Social Security Payments - Payments to Spousal Beneficiary following Primary Beneficiary Death.

tjohn

tjohn

Jul 16, 2024 at 3:11pm

Asking for a friend in Canada whose father was a permanent resident for a long time and collecting social security.  His wife is listed as a spousal beneficiary.  What is the process for notifying the SSA of his death while ensuring that payments are not disrupted?  Does anybody have any experience with this?

joan_crystal

joan_crystal

Jul 16, 2024 at 3:53pm

Step 1:  Notify social security of the deceased's death.  Over the phone is probably easiest but expect a long wait to get someone on the phone.  Step 2:  Tell the person on the line that the wife wants to begin collecting social security based on the deceased spouse's record.  Wife cannot collect BOTH her social security and her deceased spouse's. If both are collecting social security,  she should ask for the one which pays more.  Step 3:  Send an official copy of the death certificate with the raised seal to show evidence of the spouse's death.  It may take a while to process in which case payment may be retroactive.



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