Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries usually expect to receive their monthly benefits on a certain date every month. But what if those payments are late? Can Social Security change your benefits payment date?
Your Social Security Disability Insurance payment date may have changed due to either your regular payment date falling on a holiday or because there may have been changes to your personal information that may be causing delays.
Learn more about the reasons why your SSDI date may have changed.
Types of Social Security Payments
Social Security, which is officially referred to as the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program, provides monthly benefits to qualified retired and disabled workers and their dependents and to survivors of insured workers.
The Social Security program serves as an entitlement program since it allows workers, employers, and self-employed individuals to essentially contribute to the Social Security Fund for these benefits with their Social Security taxes. These taxes are then deposited into two trust funds that are managed by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
The amount of benefits and eligibility are determined by a person’s (or their spouse’s or parent’s) Social Security contributions and employment history.
There are three types of Social Security benefits that can be obtained through the SSA:
Retirement
The retirement benefit is the most well-known form of Social Security. It is available for anyone who has worked for a minimum of ten years and is at least 62 years old. Retirement benefits are calculated based on an individual’s pre-retirement earnings and the age at which they start collecting benefits.
Furthermore, a retiree’s spouse—regardless of whether they have contributed to the program or not—may also qualify for Social Security retirement payments.
Disability
Individuals who are unable to work as a result of a disability are eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, provided that they had been employed for a specific number of years prior to their disability.
The exact number of required working years changes with age, while the monthly payment is determined by the individual’s pre-disability earnings.
Similar to retirement benefits, Social Security Disability Insurance may also be provided to a beneficiary’s spouse.
Survivor
Survivor benefits are available to certain individuals, including widows or widowers, eligible divorced spouses, and the children of a deceased worker or retiree after their passing.
The amount of the benefit depends on the worker’s age and income when they pass away, as well as the survivor’s age and relationship to the deceased.
SSDI Methods of Payment
In the past, beneficiaries could either pick up their paper benefit checks at their local Social Security office or receive them in the mail. However, since 2013, all recipients of government benefits, including those receiving Social Security disability benefits, are required by federal law to receive payments digitally via direct deposit to a financial institution.
The use of direct deposit can be more convenient, secure, and easy for claimants because the funds are transferred straight to their bank account, credit union account, or prepaid credit card on a monthly basis. Furthermore, there is less of a risk of losing the payment via mail and the access to the payment can faster.
Although beneficiaries are expected to receive their payments through direct deposit in the majority of situations, there are some situations in which they may be eligible to receive paper checks.
Exceptions of this kind are extremely uncommon and must be requested by filling out an official waiver form from the Social Security Administration.
You might be eligible to receive your benefits by paper check if you:
- Reside in a remote area without convenient access to a bank that accepts direct deposits.
- Have a mental disability that makes it impossible or very difficult to transition from the present method of paper checks to direct deposit.
- Were born before May 1st, 1921.
When you file a request for paper checks, you will be required to provide information regarding why you are requesting the waiver as well as why receiving benefits through direct deposit would lead to an unreasonable amount of difficulty.
It is quite unlikely that the waiver will be approved if you do not fulfill the requirements listed above.
Should You Accept Payments Through Direct Deposit?
Many people wonder whether it is better to accept their SSDI benefits through paper checks or via direct deposit, as recommended by the SSA. The direct deposit method has several advantages, such as:
- The direct deposit method is more secure than traditional paper checks. Many people reported having their Social Security payments stolen or misplaced each year. The funds on your debit card are considerably safer because the transfer is instantaneous and automated.
- People who don’t have bank accounts can use the Direct Express debit card. People who didn’t have bank or credit union accounts used to have a hard time cashing their checks. The Direct Express card is a prepaid debit card that SSA electronically deposits the benefit amount to and is accessible on the payment date. This card does not require the use of a bank account.
- It offers greater convenience. There is no need to worry about overdraft penalties or wait for your check when you use the card.
There may, however, be some charges to consider. For example:
- Fees may apply. Although you may be permitted one free ATM transaction per month, additional ATM transactions are charged. Furthermore, there are fees associated with making international purchases, updating your card more than once per year, and moving funds to a bank account.
- You may misplace your card. If you do not immediately report the loss or theft of your card, you run the risk of being unable to access your funds until you are provided with a replacement card.
- There is occasional waiting or hold periods that are required by the banks before releasing funds. This can delay access to payments until the holding period is over.
How SSDI Payment Dates Are Determined
If your application for Social Security Disability Insurance was approved before May 1, 1997, you would be eligible to receive your benefits on the third of each month.
However, if you became eligible after this date or are still waiting to hear back from the SSA about your benefit approval, the exact date will be based on your birthday.
Your benefit check could arrive on one of three dates. These include:
- The second Wednesday of every month, for individuals who were born between the first and tenth of the month
- The third Wednesday of every month, for individuals who were born between the 11th and 20th of the month
- The fourth Wednesday of every month for individuals who were born after the 20th
There will be no change to this unless the Wednesday that you would normally receive your paycheck is a holiday.
For instance, if Christmas happens on the third Wednesday of December, then individuals who were born between the 11th and 20th day of their birth month would get their payment on December 24 rather than on Christmas Day.
If you are receiving both SSDI and SSI (Supplemental Security Income), then you will be eligible to receive SSI benefit payments the first Wednesday of every month and SSDI payments the third Wednesday of every month, regardless of the date of your birthday.
Why Did My SSDI Date Change?
Although SSDI payments are supposed to be deposited on the same date each month, there are certain situations where your payment date may change.
Changes to Bank Details
One of the main reasons why SSDI checks may not arrive on the normal date is due to mistakes on the part of the receiver.
Let’s say, for instance, that you get your SSDI benefits every month by direct deposit. If your banking information changes and you fail to notify the SSA, you might not receive your monthly payment on time.
Changes to Contact Details
A similar problem occurs when SSDI payments are mailed. Failing to inform the SSA of a change in your mailing address could result in your payment being sent to your old address, giving the impression that your payment did not arrive on the normal date.
Changes to Earnings
An SSDI beneficiary cannot earn a substantial amount of money or go over the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) threshold and receive monthly benefits at the same time. If your monthly earnings are more than the substantial gainful activity limit—$1,550 in 2024—your SSDI payments may be temporarily suspended, giving the impression that they are late.
The monthly SGA amount for blind individuals in 2024 is $2,590 and for non-blind individuals, the monthly SGA amount is $1,550.
It is critical to address this immediately, as earning above the income limit over a period of months may result in individuals receiving SSDI payments losing access to their monthly checks entirely.
SSA Errors
The Social Security Administration is a government department that is prone to making errors on occasion. Your monthly SSDI payment could be delayed due to incorrect assumptions about your disability status or income eligibility. Other factors, such as clerical errors, may also cause SSDI payments to be late.
Delays in Mailing
Social Security Administration officials recommend that beneficiaries wait at least a few days before contacting the agency for help in the event that their check arrives late due to mailing problems.
To avoid problems with mailed checks, most disability benefit claimants choose to receive their monthly Social Security Disability Insurance payments via direct deposit.
What to Do If Your Payment Hasn’t Arrived Yet
Get in touch with the Social Security Administration as soon as possible if your Social Security payment is late. Speak with an advocate at your neighborhood Social Security office if you experience any delays that may be attributable to update requests.
The Social Security Administration frequently provides notices of delays that affect a region or a group of people.
For instance, if regions are hit hard by weather-related delays, the SSA may provide information online. Pay attention to the SSA’s communication and media outlets in case there are any delays affecting other people.
When dealing with delays that are not caused by an emergency, you might want to consider waiting a few business days.
It is possible that benefits are already in transit and running behind schedule because of issues with the post office, bank, or Social Security Administration.
You should get in touch with the Social Security Administration whenever you feel it is necessary but be aware that they may ask you to wait longer to verify whether the payment has been lost.
What to Expect Regarding SSDI Payments in 2024
In 2024, the average amount of money that disabled workers can receive each month is $1,537. The amount has been revised following a cost-of-living adjustment of 3.2%.
It is important to remember that the amount presented here is an estimate of the average monthly benefit. The actual amount paid is contingent upon several other important considerations in addition to the degree to which an individual is “insured.”
This means that the real amount can be lower or higher than the average. The My Social Security Account page provides information that can be used to determine the precise amount that an individual is eligible to receive.
Beneficiaries should have also received letters from the Social Security Administration in December 2023 detailing any changes to SSDI or other Social Security benefits, as well as their expected next payment amount according to their individual circumstances.
Based on the data, it appears that the new beneficiaries will receive a larger benefit than the beneficiaries who are leaving. Your Social Security account’s message center is where all the program’s beneficiaries can access their cost-of-living adjustment notices.
Furthermore, some Social Security recipients may be entitled to receive increased payments starting on December 29, 2023. The Social Security Administration predicts that in 2024, the benefits received by approximately 71 million individuals registered in different Social Security benefit programs will increase.
Despite a rise in SSDI and other Social Security benefit amounts scheduled for 2024, neither employees nor self-employed individuals may expect a change to their tax rates. The tax rate for employees is 7.65%, while the rate for self-employed people is 15.3%.
It’s also important to consider the Maximum Taxable Earnings level in addition to changes in the tax rate and benefit amount. For the year 2024, the threshold for taxable earnings will be fixed at $168,000 dollars. This level is subject to change annually.
Conclusion
So, if you did not receive your SSDI benefits on the usual date this month, it is recommended that you wait for a few days before you contact the SSA. The delay could be due to several reasons, as described above.
