Yes. Social Security is sending out letters right now, and the volume is higher than in recent years. Alongside the routine annual mailings every beneficiary expects, the Social Security Administration is pushing out new rounds of overpayment notices with a much harsher default recovery rate, a growing number of continuing disability review notices, and letters telling paper-check recipients to switch to electronic payment. Here is what each of those letters looks like, what it means, and what you need to do.
The Routine Letters You Should Expect Every Year
Three SSA mailings arrive on a predictable schedule and don’t require urgent action.
In December, SSA sends a cost-of-living adjustment notice showing your new monthly benefit for the coming year. The 2026 COLA is 2.8 percent, roughly $56 more per month for the average retiree.1Social Security Administration. Social Security Announces 2.8 Percent Benefit Increase for 2026 Notices go out throughout December, so a neighbor may get theirs before you do.2Social Security Administration. How Much Will the COLA Amount Be for 2026 and When Will I Receive It
In January, SSA mails Form SSA-1099 (or SSA-1042S for nonresident aliens), the Benefit Statement you need to file your federal tax return.3Social Security Administration. Tax Season: Encourage Your Clients to Go Digital If you have a my Social Security account, you can download it there instead of waiting for the mail.4Social Security Administration. Get Your Social Security Benefit Statement (SSA-1099)
Workers who aren’t collecting yet get a paper Social Security Statement three months before their 60th birthday, unless they’ve set up an online account.5Social Security Administration. Get Your Social Security Statement It shows your earnings history and estimated benefits at different claiming ages.
Overpayment Notices: The Big One Right Now
The overpayment notice is the letter most worth reading carefully, because the rules changed in 2025. An overpayment notice tells you SSA believes it paid you more than you were entitled to and wants the money back. Data entry errors, unreported income, a change in living arrangements, or a retroactive adjustment after an appeal can all trigger one.
As of March 27, 2025, the default recovery rate for new Social Security overpayments is 100 percent of your monthly benefit. SSA will withhold your entire check until the debt is repaid unless you contact the agency to negotiate a lower rate. Overpayments established before that date keep whatever rate was already in place, and SSI overpayments stay at 10 percent of the monthly payment.6Social Security Administration. Social Security to Reinstate Overpayment Recovery Rate If a full withholding would leave you unable to cover basic expenses, call 1-800-772-1213 or visit your local office and ask for a lower rate.
You have three responses, and you can use more than one at the same time.
- File a request for reconsideration within 60 days if you think the amount is wrong or you weren’t overpaid at all.7Social Security Administration. Request Reconsideration
- Request a waiver using Form SSA-632 if you agree you were overpaid but it wasn’t your fault and you can’t afford to pay it back. For overpayments of $2,000 or less, you can request the waiver by phone.8Social Security Administration. Request for Waiver of Overpayment Recovery
- Ask for a monthly installment plan if you owe the money but can’t pay in a lump sum.
Do not let an overpayment notice sit. If you don’t respond within 30 days and you’re no longer receiving benefits, SSA can collect by withholding your federal tax refund, intercepting certain state payments, or garnishing your wages.9Social Security Administration. Resolve an Overpayment
Continuing Disability Review Notices
If you receive SSDI or SSI based on a disability, expect to hear from SSA more often than you used to. The agency’s processing sites boosted continuing disability review production by more than 20 percent from fiscal year 2024 to 2025, so more beneficiaries are getting these notices right now.10Social Security Administration. Update on Medical Continuing Disability Review Processing
How often SSA reviews you depends on the medical category assigned when your benefits began:
- Improvement expected: first review typically 6 to 18 months after your disability start date.
- Improvement possible: reviewed about every 3 years.
- Improvement not expected: reviewed about every 7 years.11Social Security Administration. How We Decide if You Still Have a Qualifying Disability
When a full medical review is triggered, SSA sends a Continuing Disability Review Report for you to complete. You’ll provide the names and contact information of your healthcare providers from the past 12 months and list any medications you take. You don’t have to gather your own medical records; SSA requests them directly from your providers once you tell them where to send the requests.12Social Security Administration. Continuing Disability Review Report Respond promptly. Ignoring a CDR can result in your benefits being suspended.
SSI Redetermination Letters
SSI recipients get a separate kind of review called a redetermination. Unlike a CDR, which looks at your medical condition, a redetermination checks the non-medical eligibility rules: your income, resources, and living situation.13Social Security Administration. 20 CFR 416.204 – Redeterminations of SSI Eligibility The interval depends on how likely your financial situation is to change.
The letter you receive will set a date and time for a phone or in-person interview. Expect questions about who lives in your household, income you or your spouse receive, and the value of assets like bank accounts or vehicles. After the review, SSA sends another letter with the outcome: no change, a benefit adjustment, or a finding of ineligibility. If you disagree, you have 60 days to appeal.14Social Security Administration. Understanding Supplemental Security Income Appeals Process
Paper Check Phase-Out Letters
Starting in 2025, SSA began writing to beneficiaries who still get paid by paper check, urging them to switch to direct deposit or a Direct Express debit card. This is part of a government-wide move to electronic payments under an executive order, with a deadline of September 30, 2025. If you still receive a paper check and haven’t switched, one of these letters is likely on the way.15Social Security Administration. Social Security Transitions to Electronic Payments Anyone who needs an exemption from the electronic payment requirement has to file a waiver through the U.S. Treasury at 1-877-874-6347.
How to Tell a Real SSA Letter from a Scam
Real SSA mail has a consistent look. The envelope shows the agency name and a government return address. Inside, the notice carries a heading with the agency name, the specific program, and the type of notice, such as “Notice of Change in Payment” or “Notice of Award.” It lists SSA’s toll-free number, the agency website, and your local field office address.16Social Security Administration. Understanding Supplemental Security Income Social Security Notices and Letters
The tone is dry and factual. A real notice explains what’s happening, why, and what you can do about it. If a decision went against you, the letter spells out your right to appeal within 60 days. SSA counts those 60 days starting five days after the mailing date, on the assumption that’s when you received it.17Social Security Administration. Appeals Council Review Process in OARO
Scam contacts look different. The red flags are demands for immediate payment, threats of arrest, and requests for payment through gift cards, prepaid debit cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. SSA will never ask for any of those.18Social Security Administration. Protect Yourself from Social Security Scams A letter or call built around panic and urgency, rather than a calm explanation of a process, should be treated as suspicious.
One boundary worth knowing: SSA doesn’t send you unsolicited emails or texts with clickable links asking you to verify your Social Security number, enter bank details, or make a payment. If you’ve opted in to online notices through my Social Security, the digital alerts you get simply tell you a document is waiting in your secure account; they don’t include your benefit amount or personal details.19Social Security Administration. my Social Security
How to Verify a Letter You Received
If a letter looks legitimate but you want to be sure, log into your my Social Security account and check the Message Center. A copy or record of the notice should appear there. You can also call SSA at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time, and ask a representative to confirm whether a notice was generated for your record.20Social Security Administration. Contact Social Security By Phone For anything complex, especially disputed overpayments or disability decisions, visiting a local field office in person gives you the most thorough help.
Don’t ignore an SSA letter, even one you suspect might be fake. A real notice that goes unanswered can cost you benefits or your right to appeal.16Social Security Administration. Understanding Supplemental Security Income Social Security Notices and Letters Verify first, then respond.
If you’ve confirmed a letter or call is fraudulent, report it to the SSA Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov/report or by calling the OIG fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271.21Social Security Administration. Fraud Prevention and Reporting