An overpayment happens when you receive more money for a month than you were supposed to get. It's the difference between what you got and what you should have received.

Some causes of overpayment are:

  • Your income is more than you told them.
  • Your living situation changed.
  • Your marital status changed.
  • You have more resources than the allowed limit.
  • You're no longer disabled but still got benefits.
  • You didn't report a change to the Social Security Administration (SSA) on time or at all.
  • The SSA made a mistake in calculating your benefits because of wrong or incomplete information.

If you're not sure why you got overpaid, you can ask for a reconsideration, a waiver, or both.

Get in touch with the SSA as soon as possible to inform them about the overpayment and your intention to return the excess funds. You can do this by calling the SSA's toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213 or by visiting your local SSA office.

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Last Reviewed: July 20, 2023