Contact

• Most of the time, during the funeral planning, the funeral director will require the decedent's Social Security Number and will contact the Social Security Administration for you. If the funeral director did not assist you in this duty, you need to contact the Social Security office immediately. If the decedent had been receiving Social Security benefits at the time of death, you will need to contact your banking institute and request that the funds be returned to Social Security immediately. If you received a check, return it immediately. Should you accept funds after the death of the decedent, you can be fined and be required to return the money.
  
  

Who Qualifies

• You may qualify for Survivor Benefits if you are a surviving spouse age 60 or older, surviving spouse caring for dependent children younger than the age of 16 or disabled, an unmarried child of the decedent that is age 18 or younger, or age 19 if still in high school, or a child older than age 18 with a disability that began after the age of 22. There are other special circumstances that should be discussed with the Social Security Administration during your appointment.
  
  

Credits for Benefits

• The spouse of the decedent may also qualify for Medicare if the deceased worker earned more than 40 credits for the years of work. The worker earns one credit for each year of work before the time of death. Dependent children qualify for benefits with fewer points. The decedent worker must have earned six credits in the three years before the death. Children will continue to receive benefits until age 16 unless disabled.
  
  

Payment

• If the deceased spouse was currently receiving payment from Social Security at the time of death, you will only receive 50 percent of the payment until your application for Survival Benefits has been processed and approved. Once your application has been approved, you will receive 100 percent of your entitlement. Should your application be new, the payment process will be lengthy and you should not expect the payments to start immediately Immediate application is suggested for this reason. Once payments begin, the payments will only be made through direct deposit.
  
  

Documents Needed to Qualify

• At the time of application, you will be required to provide the Social Security Numbers and birth certificates of all who are applying, the death certificate of your spouse and a copy of your marriage certificate. Because all payments are made through direct deposit, you will need to bring your checking account information. The Social Security office may require additional documentation according to your special circumstances.