Understanding Supplemental Security Income (SSI)-- Overpayments (2024)

FAQs

How can I get out of paying back an overpayment of Social Security? ›

If you agree that you have been overpaid, but you feel you should not have to pay it back because you did not cause the overpayment and you cannot afford to repay it, you should file Form SSA-632, Request for Waiver of Overpayment Recovery.

An overpayment is when you receive more money for a month than the amount you should have been paid. The amount of your overpayment is the difference between the amount you received and the amount due.

If you got a letter in the mail that says you were overpaid and need to pay us back, you can request a waiver. Ask us to waive repayment if you can't afford it and feel the error wasn't your fault, or if you believe the overpayment is unfair for another reason. We may ask to see details about your income and expenses.

By accurately reporting your wages on time each month, you can help make sure that Social Security calculates your SSI cash payment or determines your eligibility for SSDI correctly. Accurate and timely reporting helps to avoid overpayments.

Request that we waive the overpayment if you believe you are not at fault for causing the overpayment and you cannot afford to repay the money back, or it is unfair for some other reason. You can ask for a waiver by submitting a completed SSA-632, Request for Waiver of Overpayment Recovery, to your local office.

Policy. The burden of establishing without fault lies with the overpaid individual. The individual must request a waiver and submit evidence or provide a reasonable explanation as to why they believe they are without fault.

If the value of your resources that we count is over the allowable limit at the beginning of the month, you cannot receive SSI for that month. If you decide to sell the excess resources for what they are worth, you may receive SSI beginning the month after you sell the excess resources.

(1) We may accept a compromise settlement (payment of less than the full amount of the overpayment) to discharge the entire overpayment debt. (2) We may suspend our efforts to collect the overpayment. (3) We may terminate our efforts to collect the overpayment.

An overpayment occurs when someone pays more than the required or agreed-upon amount for a product or service. It can happen due to various reasons, such as a billing error, incorrect calculations, or misunderstandings between the payer and the recipient.

In some cases where the SSA failed to take into account a reported fact that affected the SSI recipient's eligibility or the amount of the cash benefit, the agency will limit the amount of the overpayment to a two-year period, even if the problem existed for a much longer period of time.

How to get a waiver for SSI overpayment? ›

You think that you are not at fault and your overpayment is $1,000 or less. Instead, please request a waiver by calling 1-800-772-1213 or your local field office. We may be able to process your request quickly over the phone.

As of March 25, 2024, the agency will collect ten percent (or $10, whichever is greater) of the total monthly Social Security benefit to recover an overpayment, rather than collecting 100 percent as was previous procedure.

Remember, you must show both that the overpayment was not your fault and that you do not have enough money to pay back the overpayment. Some of the reasons that may show that the overpayment was not your fault are: You have trouble reading. You did not know what you had to report to SSA.

The DWP can agree to waiver (write off) the overpayment. However this will usually only be done in exceptional circ*mstances where recovery action will result in severe welfare issues for you or your family. The DWP will also look into the circ*mstances of the overpayment.

If the Social Security Administration sent you a notice about an overpayment you owe, you can make a secure payment here. Before you begin: You will need your remittance ID in order to repay your Social Security overpayment on Pay.gov.

Remember, you must show both that the overpayment was not your fault and that you do not have enough money to pay back the overpayment. Some of the reasons that may show that the overpayment was not your fault are: You have trouble reading. You did not know what you had to report to SSA.