How to Fill Out and Submit Form SSA-8: Eligibility, Pages, and Filing

To fill out Form SSA-8, the Application for Lump-Sum Death Payment, you complete a three-page form covering the deceased worker’s identifying information, their recent earnings and work history, family details, and whether you shared a household at the time of death. You can do it online through your my Social Security account, by phone at 1-800-772-1213, or in person at a Social Security office. The payment is $255, and you have two years from the date of death to file.1Social Security Administration. Lump-Sum Death Payment

What to Gather Before You Start

Pull these items together first. Having them in front of you turns the application into a short session instead of a stop-and-start one.

  • Your Social Security number and the deceased worker’s Social Security number
  • A certified copy of the death certificate, or the funeral director’s statement of death (Form SSA-721)2Social Security Administration. Statement of Death by Funeral Director
  • The deceased’s W-2 forms or self-employment tax returns from the year of death and the year before3Social Security Administration. SSA-8 Application for Lump-Sum Death Payment
  • Your marriage certificate if you’re the surviving spouse, or your divorce decree if you’re a surviving divorced spouse
  • Birth certificates and Social Security numbers for any children you’re including
  • Your bank account and routing number for direct deposit

Documents must be originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. Social Security photocopies them and returns the originals to you.2Social Security Administration. Statement of Death by Funeral Director Certified death certificate copies generally cost between $12 and $34 depending on the state.

If you were in a common-law marriage, Social Security asks for signed statements from you and two blood relatives of the deceased explaining the basis for the marriage. If a blood relative isn’t available, someone else’s statement can substitute.4Social Security Administration. Evidence of Common-Law Marriage

Filling Out the Form, Page by Page

The paper form is three pages. The online version through my Social Security asks the same questions in a guided sequence.5Social Security Administration. Application for Lump-Sum Death Payment Work through it in order.

Page One: The Deceased Worker

Item 1 is your name. Item 2 is the deceased worker’s full name and Social Security number. Items 3 and 4 ask for the date of birth, date of death, and place of death (city and state).

Item 5 asks for the deceased’s approximate earnings from employment and self-employment during the year of death and the year before. Estimates are fine here. Social Security will match your figures against its own records.

Item 6 asks whether the deceased was unable to work due to illness or injury at the time of death, and when that inability began. Item 7 asks about military service after September 7, 1939 and before 1968, because certain service adds Social Security credits; enter the service dates if applicable. Item 7 also asks whether anyone has received or expects to receive benefits from another federal agency. Item 8 asks whether the deceased worked in the railroad industry for seven or more years. If yes, the claim routes to the Railroad Retirement Board instead.

Page Two: Family

Item 9 covers work under another country’s social security system, which can affect the calculation under international agreements. Item 10 asks about the surviving spouse and any prior marriages that lasted at least 10 years, since a surviving divorced spouse may qualify.

Item 11 asks you to list the deceased’s children who are unmarried and either under 18, ages 18 to 19 and in elementary or secondary school full time, or 18 or older with a disability that began before age 22. Item 12 asks about surviving parents who depended on the deceased for financial support. Item 13 asks whether you’ve previously filed for any Social Security benefit on this worker’s record. Item 14 asks for the name and address of the surviving spouse if you aren’t the spouse.

Page Three: Household and Signature

Item 15 is the “same household” question, and it’s the one that decides whether you qualify in the first-priority tier as a surviving spouse. If you and the deceased lived at the same address at the time of death, say yes. If either of you was away, explain who was absent, how long, and why. A hospital stay or a work assignment doesn’t automatically disqualify you, but you need to spell out the situation. “Hospitalized since March” or “deployed for work” is the level of detail that resolves the question.6eCFR. 20 CFR 404.391

Item 16 asks whether you are currently disabled, which may matter for other benefits you could claim on the same earnings record. The final block is the certification and signature. By signing, you attest that the information is correct and acknowledge that a false statement is a federal offense.

How to Submit the Form

You have three ways to file.

  • Online: Log into your my Social Security account at ssa.gov and select the lump-sum death payment application.1Social Security Administration. Lump-Sum Death Payment
  • By phone: Call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and tell the representative you want to apply for the lump-sum death payment.
  • In person: Visit any Social Security office. Call the same number to schedule an appointment.7Social Security Administration. Other Ways to Apply for Benefits

The two-year deadline runs from the date of death, regardless of how you file. There’s no grace period and no extension. If you’re close to that mark, treat it as urgent.

In most cases the funeral home reports the death to Social Security, so a separate notification isn’t needed.8Social Security Administration. What to Do When Someone Dies If no funeral home was involved, or the death occurred abroad, call 1-800-772-1213 with the deceased’s name, Social Security number, date of birth, and date of death. Reporting the death stops any ongoing monthly benefits, but it does not trigger the $255 payment. You still have to file Form SSA-8.2Social Security Administration. Statement of Death by Funeral Director

Who Actually Qualifies

Filing the form doesn’t guarantee the payment. Social Security follows a strict priority order, and if nobody in any tier qualifies, no payment is made.9Social Security Administration. 20 CFR 404.390

  • A surviving spouse who was living in the same household as the deceased at the time of death has first priority.6eCFR. 20 CFR 404.391
  • A surviving spouse who was living apart still qualifies if they were already receiving benefits on the deceased’s record or became eligible for survivor benefits at the death.10Congress.gov. Social Security: The Lump-Sum Death Benefit
  • If no qualifying spouse exists, children entitled to benefits on the deceased’s record for the month of death receive the payment, split equally.11eCFR. 20 CFR 404.392

The deceased also had to be either “fully insured” or “currently insured” at death.9Social Security Administration. 20 CFR 404.390 Currently insured is the lower threshold: six work credits in the roughly three-year period ending with the quarter of death. In 2026, one credit is earned for every $1,890 in wages or self-employment income, up to four credits a year.12Social Security Administration. Quarter of Coverage Someone who worked steadily for even a few years usually meets it; this becomes a problem mainly when the deceased had very limited work history.

After You File

Social Security matches your application against the deceased’s earnings record, verifies the death, and confirms your relationship. If it clears, the $255 is deposited to the account you provided, and you receive a written notice of approval or denial by mail.

The lump-sum payment is separate from monthly survivor benefits. Receiving it doesn’t reduce those monthly benefits, and if you haven’t applied for them yet, you can do so at the same time you file the SSA-8.13Social Security Administration. What You Could Get from Survivor Benefits The monthly amounts are substantially larger.

Most denials come down to one of three things: no eligible survivor exists, the deceased didn’t have enough credits to be insured, or the application was filed after the two-year deadline.10Congress.gov. Social Security: The Lump-Sum Death Benefit If you think the denial was wrong, you have 60 days from receipt of the decision to request reconsideration, which you can do online, by phone, or at a local office.14Social Security Administration. Request Reconsideration Reconsideration is a fresh review by someone new to the file. Further appeals are available beyond that, though for a $255 benefit, reconsideration is usually where the dispute ends.