Social Security finally refunded my Medicare premium overpayment after 5 months - check your statements!

same thing happeend to me but it took 7 months to get my money back. SSA moves at snail pace for everything lol

Thanks for sharing this. I'm about to go through the same transition (turning 65 next month but not taking SS until my FRA at 67). Did you have to call them about the overlapping payments or did they figure it out automatically?

This is a common occurrence with Medicare premium transitions. What happened is that when you started receiving retirement benefits, the system automatically switched your Medicare premium payment method from direct billing to benefit deduction. The refund process is automated but backlogged. One thing to note - the refund amount should exactly match your premium amount multiplied by the number of overlap months. If there's any discrepancy, you should contact SSA as there might be an error in their calculation. Also, for anyone reading who's about to make this transition, you can actually request that SSA expedite this refund by visiting your local office with proof of the duplicate payments. The standard processing time is 3-6 months, but I've seen cases resolved in 3-4 weeks with the right documentation.

wait did you get interest on that money? they held onto YOUR money for 5 months, seems like they should pay interest

I went through something similar but with a much larger overpayment amount that wasn't being resolved. After struggling to reach anyone at SSA by phone for weeks (constant busy signals, disconnects, and 3+ hour hold times), I discovered a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual SSA agent in about 20 minutes. The agent was able to verify my overpayment was in the system and gave me a timeline for when I could expect the refund. Saved me countless hours of frustration. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU or just go to claimyr.com. Completely changed my experience with reaching SSA by phone.

I'm worried now because I just realized I've been paying Medicare premiums directly for 3 months since turning 65, but I just filed for retirement benefits last week. Should I call SSA to let them know about the potential overlap or just wait for them to figure it out like they did for you?

my freind got a bigger refund like $900+ from SSA for the same thing but shes on SSDI not retirement. wonder if thats why hers was more???

This is such helpful information! I'm currently 64 and planning to delay my SS benefits until 70, but I'll need to enroll in Medicare when I turn 65 next year. I had no idea about this potential overlap issue with premium payments. It sounds like the system eventually sorts itself out, but good to know I should keep track of my payments and be patient if there's an overpayment. Thanks for sharing your experience - definitely going to bookmark this post for reference!

This is really valuable information! I'm currently navigating a similar situation - just turned 65 and enrolled in Medicare while planning to delay SS until my FRA. I've been wondering how the premium payment transition would work when I eventually file for benefits. It's reassuring to know that SSA automatically handles the refund process, even if it takes several months. I'll definitely keep better track of my Medicare premium payments now and watch for any refunds when I start receiving benefits. Thanks for taking the time to share this - it's exactly the kind of real-world experience that's hard to find in official documentation!

This is incredibly helpful timing! I'm currently 63 and have been trying to understand exactly how the Medicare/Social Security coordination works when you delay benefits. Your experience confirms what I suspected - that there would be some overlap period that gets sorted out eventually. The 5-month timeline is good to know so I won't panic if I don't see a refund right away. I'm curious though - did the refund show up as a separate deposit or was it just added to one of your regular monthly benefit payments? And did you get any kind of notice explaining what the deposit was for, or did you have to figure it out yourself by checking your payment history?

This is so timely for me! I just turned 65 last month and enrolled in Medicare Part B, but I'm planning to wait until my FRA at 66 and 8 months to claim Social Security. I've been paying the Medicare premiums directly and honestly hadn't even thought about what would happen when I eventually start receiving benefits. Your post makes me realize I should start keeping better track of these payments now so I'll know what to expect for a refund later. Did you notice any difference in how quickly they processed things since you delayed past your FRA, or do you think the 5-month timeline is pretty standard regardless of when you file?

This is such a helpful post! I'm 64 and will be enrolling in Medicare next year but delaying SS until 70. I had no idea about this potential overlap situation. Quick question - when you say you were paying Medicare premiums "3 months in advance," does that mean you were always paying for future months rather than the current month? I'm trying to understand the timing so I can better prepare for this transition when it's my turn. Also really appreciate everyone sharing their timelines - sounds like patience is definitely required with SSA processing!

This is exactly the kind of heads up I needed! I'm 66 and just started my Medicare enrollment process but haven't filed for SS benefits yet (planning to wait until 70). I had no idea about the 3-month advance payment requirement for direct Medicare premiums - that's going to be a significant cash flow consideration. It's actually reassuring to know that SSA's system will automatically catch the overlap when I eventually file for benefits, even if it takes several months to get refunded. I'm definitely going to set up a simple tracking spreadsheet now to document all my Medicare premium payments with dates and amounts. Thanks for sharing this real-world experience - it's so much more useful than trying to navigate the official SSA website explanations!

This is incredibly helpful - thank you for sharing! I'm 65 and just enrolled in Medicare Part A and B last month while planning to delay my Social Security until my full retirement age at 66 and 10 months. I had no idea about the potential for premium payment overlap when transitioning from direct billing to benefit deduction. The 3-month advance payment requirement was already a surprise when I got my first Medicare bill, but knowing that I might get a refund later makes it feel less painful. I'm definitely going to start keeping detailed records of all my premium payments now - dates, amounts, confirmation numbers, everything. It sounds like the system works but moves slowly, so having good documentation will help me verify the refund when it eventually comes through. Really appreciate you taking the time to share this experience and all the follow-up details in the comments!

This is such valuable information! I'm 64 and planning to enroll in Medicare when I turn 65 next month, but I'm delaying Social Security until my FRA at 66 and 6 months. I had no idea about the potential for overlapping premium payments during the transition. The fact that it took 5 months for your refund is good to know - I would have probably started panicking after a couple months if I didn't know this was normal. I'm definitely going to start keeping detailed records of all my Medicare premium payments from day one, including dates, amounts, and confirmation numbers. It sounds like having good documentation is key for verifying the refund amount when it eventually comes through. Thanks for sharing this real-world experience - it's exactly the kind of practical information that's impossible to find in the official SSA documentation!

This is exactly what I needed to see! I'm 64 and turning 65 in a few months, planning to enroll in Medicare but delay SS until 70. I had no idea about this premium overlap issue or the 3-month advance payment requirement for direct Medicare billing. Reading through all these experiences, it sounds like keeping detailed records is absolutely critical - dates, amounts, confirmation numbers, everything. The 5-month refund timeline is good to know so I won't panic when it inevitably happens to me. It's also reassuring that the system automatically catches these overlaps, even if SSA processes everything at glacial speed. Thanks for sharing this - real experiences like yours are so much more valuable than trying to decode the official government documentation!

This is incredibly helpful - thank you for sharing your experience! I'm currently 66 and just started receiving my Social Security benefits last month after delaying past my FRA. I've been paying Medicare premiums directly since I enrolled at 65, so I'm probably in line for a similar refund situation. Reading through all these comments, I'm realizing I should have been keeping better track of my premium payments. I can see from my bank statements that I've been paying, but I don't have all the confirmation details organized. One question - when you got the refund, was there any way to see a breakdown of exactly which months they were refunding you for? I'm trying to figure out how many months of overlap I might have so I can estimate what to expect. Also, did you have to report this refund as income for tax purposes, or is it just considered a return of your own overpayment? This thread has been a goldmine of practical information that you just can't find anywhere in the official documentation!