My mother that I lived with died the day before her direct deposit was made for social security. I have atm card and could I use those benifits for the day before she died to use to pay bills for that month??

Hi. I'm sorry for your loss. Assuming that your mother was receiving Social Security benefits, then it sounds like she was probably eligible for the benefit that was due to arrive the day after she died. However, even if she was due that payment, you can't use those benefits without going through the process of applying for an underpayment.

When benefits are due to a deceased Social Security beneficiary, Social Security law specifies a hierarchy to determine who is eligible to be paid the underpayment. The priority order is explained on the following Social Security webpage: https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-1724.html. Assuming that you are eligible for an underpayment, you'll need to submit to Social Security a completed and signed form SSA-1724 per the instructions on that webpage.

Best, Jerry