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Amount of Social Security Overpayment Notices Increases - MSN.com
Receiving an overpayment notice doesn’t necessarily mean you did anything wrong. As Social Security continues reducing its backlog, overpayment notices have increased. Your overpayment may be due to a reporting delay, a recalculation, or an administrative issue. Social Security faces significant processing backlogs and operational challenges in updating records to reflect earnings and life events. This can allow incorrect payments to continue for months before being corrected. By the time the adjustments are finally made, the amount owed can be quite substantial. Learn what can cause these notices and what they may mean for you.
Most overpayments result from working while receiving benefits before your full retirement age (FRA). You are subject to an earnings limit until the month you reach your FRA. The earnings limit for 2026 is $21,480 unless you reach your FRA this year. If you reach your FRA this year, the earnings limit is $65,160 before the month you reach your FRA, and the earnings limit ends. Other common factors are getting married or becoming widowed. See which situations can trigger overpayments and affect your benefits.
You cannot always avoid overpayment because of these factors, but if you know you are being overpaid, do not spend the money; Social Security will want it back. If you find yourself overpaid and it would cause financial hardship for Social Security to withhold 50% of your benefits until you repay them, you can request a payment plan. If you believe the overpayment is incorrect or not your fault, you can file a Request for Reconsideration (form SSA-561). Learn what options are available if you receive a notice.
Joe Koebert has written an article on this important topic; read it here…
If you have received an overpayment notice and need further assistance on how to respond, please email ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org or call and speak with an accredited advisor at (888)750-2622
This posting is presented for informational purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. Any opinions or interpretations presented are either those of the original author or, in the case of articles authored by the AMAC Foundation, are the opinions of AMAC Foundation staff, originally trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA) and certified via the AMAC Foundation. Any links included in the article are valid on the posted date; socialsecurityreport.org cannot guarantee the duration of the links’ validity. NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (https://amacfoundation.org/services/) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org. Because we are a non-profit organization, there is no charge for these services.