The Social Security Administration (SSA) aims to pay the correct benefits to the right people on time, but overpayments can happen given the complexity and scale of its programs. By law, SSA must adjust benefits or recover funds when individuals receive payments they weren’t eligible for. Overpayments can result from factors like delays in reporting income changes or decisions to continue receiving benefits during an appeal.
SSA handles each case individually and informs recipients about overpayments, their right to appeal, and options for repayment or potential waivers. Recipients can appeal if they believe the overpayment was not their fault and that repayment would create financial hardship. SSA assesses each waiver request carefully and offers flexible repayment plans, with options as low as $10 per month for eligible cases. SSA is also working to minimize overpayments and streamline the repayment process.
For more details, SSA provides an Overpayments Fact Sheet
[download available in English and Spanish].
