To be eligible for this payment, the surviving spouse must be living in the same household with the worker when he or she died. If they were living apart, the surviving spouse can still receive the lump-sum if, during the month the worker died, the spouse met one of the following requirements:
If there's no eligible surviving spouse, the lump-sum can be paid to the worker's child (or children) if, during the month the worker died, the child met one of the following requirements:
If you would like to find out if you are eligible for any of Social Security benefit programs, take SSA’s Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool.
Once you have completed the eligibility screening questionnaire, you will be provided with a list of benefits for which you may be eligible. Print this page for your records before going to the application site.