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At an Oct. 13 rally in Wasilla, Alaska, President Donald Trump said his team has found Social Security records for people far too old to be alive. “I think our highest this year is 179 years old,” he told the crowd.
Moments later he added, “Somebody’s been cashing that check for a long time, and we don’t think that person’s around at 179.” (1)
I’ve been a CPA since 1981, and I was the executor of my parents’ estate. So let me referee this one, because there’s a real money lesson buried in it for every married retiree.
Trump is right that Social Security has trouble getting back money it shouldn’t have paid. The agency’s own inspector general found 17,979 adult beneficiaries who died between December 2022 and December 2024 with about $240 million in overpayments still outstanding.
That’s money they were overpaid while alive. Auditors estimated Social Security could pursue recovery of about $106 million of it, including from estates. (2)
But old records aren’t the same as checks. When a similar claim surfaced in 2025, the agency’s then-acting commissioner said people listed as over 100 were “not necessarily receiving benefits” because their records simply lacked a date of death. (3)
Here’s the part that matters to you. When your spouse dies, the rules on that last check, the survivor check and a little-known $255 payment kick in fast. (4) Get them wrong and you either owe money back or leave money on the table. Here are 5 things to know.
1. The check for the month of death goes back
This surprises a lot of grieving families. Social Security says you must return the benefit received for the month of death and any later months. (4)
Its example: if someone dies in July, the payment that arrives in August has to be returned. If it came by direct deposit, contact the bank and ask it to send back that month’s money and any later payments.
If it’s a paper check, don’t cash it; return it to Social Security as soon as possible. (4)
So if you see a deposit after the funeral, don’t spend it. That’s the kind of money Trump is talking about. It isn’t yours to keep.
2. The funeral home usually reports the death, but you should call too
The funeral home usually reports the death to Social Security by filing a Statement of Death by Funeral Director, Form SSA-721. In most areas, Social Security then contacts the survivors. (5)
Don’t assume it happened. Social Security wants to know as soon as possible, and you can’t report a death or apply for survivor benefits online. Call 1-800-772-1213 or visit a local office. (4)
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3. Two checks become one
This is the real budget shock. A surviving spouse who already gets a retirement check can apply for survivor benefits only if that retirement check is smaller than the survivor amount. (4) In other words, the household goes from two checks to one.
How big is the survivor check? At full retirement age or older, it’s 100% of the deceased worker’s benefit. Between 60 and full retirement age, it’s 71½% to 99% of the deceased worker’s basic amount. (4)
Do that math now, while you’re both here. If the smaller check disappeared tomorrow, could the survivor still pay the bills?
If the answer is no, and the surviving spouse would be left short, insurance is one way to fill the gap. If anyone depends on your income — a spouse, kids, even a mortgage cosigner — term life insurance is the cheapest way to protect them.
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4. Don’t let Social Security pick the wrong survivor strategy for you
Here’s where widows and widowers lose real money. Social Security’s inspector general reviewed survivor claims and estimated the agency underpaid about 8,618 widow(er)s roughly $50.4 million by using the wrong calculation when a spouse died before 62. (6)
The same review estimated another 5,367 widow(er)s could have received a projected $113.8 million more if they had taken survivor benefits alone and delayed their own retirement benefits to 70.
Because staff didn’t consistently document those conversations, auditors couldn’t tell whether the people they sampled were fully informed of that option. (6)
Social Security’s own rules allow it in many cases: a surviving spouse can start one benefit at a reduced rate and let the other one grow. (4) Ask about it by name.
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5. Claim the $255 before the clock runs out
It’s not much, but it’s yours. Social Security pays a one-time lump-sum death payment of $255 to a surviving spouse who was living with the deceased. If there’s no spouse, an eligible child may get it. (4)
There’s a deadline. A spouse or child who isn’t already getting benefits must apply within two years of the death. (4)
My honest take
Fraud is real, and I’ve got no problem with anyone chasing money that’s being stolen from the system. But the bigger risk for most families isn’t a stranger cashing a dead man’s check.
It’s a widow who spends a deposit she has to give back, or who never hears about the survivor strategy that could have paid her thousands more.
So have the conversation now. Know whose check is bigger, know the survivor rules, and keep this list where your spouse can find it. Grief is hard enough without a letter from Social Security asking for money back.
Sources: 1. Roll Call Factba.se; 2. Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General; 3. CBS News; 4. Social Security Administration; 5. Social Security Administration; 6. Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General
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