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| Reporting a Death to the Social Security Office |
Social Security is income that is provided by the Social Security office in the U.S. when you retire or if you are unable to work because of a disability. When you retire, you are generally eligible for a Social Security income if you are age 62 years or older and you have labored and accounted for Social Security taxes for 10 (“ten”) or more years. When you start to receive retirement income from Social Security, you will be able to receive monthly payments that are premised on your lifetime earnings.
Social Security payments will cease once you die. It is not legal to continue to receive Social Security payments for any month since the recipient has died. Therefore, once the recipient of Social Security payments passes away, his/her death must be reported to the Social Security Administration office.
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| Mortuary or Funeral Home can Report a Death (if deceased passes away in the U.S.) |
In many cases, in the event that an individual dies in the U.S, a mortuary or funeral home that oversees the burying of the deceased individual, etc., can report the death of such individual to the Social Security Administration office. The family of the deceased will usually provide the funeral director with the Social Security number of the deceased in order to initiate the process of reporting to the Social Security Administration office.
The mortuary or funeral home will usually file the SSA-721 Form (i.e. Statement of Death by Funeral Director) to report the death of a deceased to the Social Security Administration office. This will help cease the Social Security benefits from being paid after the deceased’s death.
If, at times, the reporting of death from the mortuary or funeral home is late, and additional Social Security benefits are paid for any month(s) after an individual has died, that additional benefit will be returned to the Social Security Administration office once the office is alerted of the deceased’s death from the mortuary or funeral home.
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| Contacting a Federal Benefits Unit (if deceased passes away outside of the U.S.) |
| If an individual dies outside the U.S., you can contact a Federal Benefits Unit that is located in a foreign country in which the individual passes away. In Japan, the Federal Benefits Unit is located in the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.
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| Conclusion |
| As Social Security is an important source of income for retired individuals, it is good to know how its system works while you are still well and alive, and how to report your death when you die, etc. so that you will not do anything illegal such as receiving overpayments after your death, and etc. |
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| I started a podcast for the Hongo Law Office, LLLC! |
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I started a podcast for the Hongo Law Office, LLLC!
While I will mainly discuss estate planning/administration issues by myself each month, I also welcome guests on my podcast. I am now inviting anyone to be on my show. Please email me at yuka.hongo12@gmail.com if any of you might be interested in appearing as a guest on my show!
In this 14th episode, we speak with Toshiyuki Ashida from Nature Group, an integrated support model that starts with tax consulting and extends to asset management. Mr. Ashida shares with us practical insights on handling assets held across two countries relating to bank accounts and real estate, including tax filing requirements, title transfers, and repatriation of funds to Japan. Mr. Ashida shares some key things to consider in addition to taxes, when deciding where to live and keep your assets. We also discuss Mr. Ashida's interest in neurobiology and doing activities that create happy hormones. Listen to hear why he enjoys his visits to Hawaii.
A must-listen for anyone with cross-border assets or planning for international inheritance.
Episode Link |
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| Client Comments |
| "Lawyers in the U.S. can be difficult to talk to at times, but I think people find it easy to talk to Ms. Hongo. I also like the fact that Ms. Hongo follows up with her clients on a timely basis." |
| Sachiko Trillo, Honolulu |
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| "Hongo Tsuji Tax & Consulting, our accounting firm, introduced me to Ms. Hongo. I consulted her with regards to estate planning, and I appreciated the fact that she took care of our documents in a timely manner." |
| K.A., Tokyo |
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| "I appreciated Ms. Hongo's professional expertise and the kind way in which she took care of our matter. I am truly happy that she helped us." |
| Mitsuko Seto, Osaka |
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| "Ms. Hongo not only prepared my trust, but also took care of legal matters involving my company. Her fee is reasonable and she follows up with you in a timely manner." |
| S. Suzuki, Company Owner |
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| "Ms. Hongo took care of our matter in a kind manner. We liked the fact that her office was located in Waikiki, near our home." |
| Sugiyama, Waikiki |
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| "I became a successor to 2 condominiums that my wife owned in Hawaii, after my wife passed away. Ms. Hongo took care of our probate matter in a short timeframe of 1 year. We feel very grateful to her." |
| Shuichi Sakamoto, Nasu |
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| "Our clients were very satisfied with Ms. Hongo's service because she was able to explain matters such as probate in an easy-to-understand manner. Ms. Hongo is someone we can rely on for any matter." |
| Noboru Ohhashi, List Sotheby's, Tokyo |
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| "Given that the U.S. real estate recording process and its pertaining laws differ from those of Japan, and it is difficult to learn about them in English, I appreciated Ms. Hongo being able to explain them to me in an understandable manner. I would like to seek her help in the future for other matters." |
| K. Iwasaki, Honolulu |
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| "Ms. Hongo helped me with the estate planning for my real estate in Hawaii. I was glad she was able to help me during her visit in Japan." |
| S.T., Kawasaki |
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| "It was our long-term goal to prepare a trust for our family. We are now able to take the next step in our lives, as Ms. Hongo applied her proficient bilingual skills to efficiently take care of our matter. We are very grateful for what she did for us." |
| A.P., Honolulu |
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| Attorney Yuka Hongo has been included as an honored listee in Marquis Who's Who for 2024. Marquis has chronicled the lives of accomplished individuals and innovators since 1898. |
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| Hongo Law Office LLLC is proud to have been acknowledged as one of the "Best Probate Attorneys in Honolulu for 2026" by Expertise.com. |
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| Attorney Yuka Hongo has been named a 2026 Elite Lawyer in the area of Estate Planning in Hawaii. The award recognizes attorneys who have displayed a high level of competence in their practice. |
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| You're invited to call or email |
"If you have questions about estate planning and administration, please don't hesitate to call. I'll be glad to hear from you." – Yuka
Call (808) 237-9944 or email yuka.hongo12@gmail.com |
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| Meet Yuka Hongo, Esq. |
| Yuka Hongo is a respected estate planning attorney based in Honolulu, Hawaii. She has practiced law for 10 years and is fluent in both English and Japanese. |
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Practice Areas: Yuka represents clients in matters related to estate planning such as the preparation of Trusts, Wills, and the Transfer on Death Deed. She also provides services in the area of estate administration, including probate.
Education: In 2000, Yuka graduated from Oberlin College (Oberlin, OH), where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and East Asian Studies. In 2004, she graduated from Loyola Law School (Los Angeles, CA), where she earned her Juris Doctor Degree. In 2022, Yuka graduated from Keio University (Tokyo, Japan) where she earned a Master of Laws Degree.
Court Admissions and Bar Memberships: Yuka is a member of the Hawaii, California, New York, Washington, and the District of Columbia Bar Associations. Yuka is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Hawaii Tax Institute Program.
Additional Qualifications: Yuka is a Certifying Acceptance Agent who can obtain the ITIN tax number for foreigners in the U.S. In addition, she is a Life Insurance Agent and a licensed Notary Public in the State of Hawaii. Also, Yuka is fully bilingual in Japanese and English and has in-depth legal work experience working with both languages.
Multicultural Background: Yuka has experience living and working in both the U.S. and Japan and has a thorough understanding of both cultures in these two countries. In addition, she loves working with people from other multicultural backgrounds and working on international matters.
Educational Presentations: Yuka has presented seminars in Japan and in the U.S. relating to various estate planning/estate administration issues.
Residence & Interests: Yuka lives in Honolulu, Hawaii and is single. She enjoys scoping out new eateries and restaurants. |
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