What to do if Social Security benefits were overpaid
Beneficiaries that have been overpaid will have 90 days to submit a waiver or repayment plan or get a cut in benefits.
Social Security payments for the month of August follow a normal schedule. But those who were previously overpaid by the Social Security Administration may get smaller benefit checks.
That’s because the agency was expected to begin withholding 50% of benefits for those who have been overpaid but have yet to begin repayments.
The SSA hasn’t released a number of how many recipients may have been overpaid. However, a February 2025 report by the SSA’s Office of the Inspector General found the agency overpaid $13.6 billion in Social Security benefits during fiscal years 2020 to 2023. About three-fourths of overpayments (72%) happened because beneficiaries did not successfully report information to SSA that negatively affected their benefits. Such information could include additional salary or retirement earnings and changes in medical condition, such as the end of a disabling condition.
Social Security benefits – paid mostly to recipients who are older or retired – are typically paid on Wednesdays. If your birthdate falls between the first and 10th days of the month, you are issued payments on the second Wednesday of the month (this month, that’s Aug. 13), according to Social Security Administration’s calendar.
Subsequent payments go out weekly: recipients born between the 11th and 20th are paid on the third Wednesday (Aug. 20), and those born after the 20th of the month get payments on the fourth Wednesday of the month (Aug. 27), according to the SSA calendar. Social Security recipients who began getting benefits before May 1997 are paid on Aug. 1.
Social Security payment schedule for August
The Social Security Administration’s yearly schedules of benefit payments for 2025 and 2026 are available online, so you can check the calendar for budgeting purposes.
Regular Social Security retirement benefits for the month of July will be sent out on the SSA’s usual schedule:
Wednesday, Aug. 13: Birth dates between the first and 10th of the month.Wednesday, Aug. 20: Birth dates between the 11th and 20th of the month.Wednesday, Aug. 27: Birth dates between the 21st and 31st of the month.
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SSI payment schedule for August, rest of 2025 and into 2026
Recipients of Supplemental Security Income checks will be issued payments on the first business day of the month, which is Friday, Aug. 1. SSI checks will be sent out on the following dates in 2025 and early 2026, according to the SSA calendar:
Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 (Check for August 2025)Friday, Aug. 29, 2025 (Check for September 2025)Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025 (Check for October 2025)Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 (Check for November 2025)Monday, Dec. 1, 2025 (Check for December 2025)Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 (Check for January 2026)Friday, Jan. 30, 2026 (Check for February 2026)Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 (Check for March 2026)What is SSI?
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a benefit program for persons with limited income or resources, those aged 65 or older, and those who are blind or have a qualifying disability. Children with qualifying disabilities are also eligible, according to the SSA’s website. Adults who qualify for SSI typically do not have monthly wages above $2,019.
If you think you may be eligible for SSI, you can begin the application process online, in person at your local Social Security office, or by calling 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time during the work week.
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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