A Medicare premium refund after death is money Social Security returns to a survivor or the estate when Part B (or Part D) premiums were collected for months after the beneficiary’s month of death. Coverage ends on the last day of the month the person died, and the premium for that final month is still owed in full, but anything already deducted for later months is refundable.1eCFR. 42 CFR 407.27 – Termination of Entitlement: Individual Enrollment With the standard Part B premium at $202.90 a month in 2026, even one overpaid month is worth chasing.2Medicare. 2026 Medicare Costs
What Counts as an Overpayment
Federal rules are strict about the month of death: the premium runs through it with no proration, even if the person died on the first of the month.3eCFR. 42 CFR Part 408 – Premiums for Supplementary Medical Insurance Everything collected for later months is excess.
This comes up more often than families expect because Social Security deducts premiums in advance. If a beneficiary dies in March but the April premium was already pulled from the February or March benefit check, April is refundable. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is required to return excess premiums, and SSA handles the operational side.4Social Security Administration. Refunding Excess Medicare Premiums for Deceased Beneficiaries There is no minimum dollar threshold.
Don’t Confuse This With the Final Benefit Check
Before dealing with premiums, be aware that Social Security benefits are not payable for the month a person dies. The check that arrives the month after the death (which pays for the month of death itself) has to be returned.5Social Security Administration. What You Need to Know When You Get Retirement or Survivors Benefits If it came as a paper check, don’t cash it. If it went to a bank account by direct deposit, call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 to arrange the return. The premium refund is a separate transaction, but survivors often tangle the two together.
Who Gets the Refund
The answer depends on who actually paid the premiums.
Premiums Deducted From the Beneficiary’s Social Security Check
This is the usual setup. SSA first looks for a legal representative of the estate on file. If there isn’t one, it works down the standard priority order used for any Title II underpayment.6eCFR. 20 CFR 404.503 – Underpayments A surviving spouse who was living in the same household at the time of death (or receiving benefits on the same record) comes first, followed by children receiving benefits on that record, then parents receiving benefits on that record. A spouse who was living apart drops behind those groups, and children or parents who weren’t drawing benefits on the record come after that. The legal representative of the estate sits at the bottom of the list.
When more than one person shares a tier, they split the refund equally. If nobody qualifies and no estate representative is appointed, the refund may never be paid out.
Premiums Paid by Someone Else
If an adult child, caregiver, or other person paid the premiums directly rather than through the beneficiary’s Social Security deduction, SSA presumes that payer is entitled to the refund.4Social Security Administration. Refunding Excess Medicare Premiums for Deceased Beneficiaries You’ll need to show proof you actually paid: a canceled check or bank statement for amounts of $50 or more, or a signed statement for anything smaller. If the payer has also died, the refund goes to the legal representative of that person’s estate rather than the beneficiary’s estate.
How SSA Issues the Refund
SSA does not always wait for paperwork. An internal alert, a billing-system flag, or a phone call reporting the death can trigger an automatic refund, especially when a survivor is already identified on the record. When the file is incomplete or no obvious recipient exists, though, the case sits until someone claims it. Filing a claim is what moves things.
Form SSA-1724
No specific form is required to claim an underpayment, but Form SSA-1724, Claim for Amounts Due in the Case of a Deceased Beneficiary, is built for this and keeps the paperwork clean.7Social Security Administration. GN 02301.050 – Application for Title II Underpayment Due Deceased Beneficiary Download it from the SSA website.8Social Security Administration. Form SSA-1724 – Claim for Amounts Due in the Case of Deceased Beneficiary It asks for the deceased person’s name and Social Security number, your Social Security number, your relationship to the deceased, whether anyone else might have a higher-priority claim, and your contact information.
Proof of Death
SSA needs proof of death, but often already has it. If the record shows a verified date of death, or if survivor benefits have already been paid on the same record, no additional documentation is required.9Social Security Administration. GN 00304.001 – Proof of Death Requirements Otherwise, submit a certified copy of the death certificate with the form.
Submitting the Form
Mail or hand-deliver the completed form to your local Social Security office. There is no online option for the SSA-1724. SSA will send a written confirmation once the claim has been reviewed. The agency doesn’t publish a processing timeline, so plan for several weeks and follow up by phone if you haven’t heard anything after about 60 days.
Medicare Advantage and Part D Premiums
The SSA process covers original Medicare premiums. If the deceased was in a Medicare Advantage plan or a standalone Part D plan, how the refund works depends on how those premiums were paid. When Part D premiums were deducted from the Social Security check, SSA handles them through the same priority order and the same claim.4Social Security Administration. Refunding Excess Medicare Premiums for Deceased Beneficiaries When premiums were paid directly to the private insurer by bank draft or credit card, SSA has nothing to do with it. Contact the plan. Every insurer sets its own procedure, so have the plan ID number, the date of death, and a copy of the death certificate ready.
If SSA Denies the Claim
You have 60 days from the denial notice to file for reconsideration using Form SSA-561-U2. This one can be submitted online through your SSA account or by phone at 1-800-772-1213.10Social Security Administration. Request Reconsideration A different SSA employee reviews the case from the beginning. Most premium refund disputes end at this stage because the underlying math is simple: either premiums were collected for months after the month of death, or they weren’t.