Confused about Social Security tax withholding disappearing from 2025 Benefit Verification letters

This is actually a common issue that's been happening lately with the SSA's computer system. You do NOT need to request tax withholding every year - once you submit Form W-4V, it should continue until you specifically request to change or stop it. What's likely happening is that the second letter was generated after a system update that temporarily didn't show your withholding preferences. I'd recommend calling SSA directly to confirm your withholding is still active in their system. If you check your bank deposits from SS in January, you should be able to verify whether they're withholding correctly by comparing the amount to what you normally receive.

omg same thing just happened to me too!! got 2 different letters within like 10 days. first showed my tax withholding (10% for me) then second one had nothing!! kinda freaking out bc I NEED those taxes taken out or im screwed come tax time

I recommend both of you call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 to confirm your tax withholding preferences are still active in their system. This appears to be an error in their notification system, not an actual change to your withholding elections. The SSA's computer systems have been undergoing updates, and these conflicting letters are likely the result of data processing errors. Your Form W-4V elections should remain in effect until you specifically request a change. If you're having trouble getting through on the phone line (which is common), I've had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with an agent quickly. They have a service that can get you through to a representative without waiting on hold for hours. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU showing how it works. It saved me a lot of frustration when I needed to sort out a similar issue with my benefits.

THEY KEEP DOING THIS!! This is like the third year in a row the SSA has sent out confusing, contradictory letters about withholding! I got the exact same thing - first letter showed withholding, second letter didn't. When I FINALLY got through to someone last week, they said it was a "known issue" with their system and that my withholding WAS still in place despite what the second letter showed. They admitted they're sending out corrected letters AGAIN but some people might not get them until January!!! The whole system is a MESS. They need to stop sending incorrect information that causes panic for seniors!!

wait do we need to have taxes taken out? i thought SS wasnt taxable income

This actually happened to my parents too! The second letter freaked them out because they've had taxes withheld for years. When my dad called (took him 3 days of trying to get through), the agent said their computer system had a glitch when producing the second batch of letters and accidentally omitted the withholding information. She checked their record and confirmed the withholding was still active in the system. Apparently a lot of people are calling about this same issue right now.

Last year I ignored a similar issue with conflicting letters and ended up with NO tax being withheld for two months, which caused me problems at tax time. I'd definitely recommend calling to confirm your withholdings are set up correctly. Don't just assume it will be fixed automatically. The SSA's computer systems have been problematic recently - my financial advisor said they're going through some major upgrades which is causing these inconsistencies.

Just wanted to update everyone. I FINALLY got through to SSA this morning after trying for days. The representative confirmed that this is indeed a widespread issue with their Benefit Verification letters. She checked our records and said our tax withholding preferences are still correctly set up in their system (12% for both my husband and me). She said the second letter was generated during a system update that temporarily didn't display withholding information correctly, but it doesn't reflect any actual change to our withholding elections. She also mentioned they're aware of the confusion this has caused and are working on sending out corrected letters. So it seems like we don't need to submit new W-4V forms after all. What a relief!

Glad to hear you got confirmation! To summarize for others experiencing this issue: 1. The conflicting Benefit Verification letters are due to a system update error 2. Your tax withholding elections (Form W-4V) are still valid and continue year-to-year unless you request a change 3. The second letter incorrectly omitted withholding information but does not reflect an actual change to your withholding status 4. SSA is aware of the issue and is working on sending corrected letters Always verify your actual benefit deposits in January to ensure withholding is occurring as expected. The amount should be consistent with previous payments if nothing has changed with your withholding elections.

My dad just got the corrected letter yesterday - it now shows his withholding again. So it looks like the SSA is gradually fixing this problem. Might be worth checking your mail to see if you get updated letters soon.

This exact same thing happened to me and my wife! We got our first letters showing our usual 15% withholding, then about a week later got second letters with no withholding shown at all. I was panicking thinking we'd have to scramble to set up quarterly payments or something. Reading through all these comments is such a relief - sounds like it's just a widespread computer glitch on SSA's end. I'm going to wait and see if we get corrected letters like Chris mentioned his dad received, but I'll definitely be checking our January deposit amounts carefully to make sure the withholding is actually happening. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's so helpful to know we're not alone in dealing with this confusion!

This is exactly what I needed to see! I got hit with the same confusing double letters situation last month and have been losing sleep over it. My first letter showed my standard 10% withholding, then the second one came with absolutely nothing listed. I've been putting off calling SSA because I know how impossible it is to get through to them. Reading through everyone's experiences here really puts my mind at ease - especially knowing that Admin_Masters got confirmation directly from SSA that it's just a system glitch. I'm going to stop worrying about it for now and just keep a close eye on my January deposit amount to make sure the withholding actually happens. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and updates - this community is so valuable for helping us navigate these SSA mishaps!

I've been following this thread closely because I experienced the exact same issue! Got my first letter in late November showing my usual 22% withholding, then received a second letter in early December with no withholding information at all. Like many of you, I was really stressed about this potentially affecting our tax situation for 2025. Based on everything shared here, it's clear this is a widespread system glitch affecting many Social Security recipients. I decided to take the advice about checking my actual January deposit, and I'm happy to report that when I received my payment on January 3rd, the full 22% was indeed withheld as expected - so the withholding is still working correctly despite what that second letter showed. For anyone still worried about this, I'd recommend: 1. Don't panic about the conflicting letters - it appears to be just a notification system error 2. Check your January deposit amount to verify withholding is actually happening 3. Keep your records of your original W-4V form just in case 4. If you're still concerned, try calling SSA but be prepared for long wait times Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and updates - it really helped reduce the anxiety this situation caused!