Sunday and just another boring Social Security post. But, what happens if you die?

What happens if you file for Social Security disability and you die before receiving backpay and your monthly payments?

Sad to say, this is not uncommon. It doesn't happen every day, but it happens a lot. For anyone who has filed for Social Security disability benefits, you know it can take a few months or even years to receive benefits.

In essence, it depends on who you are and what program you filed for.

Who are you? And, if this is SSDI:

You have to be a close relative of the deceased. You have to be a spouse that was living with the claimant, children, or a parent. If none of these are living, then backpay benefits will go to the estate. And, believe it or not, if a person dies before filing for SSDI, the family can also go ahead and file within three months of death. There are some other rules to this program, but it's rare someone would qualify under them.

SSI is basically the same, but a little harder to collect than SSDI:

A spouse who was living with the decedent at the time of death, and parents of a child who were living with him or her within six months of death. Again, there are also some rare rules a relative would qualify under, but no real need to discuss here.

If you're really sick, and I mean really sick, and you are going to file for Social Security disability (SSDI or SSI), you may want to let your immediate relative(s) know, just in case. Look at it this way, payment of backpay to an immediate relative could help reimburse funeral expenses or help tie up financial lose ends after you're gone. It may relieve a large burden on your family, especially if you know they are going to have a hard time emotionally.