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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Nobody
Words do not mesn anything, coming from that note! Actions show, disabled, retired, verterans etc that we are lowest of low. The kinks should have been worked out after a year. So who didn’t send our info in? They should be fired for descrimination for sure. I am not happy with this USA givetnrment. In fact the economic bump is nothing. We the people….
L.L.
I’m an elderly disabled SSI recipient who received the first stimulus for $1200 on May 13, 2020 and the second for $600 on January 4, 2021.
Commissioner Saul stated in his April 3, 2020 blog that for 12 months the stimulus payments would NOT be counted in computing SSI recipients’ personal resources, and under that ruling I’ve NOT reached the limit of $2000 any month since then.
But today I received a letter from SSA that DID COUNT the stimulus payments in noting that my checking account exceeded the $2000 limit for several months, and said I owe SSA several thousand dollars.
When I contact my local SS office tomorrow, hopefully they will tell me they will correct the error (they have access to my bank statements to see that it was the stimulus payments that put me over $2000 total) and will send me a letter saying so?
Or am I about to embark on a bureaucratic nightmare? Virtually all SSI recipients received the stimulus payments, I believe. Surely SSA hasn’t sent the same kind of incorrect letter to all of them who exceeded the $2000 limit because of those payments, considering that the Commissioner said the stimulus payments were not to be counted.
L.L.
My case was resolved in my favor (“overpayment decreased to zero”) in less than two weeks after SS received my bank statements that showed the direct deposit of the stimulus payments, with no necessity of any formal appeal, etc. Very good, thank you SSA!
Joseph
Didn’t have any issues with the first and second paymants under the Trump administration. Really! Biden made all these promises to be better, better at what?! Yep, promise everything but do nothing except pay off the inner circle that got him elected! Dupde again! I’m voting republican going foreward from now on. Biden dosen’t care about the poor! At least Tump moved quicker on this. Come On Man!!!
P.S. wondering what I’m getting into by giving my e-mail address?
Joe S.
Andrew Saul was appointed by the previous loser,trump! There is your answer as to why you check has been held up! Just like he appointed Louis Dejoy who has crippled the post office! Stop blaming Biden and get your facts straight! This is an assault on the poor and disabled by the extreme right wing party…PERIOD!
R A.
I really kind of wonder if the are playing with the voters… you know I’m a registered Republican (or was) but would never vote for that sphincter Trump, I lived and worked up in the Northeast during his heyday, was far enough away from NYC so we didn’t get all the dirty news about him other than the juicy tabloid stuff about his affairs & divorce.
I received a ton of spam email to vote for Trump during his first election, not so leading up to the second but I did receive my first stimulus check, actually I got his signed White House letter first then the check without doing anything except collect my SSA & file my taxes. Kind of shook my head about the letter as it was suppose to contain information about what to do if you don’t or didn’t receive the check (one small line at the bottom of letter). It was mostly his usual bragger’ology about how great he was getting you this money. I took it as he’s trying to bribe me for the up coming election and filed it. What’s it now today with the new administration, you didn’t vote for Biden you move to the bottom of the pile? Trump elect’es dishing out a little payback?
I think we need a investigation on this matter, inquiring minds want too know!… sheeeet I better keep my mouth shut or the ‘Deep State’ will be after me, throw me in the gulag….
Cody
Come on third
Stimulus irs had my last two checks in place what’s takin so long now why are we put last and we’re the ones hurting too we’re American like everyone else we deserve the stimulus too now canu give us a date when direct express will release stimulus funds it really shouldnt take this long to wire funds to a bank account
Mary
I’m just confused why the first two times we were among the first. Now we seem to be at the very last. Why didn’t they just do like line first two times. I feel they hung on to 30 million peoples to collect the interest. I can’t get food stamps cause they say I make to much. I only get ssdi Disability. But yet make to much. I get average of $20 every yr. that’s once a yr raise for cost of living. Which is sad in itself. I worked 30plus yrs. paid taxes. They didn’t have a problem collecting the funds when I was working. If they would give at least a time frame.
Ty
This is your job and you get paid to do it. So expect us to be upset when it’s taking a longer than expected to reach us. On top of it all we don’t even have an estimated time of when we can expect the money. So yes we are upset. And yes we are going to express it. You and your employees are still being paid. So you guys are not suffering. You cannot day the ball wasn’t dropped. Because the first two stimulus checks were smooth processes. So something happened differently this time that’s causing such a problem. Just know that everybody that’s disabled or handicapped does not mean their stupid or slow. So feed th BS to someone else.
Kalea
Just be straight up with American people we aren’t hard to get along with transparency is all we are asking. People need to find out so we can plan ahead plz help us
joseph o.
I am a 75-year- old permantly disabled veteran on in my last days due to my health. I have serious CardioVascular issue – had a 5 bypass heart surgery, have major blockage in my cerebral arteries, and my carotid arteries. I also have acute and chronic COPD.
My HVAC went out in September and I became very sick with the ling virus. If I do not have it replaced by early summer here in Arizona, my odds of fatality are between 60% to 80%
I have been getting Direct Deposits from my VA benifits and SS since 2013. Somebody crewed the pooch on this time around. And FOX is blaming you. For not complying with getting citizens direct deposit information to IRS. Three deamands made and you did nothing. Is this TRUE??? I hope not….because you have done a great job for a long time.
Tambra
I have Direct Deposit and on SSI and have yet to receive the $1400 stimulus check. I received the 1st 2 just fine, in my bank account and nothing on this one. No kids. Just me.
Kalea
Same no kids just want transparency that’s all we want tell us something