Dear Rusty: My question concerns the passing of my brother on Dec. 23, 2025. Since he passed away before the month was over, does that mean he will not receive a Social Security payment for December 2025? Does the fact he passed before the end of December negate him receiving benefits for December 2025? Signed: Executor of my Brother’s Estate
Dear Executor Sister: Please accept our sincere condolences on your brother’s passing. FYI, according to Social Security law, all SS benefits are paid in the month following the month they are earned, which means two things in this circumstance:
- Any SS payment your brother received during the month of December (his month of death) is legally his (or his estate’s) because that payment was for the month before he died (November 2025).
- Any SS benefits received thereafter (e.g., SS benefits paid in January 2026 for the month of December 2025) must be returned to Social Security (the bank that received his SS payments would normally handle this automatically if it were notified of your brother’s death).
Social Security benefits are not paid for the month of death because the beneficiary did not live the entire month, and SS benefits are not paid for partial months. So even though your brother lived about three-fourths of December, he (or his estate) will not get any SS benefits for the month of December. Indeed, even those who pass shortly before midnight on the last day of the month do not get Social Security benefits for the month in which they died.
For additional information, if your brother was married and his wife is still living, she may be entitled to a one-time lump-sum death benefit of $255. Depending on her own SS retirement amount, she might also be eligible for a surviving spouse benefit as your brother’s widow.
“Ask Rusty” is a layman’s guide to the intricacies of Social Security, provided by the Association of Mature American Citizens. To submit a question, visit amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory or email ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.
