Which statement about the Social Security lump-sum death benefit is correct?

Which statement about the Social Security lump-sum death benefit is correct?

• A. It is one thousand dollars.
• B. It is 255 dollars.
• C. It is ten thousand dollars.
• D. It is paid only if there is no eligible surviving spouse or child.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that Social Security provides a one-time, fixed amount to help with burial costs for eligible survivors. That amount is $255. This payment is made to the deceased worker’s surviving spouse if the spouse was living with the worker at the time of death; if there’s no eligible surviving spouse, it can go to an eligible dependent child. If there are no eligible survivors, no payment is made. So the correct statement is that the lump-sum death benefit is $255. The other amounts listed aren’t correct, and the benefit isn’t paid only when there are no eligible survivors; it’s paid to an eligible survivor when one exists.

The key idea is that Social Security provides a one-time, fixed amount to help with burial costs for eligible survivors. That amount is $255. This payment is made to the deceased worker’s surviving spouse if the spouse was living with the worker at the time of death; if there’s no eligible surviving spouse, it can go to an eligible dependent child. If there are no eligible survivors, no payment is made. So the correct statement is that the lump-sum death benefit is $255. The other amounts listed aren’t correct, and the benefit isn’t paid only when there are no eligible survivors; it’s paid to an eligible survivor when one exists.