Can Social Security direct deposit go to a savings account or must it be checking?

Yes, Social Security benefits can absolutely be deposited into a savings account! I've had mine going to my savings account for the past 3 years. The SSA doesn't care what type of account it is as long as it's a valid account where direct deposits can be received. You'll just need your savings account number and the bank's routing number when you set it up. Some representatives might be more familiar with checking accounts since that's what most people use, but savings accounts work perfectly fine.

While you CAN use a savings account, I'd actually recommend setting up a checking account specifically for your SS benefits. Here's why: savings accounts often have monthly transaction limits (usually 6 withdrawals per month due to federal regulations), and you might face fees if you exceed them. Plus, having your benefits in a checking account makes it easier to pay bills directly without having to transfer money between accounts. Just my two cents after dealing with this myself.

The SSA rep you talked to was giving you incomplete info! The official SSA policy is that benefits can be deposited into ANY account as long as it's your name and accepts ACH transfers. I work at a credit union, and we have plenty of members who get their SS benefits in savings accounts. Just make sure your name is on the account (can't be only a spouse's name) and that you have both the routing and account numbers ready when you apply.

I HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS trying to use my savings account!! The SS office said it was fine but then my payment was rejected TWICE because my bank flagged it as unusual activity!! Had to go into the branch both times to fix it. Then they told me savings accounts sometimes have issues with govt deposits because of the transaction limitations. Finally switched to checking and haven't had a problem since. The little bit of interest isn't worth the HEADACHE!

just call ur bank and ask them directly. different banks have different policies. my mom uses a savings account with no problems but my uncle had issues and switched to checking.

If you're having trouble reaching someone at SSA to get a definitive answer about this or to set up your direct deposit, I recently used a service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person at SSA in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. Found it at claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - saved me tons of frustration when I needed to fix a direct deposit issue last month.

my brother tried using his savings at first but switched to checking cuz of the 6-transaction limit thing some people mentioned. but also depends on YOUR spending habits. if u just transfer one big chunk to checking once a month after SS comes in, savings is fine. just something to think about.

One more thing to consider: many banks now offer checking accounts that earn interest too (sometimes called interest checking or high-yield checking). Might be worth asking your bank if they have options that would give you the best of both worlds - the flexibility of checking with at least some interest similar to savings.