Social Security nightmare - repaid retirement benefits but SS still claims I owe money for survivor benefits transition

This exact same thing happened to my uncle!! The SS system is BROKEN. They cashed his check but kept saying he still owed money for MONTHS. He ended up having to go to his congressman's office and file a complaint to get it fixed. It's ridiculous that they can just take your money and then pretend like they didnt!

I'm sorry you're going through this frustrating situation. What you're experiencing is unfortunately a common issue with SSA's processing system. The problem is likely happening because the first check with the stop payment is still showing as an outstanding debt in their system, even though you've made the replacement payment. You need to request a formal reconciliation of your account. Here's what I recommend: 1. Ask specifically to speak with a Technical Expert (TE) or a Claims Specialist at your local office, not just the front desk staff. 2. Request that they submit a "REMARKS" entry in your file documenting the repayment with the specific check number and date it cleared. 3. Ask them to initiate a "PCACS query" to trace the payment that was already processed. 4. Get everything in writing - request a formal receipt for the payment you made that shows it was applied to your withdrawal request. Don't give up. This is fixable, but you need to get to someone who knows how to properly reconcile the payment in their system.

have u tried calling the main 800 number instead of just going to local office? sometimes the people at the 800 number have more authority to fix payment problems then the local office people do

After dealing with a similar nightmare last year (different issue but same run-around), I finally got through to SSA by using Claimyr. It's this service that gets you through to a real SSA agent within about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours or getting disconnected. Saved me so much frustration. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. In your case, I'd specifically ask to speak with the Processing Center that handles withdrawals rather than just talking to the regular 800 number folks. They need to do what's called a "critical payment reconciliation" to match your cashed check with your record. Regular agents often don't know how to initiate this process.

This situation happens more often than SSA wants to admit. What you're experiencing is a disconnect between SSA's Record Keeping system (where your withdrawal was processed) and their Accounting system (where your payment was processed). Sometimes these systems don't communicate properly. I retired from SSA after 29 years, and here's what needs to happen: 1. You need a "Critical Payment Correction" which can only be processed by someone with special access rights. 2. Your payment was likely recorded in the Treasury system (hence the 1099) but not properly linked to your withdrawal request in SSA's program service center. 3. Request an official "Administrative Action Review" of your account. This is different from an Appeal and specifically addresses administrative errors like payment recording problems. 4. While you're waiting, ask them to place a special "hold" on any potential overpayment collection since you have proof of payment. When you go in next time, bring these terms written down, and if the representative says they can't help, politely ask to speak with their Technical Expert or supervisor. The local office CAN initiate these special processes, but many representatives don't know the correct procedure for reconciling withdrawal repayments because they're relatively uncommon.

have you tried filing a formal Request for Reconsideration form? (SSA-561) This would force them to actually review your case and make a determination... though it could take a while. I had to do this when they kept saying I owed money that I didn't actually owe. You might also reach out to NOSSCR (National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives). They might be able to recommend an attorney who could help, though I'm not sure if it's worth the expense for this type of issue.

My mother had a similar issue with SS last year!! She was also switching from retirement to survivors benefits, and they couldn't find her repayment either. For her, it turned out that they had applied her payment to the wrong social security number (they transposed two digits). Is it possible something like that happened? When you look at your bank statement for the cleared check, does it show any reference number or account number that SS applied it to?

One additional suggestion - while you're working to get this fixed, you should consider requesting "conditional payments" of your survivor benefits. Explain that you've submitted proof of repayment and request that they start paying your survivor benefits while the payment discrepancy is being resolved. In some cases, they can start your benefits with a special coding that notes the situation is under review. This way you're not left without any income during what could be a lengthy administrative correction process. Also, check if the 1099 you received has a specific code associated with the repayment. Sometimes the code can give a clue about how the payment was processed in their system, which might help identify where the disconnection happened.

i think they sometimes do this on purpose to save money. my neighbor had something similar and they kept "losing" his paperwork for like 6 months!! he had to get really mad and threaten to call his congressman before they finally fixed it. the whole system is rigged to make it hard for us seniors!!

Update: I just got back from another office visit after using all the specific terminology suggested here. What a difference! I asked for a Technical Expert specifically and mentioned "Critical Payment Correction" and "Administrative Action Review." The TE actually found that my payment HAD been recorded but in a different part of their system than what shows on my online account. They're initiating a correction process that she said should take about 2 weeks to sync up their records. In the meantime, they're starting my survivor benefits provisionally! Thank you all SO MUCH for your help with this - I would never have known what to ask for without your suggestions.