Are you the surviving spouse or care for the child of a worker who died? If so, you may get a special lump-sum death payment of $255 if you or the child meets certain conditions.

For more details, visit the Survivors Planner: A Special Lump-sum Death Payment page.

In most cases, you can get a lump-sum death payment if you were living in the same household when your spouse died. If you were living apart, you can still get paid if, during the month they died, you met the conditions below:

• You were already getting benefits on their record; or
• You became eligible for benefits upon their death.

If there's no eligible surviving spouse, a child can get the payment if, during the month the worker died, they met the conditions below:

• They were already getting benefits on the worker's record; or
• They became eligible for benefits upon the worker's death.

If you or a surviving child does not currently get benefits, you must apply for this payment within two years of the date of death.

Visit the Information You Need to Apply For Lump-sum Death Benefit – Form SSA-8 for details on how to apply.

If you would like to find out what other Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits you may qualify for, use SSA Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool (BEST) on Benefits.gov. When you complete the questionnaire, you get a list of benefits to review. You can print this page for your records.

When you know which benefits you may apply for, click Apply for Social Security Benefits to apply online. You can also call the phone numbers below to learn more about SSA benefits and how to apply.