Reporting Changes is Your Responsibility
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: November 6, 2023
If you receive benefits from Social Security, you have a legal obligation to report changes, which could affect your eligibility for disability, retirement, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. You must report any changes that may affect your benefits immediately, and no later than 10 days after the end of the month in which the change occurred.
Changes you need to report range from a change of address to traveling outside the United States for 30 consecutive days. To get a list of reporting responsibilities under disability, please read our publication, What You Need to Know When You get Social Security Disability Benefits, and for SSI, read What You Need to Know When You Get Supplemental Security Income. If you’re receiving retirement benefits, What You Need to Know When You Get Retirement or Survivors Benefits is also helpful.
Life changes can affect your benefits. You may be due additional payments, or you may be overpaid and have to pay us back because you didn’t report the overpayment in a timely manner. The SSI program may apply a penalty that will reduce your benefits if you fail to report a change, or if you reported the change later than 10 days after the end of the month in which the change occurred. If you fail to report changes in a timely way, or if you intentionally make a false statement, we may stop your SSI, disability, and retirement benefits. We may also impose a sanction against your payments. The first sanction is a loss of payments for six months. Subsequent sanctions are for 12 and 24 months.
You can report your change online, or by calling toll free at 1-800-772-1213. If you’re deaf or hearing-impaired call TTY 1-800-325-0778. Mail the information to your local Social Security office or in person if you prefer. If you receive SSI, you should ask about our options to use the automated toll-free SSI Telephone Wage Reporting Service or the free SSA Mobile Wage Reporting app.
If you receive benefits and need to change your address or direct deposit, you can conveniently do so by creating a personal my Social Security account.
Get the right check, in the right amount, at the right time, by reporting changes right away!
Did you find this Information helpful?
Tags: retirement benefits, SSI, supplemental security income, survivors benefits
See CommentsAbout the Author
Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications
Deputy Commissioner, Office of Communications
Comments
Comments are closed.
Christina A.
Why on earth is your wait time 1.5 hours on a Thursday at 4:30 pm?
Nicholas A.
I am not of full retirement age. I started collecting SS at the age of 62 because I was laid off and needed the money.
How do I stop the monthly SS check I get until I am at retirement age of 66? I just turned 64.
Please point me to the right place on this BIG site to shut off my monthly check from SS.
Thank You
Nick
V.V.
Hi Nicholas, thank you for your question. If you apply for Social Security benefits and you change your mind about when they should start, you may be able to withdraw your Social Security claim and re-apply at a future date. However, if you change your mind 12 months or more after you became entitled to retirement benefits, you cannot withdraw your application. Also, keep in mind that you must repay all the benefits that you and your family received. For more information, go to our web page If You Change Your Mind.
You can work while you’re receiving Social Security benefits. When you reach full retirement age, we will recalculate your benefit amount to leave out the months when we reduced or withheld benefits due to any excess earnings. In addition, each year we review your work record. If your earnings for the prior year are higher than one of the years we used to compute your retirement benefit, we will recalculate your benefit amount. We pay the increase retroactive to January the year after you earned the month.
Logan r.
I need to change a phone number for my son so I can do a phone interview Wednesday..
Juanita B.
This Juanita brown my mother. Betty brown. Have stolen. Juanita brown check. From Betty brown have changing. Her daughter. Juanita brown address. To stole. The check
Michelle G.
How do you report when children that receive survivors benefits have turned 18 and are not in school but still receiving benefits
V.V.
Hi Michelle: Thank you for using our blog to ask your question. You can report that by calling our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). Representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. or you can contact your local Social Security office directly. Thanks.
Gay M.
How can I change my parents mailing address to mine, but use a different one for their legal residence? They are 87 and 92. I handle all of their legal and financial affairs. I am DPOA, POA and Healthcare Surrogate.
R.F.
Hello Gay. You need your parents’ authorization to change their address on our records.
Since it sounds like your parents may need help managing their Social Security account, you may be interested in applying to become their Representative Payee. Please note that having a power of attorney, being an authorized representative, or having a joint bank account with the beneficiary, is not the same as being a payee.
These arrangements do not give you legal authority to negotiate and manage payments for someone receiving Social Security benefits. You must apply for and be appointed as a representative payee by SSA.
A face-to-face interview is required when applying to be a beneficiary’s representative payee. If approved to serve as your parents representative payee, it will make it easier for you in the future to update account information for them.
We understand how inconvenient this may be for you, but hope you understand our role in protecting everyone’s personal information.
Please read our publication: A Guide For Representative Payees.
If you have specific questions, or to make an appointment, please call 1-800-772-1213 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. to speak to one of our representatives. Or you can contact your local Social Security office directly. Thanks!
Sue J.
I need to change my direct deposit to a new bank. How soon do I need to do that and how do I do that to have access to it? For me and my husband’s social security checks.
R.F.
Hello Sue. Please read the instructions on how to change the direct deposit of your Social Security benefits here. Thanks!
Trina L.
I need to change my direct deposit information
R.F.
Hello Trina. If you already receive benefits (retirement, survivors, or disability) and you have a bank account, you can start or update your direct deposit by using your personal my Social Security account. Thanks!
Michael P.
change my address to
XXXX Quebec
Eden Prairie MN
R.F.
If you get Social Security benefits (retirement, survivors, or disability) or are enrolled in Medicare, you can change your address online by using a my Social Security account.
Just a reminder – We do not have access to personal information, therefore, we do not do direct messaging in this venue. Please be cautious about posting personal information on social media and communicating personal information via email.
Sylvia D.
I just need to know how to notify SSA that our son died September 21, 2018.
R.F.
We are sorry for your loss, Sylvia. If you need to report a death, contact your local Social Security office or call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). You can speak to a Social Security representative between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Thanks.