My mother is in hospice care now. She is 96 years old. I am her POA and am on her checking account. When will SS be returned if she passes in the next week?

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear about your mother.

If your mother dies before December 1st, the Social Security benefit payment she receives in December will need to be returned. If her checks are issued via direct deposit, the bank will take care of returning the payment if you notify them of her date of death. If she receives paper checks, someone would need to physically return the check to Social Security.

If your mother dies on any day in December, she would be entitled to keep the payment she receives in December. However, if the payment is issued after her death it will need to be returned to Social Security and reissued as an underpayment. You will likely need to complete a form SSA-1724 (https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-1724.pdf) in that event.

Best, Jerry