The short answer
Usually the funeral home reports the death to Social Security, if you give it your parent's Social Security number. If it doesn't, you can report the death yourself, by phone or in person.
If your parent got Social Security, the payment for the month they died goes back. Leave it where it is. A one-time $255 payment exists, but it goes to a spouse first, and a grown child can receive it only in narrow cases.
A few other offices need to hear about the death. Most of them can wait a few weeks, and the list is short.
This chapter explains how things usually work in the United States. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and the rules where you live may differ. Before you act on anything here, check it with one of the people named at the end of the chapter.
What to do
- Ask the funeral home whether it has reported the death to Social Security.
- Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 if it has not.
- Tell the bank about any Social Security deposit that arrives after the death.
- Leave that money in the account, and don't cash a paper check.
- Ask Social Security whether anyone in the family may qualify for survivor benefits, such as a surviving parent, a stepparent or a young or disabled sibling.
- List the other offices that apply, and call one a day.
What can wait
- The final tax return. It is due when your parent's return would have been due, and nothing is needed this month.
- Most of the other offices, for a few weeks.
- Working through later letters from Social Security about payments. Open each one the day it arrives, in case it has a date.
Who can help
Social Security answers at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). The hours are in Figures and dates.
The funeral director can tell you whether the death has been reported. The bank's estate or bereavement team can tell you how it returns a payment.
The rules, phone numbers and web addresses in this book were checked against the agencies’, courts’ and organizations’ own pages in October 2026. Where a rule differs by state, the book names one state as an example. Check anything you rely on with the office itself.
From Book 1: The First Month
This page has the short answer and the closing lists from chapter 10. The full chapter explains, in plain words, what exists, what to ask, and who can answer. The book covers the first month after the death.
Questions near this one
Other questions on related subjects, from this book and the others.
- Who do I call, and in what order? Book 1, The First Month
- What if I am estranged from a parent or sibling? Book 5, Siblings and the Estate
- What can wait until after the funeral? Book 1, The First Month
- What if I think a sibling took money? Book 5, Siblings and the Estate
Hear when The First Month is out
A short note when each book is out. Five or six emails a year at most. You can unsubscribe whenever you like.