Mom’s Social Security
Good afternoon Terry.
My my father died about two years ago and my mother was receiving her social security check, but now that my dad died she still gets her SS. but she was getting an additional check mailed from SS. She went to SS and asked about it and they said it was a widow’s benefit and she had to sign up for e-deposit or she looses the additional check. This month January she did not receive the extra SS check. She went in to see if it was because of the e-deposit or not and they told her she should not of been eligible in the first place. As far as I know she never applied for the widow’s benefit. I tried to google if she is eligible for both her SS and a widow’s benefit but I could not find a simple answer. Question, is she eligible for widow’s benefit or not? If not does she have to pay what was paid back? If she is eligible how do I confirm she received the extra SS check.
Thank you
Terry Says
OK, that’s a real mess. She should never have received TWO checks. As a widow, she was entitled to the LARGER of her benefit, or his. And it would all have come in a direct deposit to her bank account.
So the first step is to figure out exactly how much she is entitled to. The easiest way to do that is at MaximizeMySocialSecurity.com. It costs $49, but you can count on them to check the records of employment for both your mother and father, and to let you know the correct amount. Long odds against getting that correct info from Social Security.
They can also tell you how to deal with SS if she is getting the wrong amount. And yes, if she was overpaid for a while, they will eventually figure it out and demand repayment. But if she is being underpaid, you should know that and get it corrected!
