Social Security payment dropped $100 after January COLA - no notice received

check ur tax withholding. mine went up this yr without them telling me. or maybe u hit the earnings limit if ur still working?

This happened to me once. There are several possibilities for why your benefit went down: 1. Increased tax withholding - SSA sometimes adjusts this based on your tax returns 2. Medicare premium increase (though you mentioned this isn't enough to explain it) 3. If you're working and under Full Retirement Age, you might have exceeded the earnings limit 4. Medicare Part D Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) may have been added 5. Garnishment for unpaid federal debts or child support The best way to find out is to check your benefit verification letter on MySocialSecurity account online. It will show exactly what's being deducted. If that doesn't explain it, you definitely need to speak directly with SSA.

I just had a similar issue and finally figured it out! The COLA was 2.8% this year, but my Medicare premium went up AND they started taking out more for taxes. The weird thing was I never got any letter about the tax withholding change. When I finally reached an agent (after trying for days), they said I had to submit a new W-4V form to adjust my withholding. I was getting really frustrated with the phone wait times until I found this service called Claimyr that connected me to an SSA agent in 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. You can check them out at claimyr.com - they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I got through, the agent was actually helpful and explained exactly what happened with my benefit calculation.

I'm a retired SSA claims specialist and can provide some insight. When your benefit unexpectedly decreases, there are specific things to check: 1. Log into your my Social Security account and download your current benefit verification letter. This will show your gross benefit, all deductions, and net payment. 2. Compare it with December's payment to identify what specifically changed. 3. The most common reason for a sudden $100 decrease would be: - Tax withholding increase (possibly due to higher income on your tax return) - Medicare IRMAA surcharge implementation (based on income from 2 years ago) - Garnishment for a federal debt - Benefit recalculation due to earnings record correction The January COLA for 2025 was indeed applied to everyone's benefits, but these other factors could have more than offset that increase. You should absolutely contact SSA directly for an explanation. They're required to send notices for any benefit changes, so also ask why you didn't receive notification.

This just happened to my mom too after the January COLA! She was expecting MORE money but got LESS. She's 73 and it was because of something called IRMAA - Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount. Her income went up a little in 2023 (she sold some stock) and that pushed her into a higher bracket for Medicare premiums in 2025. It's ridiculous that they punish seniors for having a slightly better year financially. The government keeps finding ways to take from retirees!!!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I checked my my Social Security account and downloaded my benefit verification letter like some of you suggested. It turns out they increased my tax withholding from 10% to 22% without sending me any notice! The COLA increase was applied, but the extra withholding more than wiped it out. I've been trying to call for three days with no luck getting through. I'll try the Claimyr service that was suggested since I really need to get this fixed before next month's payment. I need to submit a new W-4V form to reduce my withholding back to 10%. Really appreciate all the help! I'll update once I get this resolved.