Social Security mixed up my direct deposits - will SSDI automatically switch to Survivor at FRA?

This sounds like a simple clerical error on the rep's part. When you reach FRA, SSA doesn't automatically consolidate your deposits - they're two separate benefit types that can continue separately even after FRA. The rep likely just misunderstood and changed both deposit accounts instead of just the one. You'll need to call them back to fix this. When you do, specifically mention you want your SSDI payment to go back to your original bank. You're right that you could have changed both online yourself if that's what you wanted.

omg the SAME THING happened to my sister last year!! they changed both her payments when she only wanted to change one. its so frustrating how they don't listen properly.

To directly answer your question - no, reaching FRA doesn't automatically consolidate your payments or switch you from SSDI to Survivor benefits. Here's what actually happens: 1. When you reach FRA for Survivor benefits, any reduction for claiming early is removed, so your Survivor benefit reaches its maximum amount. 2. SSDI can continue alongside Survivor benefits indefinitely - they don't automatically switch you unless there's a financial advantage. 3. What might happen (and this is probably NOT related to your deposit issue) is that at FRA, they will check if your Survivor benefit amount would be higher than your SSDI. If so, they might switch you to just the higher benefit. But regarding deposits - there's absolutely no policy to consolidate bank accounts at FRA. That was almost certainly just a mistake by the representative.

Hey just throwing this out there but maybe double check that both payments ARE actually still different payments? Maybe they consolidated them into a single payment now? My dad got disability & retirement and when he hit FRA they combined them (but the amount stayed the same total).

I went through an absolute nightmare trying to get through to SSA about my direct deposit issues last month. Waited on hold for HOURS over multiple days and kept getting disconnected. Finally I discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual SSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of the hours I was wasting. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU When I finally got through, I learned there had been a system-wide issue with direct deposits that affected quite a few people. The agent was able to fix my problem right away once I actually got to speak with someone. Might be worth trying if you're having trouble getting through on the regular line.

your prob overreacting tbh. just call them back and tell them to fix it. happens all the time, ssa reps make mistakes

To clarify something important: SSDI doesn't automatically terminate at FRA. What happens is that SSDI legally converts to retirement benefits at exactly the same amount - but this is primarily an administrative change. For people receiving both SSDI and Survivor benefits, the situation is more complex. At FRA, SSA will evaluate which combination gives you the highest possible benefit: 1. Your converted retirement benefit (formerly SSDI) plus partial Survivor benefits 2. Your full Survivor benefit alone Then they'll automatically select whichever gives you more money. This might explain why you're concerned about changes at FRA, but it doesn't explain the direct deposit situation - that's almost certainly just an error.

When my wife hit FRA last year they suddenly DECREASED her survivor benefit without ANY WARNING!!! Said something about the 'family maximum' we never heard about before. And they gave us a $5,700 OVERPAYMENT notice!!! The whole system is DESIGNED to confuse people!!

I had a similar experience with SSA reps making changes I didn't request! When I called to update my address last year, they somehow also changed my withholding elections without me asking. It took three more calls to get it sorted out. For your situation, definitely call back and be very specific about what you want. I've found it helps to ask them to repeat back exactly what changes they're making before they process anything. Also, consider calling early in the morning (like right at 8 AM) - the wait times are usually shorter then. The good news is that direct deposit changes are usually pretty straightforward to fix once you get through to someone who knows what they're doing. Just be persistent!