Social Security payment deductions mystery - can't see where 28% of my benefits went
I just got my first Social Security retirement payment and I'm completely confused about the deductions. According to my benefit award letter, I should be getting $2,780/month, but the deposit that hit my account was only $1,998.60. That's almost 28% less than expected! I know Medicare Part B ($187.50) comes out automatically, but that still leaves about $593.90 unaccounted for. I've been trying to find a breakdown of these deductions on the MySocialSecurity website but can't find any detailed statements showing where my money went. I don't have any back taxes or garnishments, and I didn't request federal tax withholding (though maybe they're taking it anyway?). Is there some hidden section of the website that shows a detailed breakdown of deductions from our benefits? I'd really like to understand what's happening with my money before I spend hours trying to reach someone by phone.
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Jamal Anderson
There should be a "Payment History" link in your MySocialSecurity account that shows the breakdown. Sometimes it takes a day or two after your first payment to appear. The link should be on your main account page when you log in. Along with Medicare, they might be withholding federal taxes at the standard 10-12% even if you didn't request it - this happens sometimes with first payments. Also check if you have Medicare Part D premium being deducted automatically.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•Thanks for this! I just checked again and you're right - the Payment History link wasn't there yesterday but it appeared today. Weird timing! Looking at it now, I see they're taking out $187.50 for Medicare Part B, but I don't see any tax withholding yet. I'll need to keep an eye on this to make sure I don't end up with a tax penalty. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!
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Mei Wong
mine took 4 days to show up after my first deposit last year. the ssa website is from like 1995 lol. check again tomorrow. also double check you're not looking at your gross amount vs net amount. they always tell you the before-deductions number when they approve you but obv you never actually get that full amount
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•You're right about the website feeling ancient! I was definitely looking at the gross amount from my award letter versus what actually hit my bank account. The payment history link has appeared now, but it's still confusing because I only see the Medicare Part B deduction. I expected to see federal tax withholding too. I'll keep monitoring it.
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QuantumQuasar
The discrepancy could be from a couple things: 1) Medicare Part B ($187.50) as you mentioned, 2) Possible Medicare Part D premium if you enrolled, 3) Federal tax withholding (often at 10-22% depending on your selections), 4) Possible Medicare IRMAA surcharge if your income from 2 years ago was above certain thresholds. The Payment Details link should appear under "Benefits & Payments" section within a few days of your first payment. If it doesn't show up within a week, call SSA directly - but be prepared for a long wait time.
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Liam McGuire
•Not the OP but I had the same IRMAA thing happen last year - got slammed with an extra $200+ on top of regular Medicare because I had sold some property in 2023. Had NO IDEA this was coming until the smaller check hit my account!
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Mei Wong
Also, double check your deposit date. Sometimes banks post SS deposits on different days than SSA says they sent them. My bank always shows my SS deposit a day later than SSA claims they sent it. Drives me nuts every month lol
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•You're absolutely right! My payment was supposed to hit on the 21st according to SSA, but it didn't show in my account until the 22nd. And I realized there was another deposit on the 21st that I thought was mine, but it was actually my wife's benefit starting. No wonder I was confused!
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Amara Eze
I had the EXACT same problem last month and spent THREE DAYS trying to get through to SSA on the phone. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - basically they hold your place in line and call you when an agent is about to pick up. Saved me so much frustration! The agent explained that sometimes first payments have weird deductions that get sorted out in the second month.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•Thanks for the tip! I was about to start the calling marathon today, but now that the payment details link has appeared, I can see at least some of the breakdown. If I do need to call them about the missing breakdown of other deductions, I'll definitely look into that service. Spending hours on hold is the absolute last thing I want to do.
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Giovanni Greco
THE SSA ALWAYS DOES THIS!!!! They NEVER explain deductions properly and expect us to figure it out ourselves! I've been on SS for 3 years and STILL don't understand why my payment changes sometimes. One month they took an extra $43 and when I finally got someone on the phone they said it was "an adjustment from a previous calculation" but couldn't tell me WHICH calculation!! The whole system is designed to be confusing on purpose I swear!!
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Fatima Al-Farsi
•exactly! my dad has the same issue every January when they do the COLA adjustments. they never match what they say they'll be and the math never adds up right. he's 82 and can't figure it out on the website, and nobody at the local office ever has the same answer twice
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Jamal Anderson
One more thing to check - your first payment sometimes includes retroactive benefits or partial month payments depending on when you applied versus when you were eligible to start. This can make the first deposit amount seem off compared to your regular monthly amount. The Payment History section should clarify this once it appears. If your regular monthly payment is still significantly lower than expected after the second payment, then definitely call SSA for a breakdown of deductions.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•That's a really good point. I did get a small one-time payment on January 11th that shows up now in the payment history. I think that was a partial month payment. Things are starting to make more sense now. Seems like the first couple of months with Social Security can be confusing until everything stabilizes into a regular pattern.
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