Social Security direct deposit delay - mine missing but husband's arrived on time
Anyone else having SS deposit delays today? This is my first month receiving retirement benefits and my payment was supposed to hit my account today (shows as scheduled when I check my mySocialSecurity portal). It's still not there as of 7:30am, but oddly enough my husband's SS payment landed right on time like always - he's been collecting for about 5 years now. Is this normal for first-time payments? Should I give it until the end of the day before I start making calls? The anxiety is killing me since I've been counting on this money for bills due this week. Really hoping it's just a timing thing for new recipients!
17 comments
Aisha Abdullah
dont worry yet its still early! my check sometimes doesnt show up till afternoon even tho scheduled for today. banks process deposits at diff times
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Mateo Lopez
•Thanks, that's a bit reassuring. I'll try to be patient. Just weird that my husband's came through already at the same bank!
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Ethan Davis
First payments can sometimes take an extra processing day, even when the portal says it's scheduled for today. The SSA's direct deposit system treats initial payments differently than established recurring ones. Your husband's payment has an established pattern in the system, while yours is brand new. I'd recommend waiting until tomorrow morning before getting concerned. If it doesn't arrive by then, call your bank first to confirm they don't see any pending deposits, then contact SSA if needed.
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Mateo Lopez
•Thank you! That makes sense about the first payment being treated differently. I'll definitely wait until tomorrow morning before panicking. My bank doesn't show anything pending in the system either, which had me worried.
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Yuki Tanaka
Mine was late last month too! I freaked out for nothing lol. Showed up right before I was about to call them.
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Carmen Ortiz
What if it NEVER shows up?? My cousin had this happen and it took her THREE WEEKS to get her money because SSA said the account number was wrong even though she triple-checked it. Then they made her verify her identity AGAIN! The whole system is a mess. You better call them ASAP before it gets worse!
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Aisha Abdullah
•thats pretty extreme case tho. most times its just slow processing.
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Carmen Ortiz
•Maybe, but why risk it? Better to waste an hour on the phone than wait weeks for money you NEED!
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MidnightRider
I had a similar situation when I first started receiving my retirement benefits last year. First payment was about 36 hours later than my husband's even though we have the same payment date and same bank. Called SSA and they explained that initial payments go through additional verification steps that can cause a delay of 1-2 business days compared to established payments. After that first payment, all my subsequent ones have arrived like clockwork at the same time as my husband's. If you need to reach SSA by phone, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). I wasted hours on hold until a friend suggested it - they get you a callback from SSA without the endless waiting. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Helped me tremendously when I was anxious about my payment situation!
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Mateo Lopez
•Thanks so much for sharing your experience - that's exactly my situation! Feeling much better knowing this is somewhat normal for first payments. I'll give it until tomorrow morning, and if nothing shows up, I'll check out that Claimyr service. Spending hours on hold would definitely make my anxiety worse!
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Yuki Tanaka
wait isnt today the 3rd wednesday? payments go out different days based on birthdays i thought
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Ethan Davis
•You're right about the birthday schedule, but it applies specifically to SS retirement and survivors benefits. Payment dates are: - Birthdays 1-10: Second Wednesday - Birthdays 11-20: Third Wednesday - Birthdays 21-31: Fourth Wednesday However, if someone started receiving benefits before May 1997, or receives both SS and SSI, their payment date would be the 3rd of each month. And SSI recipients typically get paid on the 1st. The OP mentioned their husband has been receiving for years, so he might be on the older schedule while the OP is on the birthday-based schedule.
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Andre Laurent
As someone who worked for a financial institution for over 15 years, I can tell you that direct deposits are processed in batches throughout the day. Different banks have different processing times, and sometimes even within the same bank, different types of government benefits are processed in separate batches. For Social Security specifically, first-time payments often undergo additional verification. This is a security measure that can delay initial payments by 24-48 hours compared to recurring payments. This is completely normal and doesn't indicate any problem with your claim. If your payment doesn't arrive by the end of tomorrow, then I would suggest these steps: 1. Check with your bank to confirm they don't see any pending deposits 2. Verify your direct deposit information is correct in your mySocialSecurity account 3. Contact SSA to inquire about the status But based on what you've described, this sounds like a routine processing delay for a first payment. Your subsequent monthly payments should arrive on the same schedule as your husband's.
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Mateo Lopez
•Thank you for such a detailed explanation! This makes complete sense. I'll follow your advice and wait until tomorrow afternoon before taking any action. I double-checked my direct deposit info in my account and everything looks correct, so I'm feeling much better about the situation now.
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Aisha Abdullah
so did it come thru yet??
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Mateo Lopez
•Yes! It finally showed up around 3pm today. Looks like everyone was right about the first payment sometimes taking longer. Such a relief! Thanks to everyone for the reassurance and advice.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
I had something similar happen last year but it wasn't my first check it was after I changed bank accounts. Honestly the whole Social Security direct deposit system seems really outdated compared to other places. My son gets paid direct deposit from his job and it ALWAYS hits at exactly midnight on payday no matter what. Why can't SS be that consistent?? Anyway I'm on SSDI not retirement but I think they use the same payment system. Good luck with everything!
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