If you are like the more than 70 million Americans who collect a Social Security check monthly, it’s probably an important part of your cash flow in retirement. So it makes sense that you would want to protect it and ensure it arrives uninterrupted each month.
With the federal government shutdown, it's understandable to be concerned that your check will be delayed or not come at all. The good news is you don't have to worry about that. Social Security payments are uninterrupted during government shutdowns, although services, including new claims, could be delayed.
But that doesn't mean you're in the clear. It's essential to monitor the record-keeping aspects of your Social Security account. If not, you may experience a delay, reduction or suspension in your payments.
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Here’s how that can happen and what to do if it does.
Four reasons your Social Security check could get delayed
The Social Security Administration (SSA) requires you to report any changes in your address, marital status, and employment, as well as the death of a spouse.
Failure to report these changes can delay or suspend benefit payments for the following reasons:
1. The SSA can’t locate you
Known as a whereabouts unknown suspension, this happens when the SSA can’t locate you to confirm eligibility. Typically, SSA calls the last phone number on record several times at different hours and will reach out to interested persons or sources that the SSA believes may have contact with you.
Returned checks can trigger an investigation, which may result in suspension.
What happens: After trying to locate you, benefits are stopped on the first month that SSA can suspend benefits based on the system's recurring payment tape cutoff.
If it’s an address correction: The suspension will be lifted immediately and payments shouldn’t be impacted.
If you were out of the country for more than 30 days: After returning to the country, you have to wait 30 days to begin receiving Social Security payments to meet the 30-day presence requirement.
What you can do: To get your benefits back, you have to provide your correct address and/or living arrangement and meet all the eligibility requirements.
2. You forgot to update your banking information
This one is on you. If you normally receive deposits from the SSA to a specific bank and that bank changes, you should notify the agency as soon as possible.
If the wrong bank account is on file, your benefit payment will be delayed. This could also cause problems when you try to cash the check at the bank.
What you can do: To update your SSA account information, including a new bank account, call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 and tell the representative you want to update your contact information.
You can also use your mySocial Security account to make changes to your account, update your direct deposit information or download tax information.
3. You make too much money
As soon as you turn 62, you can begin collecting Social Security benefits and continue to work, provided you don’t make more than $23,400 for 2025.
If you do, you will receive reduced benefits or the benefits will be suspended. Once you reach your full retirement age, you will receive your full benefits no matter what you earn.
Here is a look at how the SSA penalizes you for earning more than $23,400:
- If you are under your full retirement age: SSA will deduct $1 from your benefits for every $2 you earn above $23,400.
- In the year you reach full retirement age: SSA will deduct $1 from your benefits for every $3 you earn above $23,400. The deduction only applies to earnings before the month you reach full retirement age.
- From the month you reach your full retirement age: There is no limit on how much you can earn.
The SSA sums it up like this: “Payments may be suspended because the recipient has excess earnings, excess unearned income and excess resources.”
What you can do: You can reduce your work hours so that your benefits aren't impacted. If you want to continue working, you could suspend your benefits until you reach full retirement age or you earn less.
4. Your living arrangement has changed
If you receive Supplemental Social Security benefits, which provide monthly payments to people with disabilities and older adults who have little or no income or resources, and you don’t alert Social Security when your living arrangement changes, it could cause a reduction or a suspension in your benefits.
When determining eligibility for SSI, the SSA considers if you live in your own home, apartment or mobile home or in someone else’s household, a group or board and care facility, or a hospital or nursing home.
You could receive reduced benefits or lose them if:
- You live in another person's home and pay less than your fair share of your housing costs.
- You live in your own home but someone else pays for all or part of your rent, mortgage, or other things like electricity and heating fuel.
- You are in a hospital or nursing home for the whole month and Medicaid pays for over one-half of the cost of your care.
- You are in a public or private medical treatment facility and Medicaid is paying for more than half of the cost of your care.
What you can do: If there are any changes in your living arrangement, contact Social Security as soon as possible at 1-800-772-1213, update the information online at mySocial Security account or fax or mail your documentation including a brief explanation of the change, your Social Security number and your contact information to your local Social Security office. You can find your local office here.
You have ten days to alert the SSA to any changes before it will impact benefits.
Your Social Security payment is delayed, now what?
If your Social Security payment is delayed, contact your local Social Security office or call the national number at 1-800-772-1213 to find out what’s going on. SSA recommends people wait three mailing days before contacting the office.
Be prepared for delays and office closings. As part of President Donald Trump’s overhaul of the federal government, thousands of Social Security workers have been terminated and many Social Security offices closed or consolidated.
Anytime there is a change in your status, don’t forget to alert Social Security. It may take a few minutes but it will avoid a lot of headaches if your payment ends up being delayed.
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