relative died 12-24-17. social security check direct deposit on 12-27-17. iam i correct in my thinking that the social security deposit on 12-27 was actually for NOvember of 2017 and the social security deposit does not have to be returned to social security?

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

You're right about the payment being for November 2017, but it would still need to be returned and reissued to the person(s) who are now entitled to the funds. Social Security law designates a specific priority order for reissuing payments that were due to a deceased person. The priority order and a link to the form used to claim underpayments can be found on Social Security website: https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-1724.html.

Best, Jerry