited mobility or transportation. If you go in, a claims representative walks you through the forms, checks your documents, and enters the claim.
Reporting the death is a separate step from filing for benefits, and in most cases the funeral home reports the death to the SSA for you.2Social Security Administration. What to Do When Someone Dies That report does not open a survivor benefits claim. You still have to apply.
Why You Should Call Right Away
The date you first contact the SSA to say you intend to file is your “protective filing date,” and it can determine when your benefits start even if the full application comes later. If you are already past full retirement age when you file, the SSA can pay up to six months of retroactive benefits. If you are under full retirement age, retroactivity is far more limited — often just one month back if you file the month after the death.3Social Security Administration. POMS GN 00204.030 – Retroactivity for Title II Benefits Months you fail to claim are gone for good.
There is a separate two-year deadline for the lump-sum death payment discussed below. Miss it and that payment is forfeited too.
Documents You Need Before You Call
The SSA accepts original documents or certified copies issued by the agency that produced them. Photocopies and notarized copies do not count.4eCFR. 20 CFR Part 404 Subpart H – Evidence Gather these before your appointment:
- Social Security numbers for the deceased worker and for each person applying
- A certified death certificate, which is the primary proof of death4eCFR. 20 CFR Part 404 Subpart H – Evidence
- Your marriage certificate, or a final divorce decree if you are a surviving divorced spouse
- Birth certificates or adoption records for any children applying
- Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful immigration status, if you are not already receiving benefits on your own record
- The deceased worker’s W-2 forms or self-employment tax return from the most recent year
- Your bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit
Order certified death certificates from the vital records office in the state where the death occurred. Fees generally run from about $5 to $35 per copy, and you will need several copies for insurance, financial accounts, and other matters beyond Social Security. If a document is missing, tell the SSA — they can suggest alternatives and sometimes help locate records, which is better than letting the claim stall.5eCFR. 20 CFR 404.704 – Your Responsibility for Giving Evidence
Who Can Apply
Whether you should be making this call depends on your relationship to the deceased worker and, in some cases, your age or disability status. The deceased must have earned enough Social Security work credits; the number needed depends on their age at death, and no one needs more than 40. A special rule lets children and the spouse caring for them collect if the worker earned at least six credits in the three years before death, regardless of the total.6Social Security Administration. Social Security Credits
The main categories of people who can apply:
- A surviving spouse age 60 or older (age 50 with a qualifying disability that began within seven years of the death or of last receiving mother’s or father’s benefits)7eCFR. 20 CFR 404.335 – How Do I Become Entitled to Widows or Widowers Benefits
- A surviving spouse of any age who is caring for the deceased’s child under 16 or a child with a qualifying disability
- A surviving divorced spouse if the marriage lasted at least 10 years and remarriage rules are met8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 402 – Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Benefit Payments
- An unmarried child under 18, a full-time elementary or secondary school student age 18 or 19, or an adult child whose disability began before age 229Social Security Administration. Benefits for Children
- A dependent parent age 62 or older who received at least half their support from the deceased10Social Security Administration. Who Can Get Survivor Benefits
Marriage generally must have lasted nine months before death, with exceptions for accidental death and military service. One note worth flagging: if you never applied in the past because a government pension offset would have wiped out your survivor benefit, the Social Security Fairness Act signed on January 5, 2025 eliminated that offset for benefits payable from January 2024 forward. You may now be eligible, but retroactive pay is generally limited to six months before the application date.11Social Security Administration. Social Security Fairness Act – Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset Call.
The $255 Lump-Sum Death Payment
A one-time payment of $255 is available to a qualifying surviving spouse or, if there is no eligible spouse, to a child who is under 18, a full-time student age 18 to 19, or an adult child with a disability that began before age 22.12Social Security Administration. Lump-Sum Death Payment You must apply within two years of the death.13Social Security Administration. Who Is Eligible to Receive Social Security Survivors Benefits and How Do I Apply Ask about this when you file for monthly benefits so both claims go in together.
What Happens After You File
Once the SSA has your completed application and supporting documents, the claim goes into review. Straightforward survivor claims with complete documentation generally take a few weeks. You will get a decision letter by mail that either approves the claim and states your monthly benefit or denies it and explains how to appeal.
Monthly payments are made in the month after the month they cover, on a day set by the deceased worker’s birth date:14Social Security Administration. Paying Monthly Benefits
- Born 1st through 10th: second Wednesday of the month
- Born 11th through 20th: third Wednesday of the month
- Born 21st through 31st: fourth Wednesday of the month
If Your Claim Is Denied
You have 60 days from the date you receive a denial notice to request the first level of appeal.15Social Security Administration. Request Reconsideration There are four levels:16Social Security Administration. Appeal a Decision We Made
- Reconsideration, where a different SSA employee reviews the claim from scratch
- A hearing before an administrative law judge, who can take new evidence and testimony
- Appeals Council review
- A lawsuit in U.S. District Court, if administrative appeals are exhausted
Most cases resolved on appeal are resolved at the hearing level. You can bring an attorney or representative at any stage, and the SSA does not charge a filing fee for an appeal.