Life Insurance✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 1/5
At a worker's death, Social Security pays:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
Social Security provides a one-time lump sum death payment to the eligible surviving spouse, or to an eligible child if there is no spouse, who was living with the worker or entitled to benefits. This modest lump sum supplements ongoing monthly survivor benefits available to eligible dependents. It is designed as a burial-related payment rather than income replacement. The ongoing monthly benefits for eligible children and spouses are the primary survivor protection, and the lump sum is a secondary, one-time payment.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Monthly survivor pensions are paid to eligible dependents such as minor children and aged spouses, but not to every survivor for life. The lump sum is a separate, one-time payment to the surviving spouse.
- C) No formula ties the lump sum to six months of salary; it is a fixed modest payment set by law. The amount is not salary-based and does not vary with earnings.
- D) Social Security does have a small lump sum death benefit, so the statement that it has none is false. The payment exists even though it is modest, currently a one-time amount of $255 to an eligible spouse.
Memory hook
Social Security death check: one modest lump sum to the spouse, plus monthly benefits to dependents.