Social Security mistakenly deposited large amount after I gave up guardianship - how do I return it without a 4-hour office visit?

omg that's so frustrating!!! had similar issue but it was only $340 they overpaid my dad. they sent a letter with instructions to mail a check to the regional processing center. dont know why they're making you drive all that way!

This is a situation where their left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. Here's what you should do: 1. Call the SSA's main number (1-800-772-1213) and specifically ask for the "Debt Management Section" - they handle overpayments and can give you the correct mailing address for returning funds. 2. Request they send you a formal overpayment notice with payment instructions - they're required to do this before collecting. 3. Ask if they can process an electronic withdrawal since they deposited electronically (sometimes possible with the right department). 4. Get everything in writing and document all calls with names, dates and reference numbers. The field office staff often don't know all the procedures for handling these situations, which is why you're getting the runaround.

I work in elder law, and unfortunately this is typical SSA bureaucracy. While the previous commenter's suggestion to contact the Debt Management Section is good, you should also consider these points: 1. Since you're no longer the official payee, you technically shouldn't have access to those funds. The facility (as new payee) should be involved in returning the money. 2. Make sure you get a receipt if you do return the money - people have had SSA lose track of repayments. 3. Consider asking your bank if they can issue a stop payment or return the direct deposit as unauthorized since it was made after your payee status ended. The facility should be more helpful since they're now responsible. Put some pressure on them to assist with the resolution.

OMG the SSA is THE WORST!!! they did something similar to my cousin and then had the nerve to charge him interest on the "overpayment"!!! fight this hard and dont let them make YOU do all the work for THEIR mistake!!! typical government BS if you ask me

I had to deal with the SSA for my mom's benefits and was getting nowhere with the phone system. Literally spent hours on hold only to get disconnected. A friend told me about a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at SSA in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Saved me so much frustration when dealing with mom's survivor benefits mixup. Might be worth it to get this sorted without the road trip, especially since you're caring for your dad too.

As a former SSA employee, I can tell you there's a specific process for this situation. When funds are incorrectly deposited after a representative payee change, the proper protocol is: 1. The payment should be returned through the Treasury Department's Reclamation process, not by you personally driving to an office. 2. Call 1-800-772-1213 and request to speak with a Title II Claims Specialist specifically about a "direct deposit reclamation for incorrect payee situation." 3. The Claims Specialist should be able to initiate a DD-RTN (Direct Deposit Return) form and provide you with a confirmation number. 4. You may need to visit your bank with this form/number, but you shouldn't need to visit an SSA office. The field office gave you incorrect information. This happens because most employees only deal with certain types of situations regularly and may not know all procedures.

Have you considered just keeping the money in the account until they figure it out themselves? My aunt got an overpayment once and she just left it untouched, and about 2 months later they automatically withdrew it. They might do that in your case too since it was clearly their mistake and they already know about it. Just a thought if you want to avoid all the hassle of trying to return it proactively.

my cousin works at our local SSA and says they're SWAMPED with overpayment cases right now... like literally thousands of them. probably why they're giving you the runaround. they don't have enough staff to handle all the mistakes they're making!!

this happened to my neighbors brother and SSA ended up sending him to COLLECTIONS even tho he tried to return the $$!!! make sure u get EVERYTHING in writing!!!

Based on your latest responses, I think you've got a good plan forming. To summarize the best approach: 1. Use Claimyr to get through to SSA quickly (worth it to avoid hours of hold time) 2. Ask specifically for a Title II Claims Specialist about direct deposit reclamation 3. Request the DD-RTN form process as mentioned by the former SSA employee 4. Keep detailed records of all communications 5. Follow up with the facility administrator since they're now the official payee This combined approach gives you the best chance of resolving this efficiently. Please let us know how it goes - your experience might help others in similar situations.