Social Security: What to do if you haven’t received a payment and how to claim it
The month is ending and you still haven’t received your Social Security payment? Here are possible reasons for the delay, and how you can claim late checks.
Every month, the Social Security Administration issues millions of payments to its beneficiaries. Most of them are retired workers or people with some type of disability.
The exact amount received depends on the situation of each person, while the date of payment is linked to the day of birth of the beneficiaries. Those who were born from the 1st to the 10th receive the check on the second Wednesday of the month, while those with birthdays falling on the 11th to the 21st get them on third Wednesday. Those born on the 21st till the 31st get their payment on the final Wednesday of the month..
The only people who do not fall into this payment schedule are those who receive Supplemental Security Income benefits. They get the money on the first day of every month, regardless of their date of birth. The workers who requested their retirement before 1997 are also not included in the schedule since they receive their monthly payment on the third day of each month.
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Why are Social Security payments late?
While Social Security payments tend to be on time, there are situations where they can be late. For example, if you just applied for benefits, chances are there will be a delay in receiving the first payment. If you changed your address or updated your banking information, you could also experience delays.
In some cases, there may be delays in the Social Security offices themselves, either due to lack of personnel or a holiday; although in the latter case, the payment date is usually brought forward.
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Social Security: What to do if you haven’t received a payment and how to claim it
Payments are often on time and late payments only take place on rare occasions, so if you don’t receive your Social Security check on the scheduled date, SSA recommends contacting your bank or financial institution first.
If the bank hasn't received the money, then you should contact Social Security offices directly to report a missing, late, or stolen payment. To do this, call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).
Once the report is complete, SSA will review the case and if payment is due, the agency will replace it without issue.