Commissioner Statement on Economic Impact Payments
Reading Time: 3 MinutesLast Updated: March 25, 2021
I want to provide an important update about the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) processing of Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.
At each turn over the last 12 months, immediate delivery of EIPs has been, and remains, a top priority for this agency. SSA’s public service mission is squarely focused on many of those who are most economically-vulnerable in our society and we owe it to our beneficiaries to ensure they receive their EIPs right away. In fact, it was the substantial efforts of SSA that successfully overcame the fact that the IRS did not have a mechanism to automatically identify Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients, some of the most financially insecure people in America. It was SSA that pushed the prior Administration and Congress to allow us to send to IRS a file of those individuals, who do not receive forms SSA-1099, so that IRS could automatically issue EIPs to them.
Since the time that discussions began regarding issuance of EIPs in the ARP Act, weeks before passage, we have worked tirelessly with our counterparts at IRS to provide to them the information they need to issue payments to our beneficiaries. Despite the fact that Congress did not directly provide SSA funding to support our work on EIPs, we have provided countless hours of assistance to IRS consistent with the laws that establish how we may use the Trust Funds that every American counts on us to protect.
SSA discussed with Treasury and IRS, both before passage and after enactment of the ARP Act, that the Social Security Act does not allow the agency to use our administrative appropriation to conduct work on any non-mission provision or program. Accordingly, we were not authorized to substantively engage Treasury or IRS prior to the ARP’s passage. Instead, upon passage, we were required to pursue a reimbursable agreement with IRS because we received no direct appropriation through the ARP Act. From the outset of discussions, we kept congressional staff apprised of the hurdles this approach would create for SSA, and we have continued to update them on our progress with IRS as we completed the required interagency agreements.
Once we were free to move forward, we aggressively worked with Treasury and IRS to issue payments. As a result of our efforts, we successfully signed the reimbursable agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) less than one week after passage, on March 17. That process often takes weeks or months to complete, but we got the job done in a matter of days. A few days later, on Monday, March 22, SSA sent initial test files to IRS. IRS confirmed testing success on Wednesday, March 24. Production files were delivered to IRS before 9 AM on Thursday, March 25 – more than a week sooner than we were able to provide a similar file to IRS during the first round of EIPs.
While we were working through the agreements with IRS that would fund our efforts to support issuance of EIPs, we were also protecting the integrity of the EIP program by updating the files that IRS will use to issue payments to our beneficiaries. Those updates to our files ensure that payments go to correct bank accounts and addresses, and, that those who are deceased are removed from the files. In short, Social Security employees have literally worked day and night with IRS staff to ensure that the electronic files of Social Security and SSI recipients are complete, accurate, and ready to be used to issue payments. There is no one more committed to serving the public than the employees of this agency, and there should be no doubt whatsoever that they are striving each day to serve the vulnerable populations to whom they have committed their careers. I find any insinuation to the contrary to be unacceptable.
I assure you that we will continue to do all we can to support implementation of the ARP Act.
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Tags: American Rescue Plan, Commissioner, Economic Impact Payments, social security, SSI
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Andrew Saul, Commissioner, Social Security Administration
Commissioner of Social Security Administration (June 17, 2019 - July 9, 2021)
Comments
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Kelahir J.
How can people making over 50K a year gets their checks 2 days after the president signed the bill but we cannot get our money? How can people in Prison and Immigrants get checks but we cannot?
Why are us the people who need the help THE MOST left out to fend for ourselves? Try living on our benefits and see if you can live with delays.
It feels like begging and asking for something that really we shouldnt have to go chasing. Our Cola is low and we didnt even get the 200 a month biden promised. We are tired and upset for always having to do without.
Screw U.
The reason the people who need help the most are always the ones who get screwed is because we don’t have any money to pay off people like Saul.
Andrew S.
BULLSHIT!
Valerie L.
Thank you for some clarity on this matter
So IRS has what they need,Yet they still won’t even post a date for us..I sure hope when this is over we get answers on why it took so long this time
Hopefully next week I’ll get my direct deposit.and this
Administration starts an investigation to IRS
They only put up a tool to check status.
But it doesn’t even work.We can’t call
We can’t get any info
From them..
At least you took the time to explain,
I thank you for thar.
LEFT O.
Leaving comments are useless because you don’t answer them. We paid your salaries and this is how you treat me!!!
CHERYL R.
My name is Cheryl Robbins and I am not very happy right now because of the $1,400. Stimulus check I am trying get answers to see if I am eligible to receive it or not because of my ssi. And every time I go IRS.GOV get my payment it says payment not available and I want to know why?
Anseer
Because saul. Purposely j
Held files to make biden look bad cause trump hired him saul is head of ssi
TADEUSZ W.
I Didn’t get stimulus payment $ 1400,-, why ?
Because IRS didn’t process my 2019 Tax Return,
They received file one year ago by regular mail,
they cashed out my check and
THEY didn’t process my file for 2019.
THIS IS NOT MY FAULD.
Joseph E.
It seems as though we the disabled are once again ignored, I still haven’t received my third stimulus payment so much for we the people. Huh
Joe
U need to be fired. Broke times suck u do no good trump hired u get me my gotdam money
Elizabeth L.
We have waited and waited, people that work jobs that can make extra money got theirs first. We don’t have that luxury, we have to wait on you. Fixed income is exactly that, we live on one amount. Please give us a date so we can tell our bill collectors when we can pay our light bill, water bill, car payment if we’re lucky. HELP US PLEASE!
Trish
This is unreal. The most vulnerable of our population is being jerked around. None of us think it is funny. We make our financial decisions and bill payments according to the funds we have and are going to get. You are hurting so many people right now and have put them in a dire situation. You have the means, send out the stimulus for the low income people! Now! It’s the law!