Life Insurance✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 1/5
In addition to monthly survivor benefits, the Social Security program provides a small lump-sum death benefit. This lump sum is payable to:
Select an option to reveal the answer and the full 3-part explanation — free, no signup.
Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
Social Security pays a small lump-sum death benefit of $255 to the surviving spouse who was living with the deceased worker, or to the surviving spouse or eligible child in other defined circumstances. It is separate from life insurance proceeds and is paid only if the worker was insured. Life insurance is commonly recommended because this lump sum is far too small to cover final expenses.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) The lump sum goes only to a qualifying surviving spouse or eligible child, not to any relative.
- C) The employer has no claim to the Social Security lump-sum death benefit.
- D) Social Security and life insurance are separate systems; the death benefit is not paid through the policy's beneficiary.
Memory hook
Social Security's death check is a token, not a payoff. Spouse first, then eligible children, and nobody else.