How To Collect Benefits After Someone Close Dies

Let's start with a quick overview of the types of benefits you may be owed:

• Life Insurance
• Annuities (i.e. a fixed sum of money paid on an annual basis)
• Social Security (Monthly survivors benefits and a one-time death benefit)
• Military Benefits (This may include a burial allowance, wartime service pension, and/or Dependency and Indemnity Compensation)
• Disability or Workman's Compensation (You're entitled to any balance owed at the time of death)
• Wages owed from a former employer
• Pensions or Union Benefits
• To get a better sense of the types of benefits offered in your state, take a look at BenefitsCheckup.org, which is a nonprofit service offered by the National Council on Aging.

You'll most likely be working with a trust and estate attorney to wrap up the estate. To help move things along as quickly as possible you need to collect as much information as you can about the policies or businesses that might provide benefits:

• Insurance policies. Contact the deceased’s employer to learn about any policies the person may have had through work.
• Financial and retirement accounts. Contact the deceased’s accountant to learn about any pensions, accounts, investments, or funds that you may not be aware of.
• Veteran and governmental benefits. Contact the Veterans Administration and the Social Security Administration.

The deceased’s wallet, filing cabinets, and email accounts may all also be good sources of information as you determine the accounts that may provide benefits.

Gather Information To Prepare To Make Contact

Commonly required information includes:

• The name (and maiden name or previous names) and last address of the person who died
• His or her Social Security number
• His or her date of birth and death
• Death certificate
• Your name and address
• Your relationship to the person who died (proof may be required)
• Your Social Security number
• Your birth certificate
• In some cases, you may be asked to provide:
• The deceased’s most recent W-2 forms or federal self-employment tax return
• The name of your bank and your account number so benefits can be directly deposited into your account

When contacting Insurance companies you may be asked to provide:

• The name of the primary beneficiary
• The name of the contingent beneficiary

Contact The Companies or Agencies You Identified, And Provide Them With The Necessary Information

While some companies will allow you to file for benefits over the phone, some will require a mailed letter or form.

Many governmental agencies will allow you to submit a form online:

• Social Security Administration
• Veterans Administration

For more information on this topic, check out the following articles: How To Locate Important Documents, Files And Account Information | How To Locate Lost Insurance Policies