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)
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patrick p.
still no specific date on when will ssi beneficiaries receive the stimulus money? everything else is detailed BS and okay we can all blame Saul and read about whose fault it is and what lawmakers did and what the IRS and what is SSA is doing why we’re still not seeing any money we don’t care to see or hear about the drama or which politician actor is playing the lead role as the villain Rich antagonist like Ebenezer screws or some crap we just want a date for when to receive our stimulus payment like everyone else in our great nation stop arguing stuff pointing the finger because now is really not the time to do that while this pandemic is going around you guys should be working together because really all these politicians sound like two siblings fighting over who forgot to turn the lights out in the kitchen during a fire evacuation in their own house! where the ambulance? I mean where’s my money?! when’s help arriving
Laura H.
haha I love your comment about them fighting,its so true.
Screw U.
Eat shit chuckle head
Michael L.
I dont understand why this time is any differant i recieved my first two checks the 1200 and the 600 .00 by direct deposit and nothing this time im stil on ssi and nothing has changed from the first two times so whats the hold up we should have recieved our direct deposits before anybody
Christine H.
I haven’t received my 2nd or 3rd stimulus!!!! I am on SSDI what is going on with this? Thank you to whoever over looked me
Andy
Well I guess we are going to have to pay 69$ to have Hand R block to do a tax return on nothing just so Im in the system and my check that IS the law.So if y guys can break the law why cant I.I need my check especially when Im going trew having that virus that never should have made it out of the lab it was created in.Nice way of killing some of the population and the most vunrable the old and people on SSD.Now your taking your time on breaking the law to give us our checks.The last 2 times they went to a old address 11 years old my Moms house that was only a temporary situation.Mean while I have had direct Deposit trew Suntrust for ever.They denied to cash my 1200$ check and its the Bank I bank with and have direct deposit with.Its funny how I just receive a letter from them on the 17 th of March saying they think I moved.Ya write if I moved do they think I wouldnt change my direct deposit.There playing games and breaking the law doing it.So you guys can pay the landlord untill I get my stimulas because hes not getting anything untill I get my help our government sighed into law allmost a month ago and everyone else I know got theres even if they dont work they still got it.What a messed up addminastration the Demecrates inherited.If it was the Trump addmin y would allready have it with his Name on it like he really paided it.Ya write us as tax payers allready paided it a long time ago.
Linda
I am on SSDI. I am still waiting. Everyone else I know has gotten there’s. And they are on SSDI. Had no problem with the 1st and 2nd. Why now? I live off of one check a month. It’s not fair the people that really really need didn’t get the stimulus money
Ernest T.
I’m in the same shape! Seems like they are putting us on a back burner!
Justincase
The only thing that does not make any sense is that the first two checks came very smoothly no fifty excuses.
Now that President Blow is running things everything he promised has turned into a major cluster F……
Promise: Remove Student Debt.
Promise: Originally said would send $2000, then he has back peddled it down to $1400.
Promise: “imagine a future” even with $1.9 trillion Blow, and Cuomo are still screwing the weakest citizens the elderly.
President Blow in 3 months has now taken us back forty years into a Cold War with the Russians, who by the way still have many ICBMs
John S.
I dont know who bresident blow is? Is he related to the last 4 years of president rape we had?
Barbara C.
Why is it that some on social security got paid and I was one of them do your job and make sure that the others get paid because it’s the right thing to do others on social security should get paid just make it right or leave because you are not doing your job like you were hired to do
Gary C.
Agreed
William P.
I have no stimulus check for med and pay my rent are u going to get this stuff right now