Reasons Your Social Security Payment Is Late (And What To Do When That Happens)

Social Security benefits are a key means of support for roughly 68 million Americans today. Around 20% of the nation depends on these monthly checks to help cover their costs, according to Bankrate. With so many millions relying on this monthly income, it is disturbing to think that it may arrive late.

The good news is that Social Security payments are usually on time. Unfortunately there are unusual circumstances in which they can come late. It is reassuring to know that when they are late, the delays typically do not amount to more than a couple of days.

There are three main reasons why your Social Security payments could be delayed. These include a recent application for benefits, change of address, or banking information, and delays at the Social Security offices. In the unlikely event that your monthly payment is late, there are specific steps that you should take to quickly resolve the issue.

If you only recently applied for Social Security benefits, this could be a primary cause of delay in receiving the payment. Bankrate warns that it can take as long as three months for the Social Security Administration to process new applications. For applicants of SSDI Social Security Disability Income, this waiting period increases to seven months. After the benefits are approved, you will typically receive your benefits on the same day of each month.

Another common cause of delay involves changes to address or to banking information. If you move, it is critical to update your address with the Social Security Administration so that you do not suffer from extended mail forwarding delays. For those receiving benefits via direct deposit, SSA must always have your current banking information. Switching banks will create problems and delays as a result of outdated Social Security banking arrangements if you do not update these changes promptly. Even attempting to cash a physical Social Security check with the old mailing address on it could give you trouble.

In some cases, your payment could be late because of actual delays at the Social Security offices. Bankrate explains that there have been temporary staffing shortages that cause payments to be late. Holidays could lead to skeleton crews in the office. When a federal holiday is also your benefit date, you can generally expect to get your benefits on the day following the federal holiday.

The SSA publishes an official schedule of Social Security benefits online. This calendar allows you to stay fully up to date on when your exact benefits day is. Keeping apprised of the correct payment date will save you unnecessary worry and time.

No one likes for the money that they depend on to be late. Waiting can be a stressful pastime, especially when you depend on these monthly benefits. Yet despite this, waiting is exactly what the Social Security Administration recommends as a first step if your benefits are delayed.

The SSA suggests that you allow up to three mailing days when your payment is delayed before you contact the office. In the unlikely event that you still have not received your benefit by then, you can reach out to the Social Security Administration. They suggest contacting your local office or calling their national office at 1-800-772-1213 on Monday to Friday during their office hours from 8 am and 7 pm.