General

During Hurricane Season, Be Prepared with Electronic Payments

September 14, 2017 • By

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Last Updated: November 3, 2023

hurricane Social Security is with you throughout life’s journey, especially during periods of hardship and tragedy. We want you to be ready when natural disasters, like Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, occur. When disaster strikes, you’ll need immediate access to your funds.

One of the best ways to prepare is to sign up to receive electronic payments from Social Security. During Hurricane Harvey, payments were delivered accurately and on time when beneficiaries used Direct Deposit. We expect the same to be true during Hurricane Irma.

Direct deposit is a simple, safe, and secure way to get your monthly benefits. Your money is automatically posted to your bank account on your payment day each month. Say goodbye to waiting for the mail to arrive. There’s no risk of your check getting lost or stolen, and you don’t need to make a trip to cash or deposit a check. This is very important during inclement weather.

The easiest way to set up, change, or update your Direct Deposit is to sign up for a my Social Security  account. Having a personal account gives you access to your benefits from your preferred location. You can set up your Direct Deposit within minutes by going to my Social Security  and signing up for an account. Then, go to the My Profile tab and follow the instructions on the screen.

To set up your Direct deposit, you must:

  1. Receive retirement, survivors, or disability benefits;
  2. Have your bank account number;
  3. Have your bank’s routing number;
  4. Know what type of account (checking or savings) you have; and
  5. Have a U.S. mailing address.

For more information, read Get Your Payments Electronically or visit our website. When a natural disaster occurs, you’ll have enough worries. Your benefit payment shouldn’t be one of them. Don’t let another day go by, sign up for a my Social Security  account today.

Did you find this Information helpful?

Yes
No
Thanks for your feedback!

Tags: , ,

See Comments

About the Author

Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications

Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications

Comments

  1. Luisa

    Thank you all at the SSA office for all the work you do on our behalf to ensure we get our benefits!!!!

    • Ray F.

      Thanks for your feedback, Luisa! We value your opinion of us and look forward to many more years of serving you in the future.

  2. Shoobie

    Why are there so many complaints…?
    I guess some of us are just never satisfied. Ijs.

  3. Md. B.

    Any Bank in Bangladesh not sincere and Truthful.
    Example : Bangladesh Central Bank and Eastern Bank Consumer.

  4. Md. B.

    Apply to Send my Remitance from Global Money Transfer agent SWIFT to my Bank Account in Bangladesh. Asia Pacific, Singapore, Job Title: e commerce Contact ID No. Q3 http://www.theasianbanker.com

    Name : Md. Bodrul Alam
    Mobile number: 01930603211 Country code: 880
    Email: badrulalambd@yahoo.com
    Bank to Bank Money Transfer Account: Md. Bodrul Alam 1031330075605 Eastern Bank Ltd. North South Road Branch. Dhaka-1100, Bangladesh. http://www.ebl.com.bd. Fax: 88029552083
    Permanent address: Village-Naringpur east tapader bari, P.O. Naringpur-3622, Upazilla: Shahrasti, District: Chandpur, Bangladesh
    Present address: Department of Botany. Dhaka college, New Market, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.
    EBL VISA Card number: 4520 1707 6594 0287
    Yours Truly
    Md. Bodrul Alam
    01930603211 Country code: 880
    NID No. 1319590787799

  5. Brigitte A.

    I find it strange that Social Security has been sending me my pension check for 11 years straight into my Indian bank account but doesn’t trust me enough to let me communicate with them online. all expats should register with the American Embassy. They personally know me and have helped me out in verifying my identity with other agencies. Yet, I must assume that for unknown reason that Social Security does not find their verification to be valid.
    It takes me months to get a reply from Social Security Administration in US and often I never get one at all.

  6. Lesly F.

    Only GOD can protect us from ….!No one seeing care is about rules and regulations.now is one agency call Equifax stoling People identify….! I think i am of them…..!

    • AKA

      Yep, you probably are, and still this has nothing to do with direct deposit. And since it is mandatory and 99% of all recipients have DD, this article was a waste of everyone’s time.

  7. Lynn

    Can we get new social security numbers, since a mere 143 million of them were stolen in a breach of Equifax??

    • Ray F.

      We understand your concern, Lynn. Although we sometimes use Equifax to help verify your identity when setting up a my Social Security account, Social Security never shares Social Security numbers with Equifax. For concerns regarding the Equifax data breach, please contact Equifax directly at 866-447-7559 or http://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/. Thanks.

    • AKA

      No.

  8. dlynch62@clf.rr.com

    Electronic fund transfer is so when you die the govt can quickly yank the last payment out of your account. So when someone dies be slow to notify them. The banks are closed in a hurricane and you can’t get your money. Think of what it will be if there is a emp;( electro magnetic pulse ) and nothing electronic works. There will be mass confusion, no gas and nothing electronic would work. no i phones…nothing!! The last 2 generations wouldn’t know what to do and many of the ones before them!! CHAOS!!

  9. Former S.

    Electronic payment of benefits is supposed to mandatory.Why is SSA making exceptions??? The field offices are crowded enough!!!

    • Tom

      SSA is not making exceptions. It is Treasury since they release all payments. However, after so many months they will contact the recipients and demand deposit information or they will set up a debit account.

  10. Rick N.

    In my opinion and it is just my opinion, you should make it easier for those of us that live overseas to do what we need online, like those in the states. It is much easier and less frustrating. One thing make an online account for those that live overseas, that we can just go there, like the online account you can get in the states? Why should we be left out when it comes to ease of taking care of business like in the states. I am an American citizen, I just choose to live overseas because my wife is not a US citizen, and we need to take care of her mother, before we can come back to the states. So please don’t exclude us because we don’t live in the states.

    • Dale

      When you leave the US you give up certain privelages

      • Mary

        If you are American you shouldn’t have to give up rights to live overseas for a little while,you are still a flipping American!

    • Ray F.

      We are sorry for the inconvenience, Rick. The “my Social Security” authentication system requires address verification as one of the essential criteria for issuing an account. People with APO/FPO/DPO addresses can create an account overseas, but our system does not support registration and account creation for users with a foreign address yet. However, you do not need a U.S. address to access our website or to file online for benefits. Please contact your local U.S. embassy or consulate for any assistance related to your Social Security benefits. Also, our Office of International Operations home page provides more information to assist our customers living abroad. We thank you for your feedback.

      • Brigitte A.

        I am also an American citizen and live in India due to marriage to an Indian citizen. I am 75 years old and worked for 30 years to earn my social security pension. I go through hell trying to get any info or help from Social Security because I don’t have a stateside address. The Manila Social Security Office is of no help and don’t know what they are doing. To not allow us to an online account is a cop-out. I have been registered with the American Embassy in New Delhi for 20 years. They could easily verify my address and other info needed by Social Security. I resent this discrimination against ex-pats. No matter where one lives our pensions are hard-earned.

Comments are closed.