What Is the $255 Social Security Death Benefit?
Social Security’s death benefit is a one-time payment of $255. It goes to a surviving spouse who lived with the person who died, or to a spouse living apart who can get benefits on that person’s record; if there’s no eligible spouse, to a child who can get benefits on the record. It must be claimed within two years of the death. There is no $2,500 or $25,000 Social Security death benefit. The money that matters for most families is the monthly survivor benefit, which for a widow or widower can be up to 100% of what the person who died received.
Who gets the $255
The payment goes to one person, in this order:
- A spouse who was living in the same household at the time of death.
- A spouse who was living apart but can get benefits on the deceased’s record for the month of death.
- If there’s no eligible spouse, a child who can get benefits on the record: under 18, 18 or 19 and in high school full time, or any age with a disability that began before 22.
If none of them qualifies, no one gets it. A divorced spouse can’t receive it, and it isn’t paid to an estate, other relatives or a funeral home, even if they paid for the funeral.
How to apply
Apply within two years of the death. You can apply online by signing in to your my Social Security account, or by calling 1-800-772-1213 and saying you want to apply for a lump-sum death payment. Monthly survivor benefits can’t be applied for online, so if you’re also eligible for those, a phone call or office appointment covers both.
Funeral homes usually report the death to Social Security, but that report isn’t an application. You still have to apply for the $255 and for any survivor benefits.
Why it’s only $255
The amount was capped at $255 by law in 1954 and has never been raised or adjusted for inflation. At the time it was three times the highest monthly benefit. It’s set in the Social Security Act, so only Congress can change it.
The $25,000 and $2,500 claims
Ads and social media posts promise a “$25,000 death benefit” or “$25,000 burial benefit” for people born in certain years, often 1940 to 1975. Social Security has no such benefit, for any birth year. These ads sell private final expense insurance, and some are scams. Never give your Social Security number or bank details to someone who contacts you about one.
The $2,500 figure usually comes from other sources, not Social Security:
| Source | What it pays |
|---|---|
| Social Security | $255, one time |
| VA, service-connected death | Up to $2,000 for deaths on or after September 11, 2001 |
| VA, non-service-connected death | $1,032 burial allowance plus $1,032 for a plot, for deaths on or after October 1, 2026 |
| State or county programs, unions, employer or private life insurance | Varies by program and policy |
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The VA amounts come from its burial allowance rules, which have conditions on service and the cause and place of death.
The benefits that are worth far more
Monthly survivor benefits are where the real value is. In September 2026, nondisabled widows and widowers averaged $1,935.32 a month and children of deceased workers averaged $1,181.89. A widow or widower can start at 60 with 71.5% of the late spouse’s benefit, rising to 100% at survivor full retirement age. A surviving parent caring for the worker’s child under 16 can get 75% at any age, and each eligible child gets 75%.
A divorced spouse married at least 10 years can get survivor benefits on an ex-spouse’s record, even though they can’t get the $255.
What to do with the last payment
Social Security benefits are paid a month behind, so a payment received in the month after the death, which is the benefit for the month of death, isn’t due and must be returned. If it came by direct deposit, the bank returns it to the Treasury; if it came by check, don’t cash it, and return it to Social Security. Benefits the person was still owed, such as a Medicare premium refund, are paid to family members in a set order on Form SSA-1724.