Social Security back pay showing online but not in bank account - when will it actually deposit?
Finally got my SSDI approved after fighting for 18 months! My MySocialSecurity account shows a back payment of $11,250 with a processing date of Sept 25th, and says my regular monthly payments of $1,875 will start depositing on the 3rd of each month. It's now the 29th and I don't see that back payment in my bank account yet. Does anyone know if the back pay gets deposited on the same date it shows online (the 25th), or if it comes later with my first regular payment on the 3rd? The online account isn't clear at all about actual deposit dates versus processing dates. Getting a bit anxious since I've got some overdue medical bills I need to pay ASAP. Thanks for any help!
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Javier Torres
Congratulations on your approval! The online system shows the processing date, not the actual deposit date. Your back pay is typically released 1-3 weeks after it shows up in your account. Some people get it right away, others wait longer. It really varies. Your regular monthly payment will still come on the 3rd though. The back pay follows a different processing system.
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Natasha Volkov
•Thank you! That's both helpful and frustrating to hear. Do you know if there's any way to check the actual payment status beyond what my online account shows? I'm worried because I gave them direct deposit info but wonder if something got messed up.
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Emma Wilson
I was in the same situation 4 months ago. My back pay showed up in MySocialSecurity on a Monday but didn't hit my bank account until 9 days later. The waiting is brutal when you're counting on that money! If you're really desperate to talk to someone at SSA to confirm everything's on track, I'd recommend Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me get through to a real person at SSA in about 20 minutes after I spent three days getting busy signals. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Seriously saved my sanity during the waiting period.
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Natasha Volkov
•That's exactly what I needed to hear - at least I know a real timeline now. 9 days would put me at next week. I'll check out that service if I don't see anything by Wednesday. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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QuantumLeap
my back pay came separately from regular payment. showed online for like 11 days before it actually hit my account. something about them double checking everything first. just wait it out
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Natasha Volkov
•Thanks for the info! Waiting is hard but at least I know this is normal.
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Malik Johnson
Don't spend it all in one place! Remember taxes aren't automatically withheld from backpay like they can be from monthly payments!!!
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Natasha Volkov
•Oh god, I didn't even think about the tax implications. Do you know if I'll get a form from them for next year's taxes or how that works?
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Isabella Santos
I had the EXACT opposite problem, if you can believe it! My back pay hit my account BEFORE it showed up in my online SSA portal!! The system is so random and frustrating. My neighbor had to wait almost 3 weeks after his online notification. There's absolutely NO consistency with how they process these payments. The SSA is stuck in the 1980s with their technology. My rep told me they still have to manually review the larger back payments which creates the delays. So frustrating!! Did you also get the confusing letter in the mail that breaks down all your payments? That thing made ZERO sense to me.
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Ravi Sharma
•The payment breakdown letters can be confusing because they show the gross amount before deductions. The most common reasons for delays in back payments are: 1) Manual review for payments over $7,000, 2) Representative payee situations, 3) Workers' comp offset calculations, 4) Medicare premium retroactive adjustments, or 5) Child support intercepts. Since your payment is over $10,000, it definitely requires that manual review, which explains the delay between the processing date and the actual deposit date.
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Ravi Sharma
To clarify what others have said: the online system shows when SSA has approved the payment, not when Treasury actually sends it. For regular monthly benefits, this is a quick process, but back payments follow a different workflow: 1. SSA approves the payment (what you're seeing online) 2. The payment goes through an internal review process 3. SSA sends payment instructions to Treasury 4. Treasury sends the funds to your bank 5. Your bank processes the deposit Steps 2-3 can take 5-15 business days for back payments, especially amounts over $10,000. If nothing arrives within 15 business days from the processing date, then I would recommend contacting SSA. Your monthly payment on the 3rd should arrive as scheduled, regardless of the back pay status.
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Natasha Volkov
•This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I appreciate you breaking down the actual process. I'll give it until mid-October before panicking.
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Freya Larsen
DID YOU CHECK WITH YOUR BANK????? Sometimes they hold large deposits for review!!! This happened to me and I was calling SSA when the problem was my stupid bank the whole time!!! The money was there but not released to my account for TWO DAYS after the deposit!!!
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Natasha Volkov
•I didn't even consider that! I'll call my bank tomorrow and ask if they have any pending deposits they're holding. Thanks for the suggestion!
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QuantumLeap
your payment date depends on your birthday too. mine comes on the 2nd wednesday because i was born on the 15th. but they changed it all around a few years ago. used to be everyone got paid on the 3rd but now its different
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Javier Torres
•That's for retirement benefits. SSDI payments have different payment schedules than retirement. SSDI payments are paid on either the 3rd of the month or on the Wednesday that corresponds with your birth date (2nd, 3rd, or 4th Wednesday). Since OP mentioned their regular payments will be on the 3rd, they're likely receiving SSDI or have been receiving benefits since before May 1997 when the Wednesday schedule was implemented.
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Malik Johnson
Anyone know if they do partial backpay? My husband's was split in three payments over 6 months because it was a big amount.
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Ravi Sharma
•Yes, SSI back payments over certain thresholds are paid in installments (up to 3 payments, 6 months apart). But SSDI back payments are typically paid in one lump sum regardless of the amount. Since the original poster mentioned payments on the 3rd of the month and not specifically SSI, they're likely receiving SSDI which wouldn't be split into installments.
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