The $255 Social Security Death Payment: Who Can Claim It
When someone dies, Social Security may pay a one-time $255 to their surviving spouse or, if there's no eligible spouse, to certain children. It won't cover a funeral, and the amount hasn't changed in decades. But it's easy to miss, it comes with a strict two-year deadline, and applying for it often opens the door to much larger monthly survivor benefits. Here's who gets it, in what order, and how to claim it.
AT A GLANCE
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What the lump-sum death payment is
Social Security describes the lump-sum death payment as "a one-time payment intended to help cover costs when a spouse or parent dies." The amount is set in the law at $255. SSA's internal manual (POMS RS 00210.040) traces the history. The payment was once a multiple of the worker's benefit, and the 1954 amendments capped it at $255. For deaths between 1960 and August 1981, a funeral home that hadn't been paid could also be in line, but that's no longer the case.
Two conditions apply to the person who died. They must have been fully or currently insured under Social Security when they died, which depends on their work record. And the payment has to be claimed by someone in the right priority group, as explained below.
The payment goes to an eligible family member, not to the estate or the funeral home.
Who gets it: the order of priority
SSA pays the lump sum in a fixed order. If someone in a higher group qualifies, the people in lower groups don't get it.
Priority | Who | Key condition |
|---|---|---|
1st | Surviving spouse | Was living in the same household as the person when they died |
2nd | Surviving spouse not living in the same household | Was eligible for, or getting, widow(er)'s, mother's or father's benefits on the person's record for the month of death |
3rd | Children | Eligible for, or getting, child's benefits on the person's record for the month of death. Split equally among eligible children |
A surviving divorced spouse can't get the lump sum, even if they qualify for monthly survivor benefits. If no one fits any group, the payment isn't made.
Which children can qualify
SSA's lump-sum page says that when there's no spouse, children may be eligible if they are:
17 or younger;
18 or 19 and attending K–12 school full time; or
any age, if they developed a disability at age 21 or younger.
When several children qualify, each gets an equal share. SSA's manual gives an example. If three children are eligible and only one applies, that child gets $85, a third of $255. The rest stays unpaid unless the other children apply on time.
What "living in the same household" means
The top priority goes to a spouse who "customarily lived together" with the person who died as a married couple. The regulation (20 CFR 404.347) treats a spouse as still living in the same household during some absences:
Reason you were apart | Still counts as the same household? |
|---|---|
Military service in the U.S. Armed Forces | Yes |
Business, work, or a stay in a hospital, nursing home or prison lasting 6 months or less, with both of you in the U.S. | Yes |
Long-term stay in a hospital, nursing home or other medical facility, if you were apart only for medical reasons | Yes, regardless of length |
Other reasons, if you reasonably expected to live together again soon | Possibly |
Separation because of marital problems or domestic conflict | Generally no |
SSA's manual adds a few details. If you and your spouse had the same mailing address for benefit checks, SSA generally assumes you lived together. Spouses in the same nursing home count even if they had separate rooms for a good reason. Separate apartments in the same building don't count. A couple who never lived together after the wedding, even for part of a day, doesn't meet the test.
Because you're first in line as a same-household spouse, you don't have to meet the usual length-of-marriage rule for survivor benefits to get the $255.
When the payment isn't made
SSA's manual lists situations where no lump sum is paid, including:
the Railroad Retirement Board has jurisdiction over the survivor claim or already paid a lump sum;
the person who died had a valid religious-group exemption from Social Security taxes;
certain cases involving deportation or the alien nonpayment rules; or
the claimant was convicted of the felonious and intentional homicide of the person who died.
If the person who died owed Social Security an overpayment, SSA uses the lump sum to recover it instead of paying it out.
The 2-year deadline
You must apply within 2 years after the date of death. There's one exception for people who don't have to apply at all. If you were getting wife's or husband's benefits on your spouse's record in the month before they died, SSA can pay the lump sum without a separate application.
If you missed the deadline, SSA will treat your application as on time if you had good cause. The regulation (20 CFR 404.621(b)) lists these reasons:
circumstances beyond your control, such as extended illness, mental or physical incapacity, or a language barrier;
incorrect or incomplete information that SSA gave you;
trying to gather evidence without realizing you could send it after applying; or
unusual or unavoidable circumstances that meant you couldn't reasonably know about the time limit.
Good cause doesn't apply if you knew about the deadline and simply didn't file or didn't want to. If you're asking for an exception, SSA may have you explain what happened on a written statement form (SSA-795).
How to apply
CLAIMING THE $255 DEATH PAYMENT
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SSA's manual notes that people filing only for the lump sum don't need their own Social Security number. If the claimant is a minor or an adult who can't manage money, the payment goes through a representative payee.
The lump-sum death payment is a one-time payment intended to help cover costs when a spouse or parent dies. (Social Security Administration)
Don't stop at $255
The lump sum is small, but the same claim can lead to monthly survivor benefits based on the work history of the person who died. SSA's survivor amount page gives these figures:
Survivor | What SSA says about the monthly amount |
|---|---|
Widow, widower or eligible ex-spouse | Starts at 71.5% of the person's benefit and rises the longer you wait. Up to 100% at full retirement age for survivor benefits (66–67) |
Children | Generally 75% of the parent's benefit, subject to a family maximum |
Anyone eligible for two benefits | You get the higher one, not both added together. You can switch later |
SSA also says you might get Medicare based on their work history if you're 65 or older, or if you have a disability or end-stage renal disease. When you call about the lump sum, ask for a survivor benefit estimate too.
A few more rules worth knowing:
If the spouse dies before cashing the check, the payment becomes part of their estate. If they die before it arrives, it may go to an eligible child instead.
Children whose two parents have both died may be technically eligible on both records. SSA's manual says the lump sum can then be paid on each parent's record.
Disability claims. If a surviving spouse aged 50 to 60, or an adult child, would qualify only through a disability, SSA may need a disability decision even if they're applying just for the lump sum.
Related guides
Official sources
Last checked: October 30, 2026, against SSA's lump-sum death payment, when-someone-dies and survivor amount pages, POMS RS 00210.001–00210.040, and eCFR text of 20 CFR 404.347, 404.390–404.392 and 404.621.
This is general information, not legal advice. SSA decides each claim based on the work record and family facts. Call SSA or visit a local office if your situation involves more than one spouse, a divorce, or a missed deadline.
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