The Social Security Administration (SSA) has changed its policy on recovering overpayments from benefit recipients. Under the new policy, the agency can now take up to 50% of monthly benefits to recoup overpayments, instead of the previous 10%. This means that beneficiaries who have been overpaid in the past could see their checks reduced by as much as half until the money is fully recovered.
The SSA’s decision comes after a report found that at the end of fiscal year 2023, the agency still needed to recover $23 billion in overpayments. Beneficiaries who received notices from the SSA indicating they were overpaid will have the opportunity to pay back the overpayment entirely in one chunk or appeal the decision and request a waiver.
Those receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits are not affected by this policy change, as overpayments on SSI benefits will continue to be collected at a 10% rate. If a beneficiary does not request a change in collection within 90 days of receiving a notice, the money will begin being recouped.
Beneficiaries can contact their local office or call 1-800-772-1213 to request a lower rate of recovery and avoid having their benefits reduced.
Source: https://www.mlive.com/news/2025/08/heres-why-your-social-security-check-could-be-significantly-less-than-normal-in-august.html