Mother passed away in February. Soc Sec Adm. notified by funeral home of death but not in time to prevent 3/1 deposit. How long does it take for Soc Sec. to take back and collect this deposit?

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss. It's actually the Department of the Treasury that issues Social Security payments, and they generally take action to recover erroneous direct deposits immediately upon being notified of a death. The Treasury Department can be notified of a death either by banks or by Social Security.

If your mother's Social Security payment still hasn't been recalled by the Treasury, then they may not yet be aware of her date of death. Notifications of death sent to Social Security from funeral homes are sometimes delayed or not processed timely. You may want to try contacting Social Security and/or your mother's bank to make sure that they've notified the Treasury Department of your mother's date of death.

Best, Jerry