Social Security survivor benefit payment schedule confusion - 3rd vs 3rd Wednesday?

The payment schedule for survivor benefits is based on YOUR birth date, not your husband's. If you were born between the 11th and 20th of the month, you get paid on the 3rd Wednesday. That lines up with what you're seeing. The large deposit you received is probably retroactive benefits from when you applied. SSA often pays a lump sum for the months that have passed since your eligibility date, which can be up to 6 months before your application date in some cases. Regarding the overpayment - sometimes when they calculate retroactive benefits, they make adjustments. It could be that they initially calculated one amount, then adjusted it down, which resulted in the overpayment notation.

The previous commenter is incorrect. For survivor benefits, the payment date is determined by the birth date of the person receiving the benefits (you), not the deceased person. Here's how it works: • If your birth date is on the 1st-10th: You receive benefits on the 2nd Wednesday • If your birth date is on the 11th-20th: You receive benefits on the 3rd Wednesday • If your birth date is on the 21st-31st: You receive benefits on the 4th Wednesday The only exception is if you were already receiving spousal benefits on your husband's record before he passed away - then you would continue to receive payments on the same schedule as before. Regarding the overpayment notice - I would definitely contact SSA for clarification. It could be a system error, especially with a new claim, or it might relate to a benefit adjustment they made.

Congrats on getting approved! That first payment is always such a relief. I remember when mine came through after my wife passed. It took FOREVER.

I JUST went through this EXACT same situation!!! The payment schedules are SO confusing and nowhere on the SSA site does it explain this clearly! What happened to me was they paid me retroactive benefits going back to when I applied (4 months of payments all at once), but then they also noted an "overpayment" because they had to adjust something with my husband's earnings record. Did you get an actual letter about the overpayment or just see it noted online? If it's just online, WAIT for the letter before panicking. Mine showed up as an "overpayment" online for 3 weeks before I got the official letter explaining everything. BTW - your birthday determines your payment date NOW, but if you were getting benefits on your husband's record BEFORE he died (like spousal benefits) then you would keep the same payment date as before. That might be where your confusion is coming from.

If you're receiving survivor benefits based on your deceased spouse's work record, the payment date is determined by YOUR birth date, not his. Since you mentioned your birth date falls on the 15th, that's why you're receiving payment on the 3rd Wednesday. The large deposit is likely retroactive benefits calculated from your entitlement date (which could be the month of application or up to 6 months prior if you applied within 6 months of your husband's passing). Regarding the overpayment - this is fairly common with new claims, especially survivor benefits. It often happens when: 1. They pay you based on an initial calculation, then adjust it based on additional information 2. There was a month where benefits overlapped (for example, if your husband received a payment for the month he died) 3. There was a computational error that was later corrected You should receive a detailed letter in the mail explaining both the payment and any overpayment. If you don't receive this within 10 business days, or if the explanation doesn't make sense, you should contact SSA directly for clarification.

my husbands check comes on the second wednesdday and ive been waiting for mine for 4 months now!!!! did u have to keep calling them? this whole prosess is ridiculus. also watch out for the tax stuff they dont tell you about that survivor benefets are taxable!!

Another thing to check - make SURE they're paying you the right amount! When my husband died, they initially paid me based on HIS benefit amount, but then they realized I was entitled to MORE because my own work record gave me a higher benefit. So they recalculated and paid me the difference. But the way it showed up online was super confusing - looked like they paid me too much at first!

Is anyone else frustrated that they make this stuff so complicated? Like why can't they just have one payment date for everyone? Or at least explain things clearly?

One more thing to be aware of - if you're under Full Retirement Age (FRA) and working, make sure you understand the earnings test. If you earn above certain limits ($20,520 for 2025 if you're under FRA for the full year), they'll withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above the limit. This could potentially explain an adjustment if they received updated earnings information for you.

I'm sorry for your loss, Dmitry. Losing a spouse is incredibly difficult, and navigating the SSA system during that time just adds to the stress. From what you've described, it sounds like everything is proceeding normally, even though it's confusing. The $2,780 deposit is most likely your retroactive benefits - since you applied about 3 months after your husband passed, they're probably paying you for those months you were eligible but hadn't received benefits yet. The "overpayment" notation you're seeing online is probably just a system quirk while they sort out the exact calculations. I'd recommend waiting for the official letter before worrying too much about it. In my experience helping others with SSA issues, these online notations often look scarier than they actually are. Since you're 63 and only earning $12K annually, you're well under the earnings limit, so that shouldn't be causing any issues. Just make sure to keep track of all the paperwork they send you, and don't hesitate to call if something doesn't make sense once you get the detailed explanation letter. The payment schedule confusion is totally understandable - even SSA employees sometimes give conflicting information about this stuff!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Dmitry. Dealing with SSA bureaucracy while grieving is incredibly overwhelming. What you're experiencing sounds completely normal, even though it's confusing. The $2,780 is almost certainly retroactive benefits - they're paying you for the months between when you became eligible and when you applied. Since survivor benefits can be paid up to 6 months retroactively, and you applied about 3 months after your husband passed, this makes sense. The "overpayment" notice is likely just their system trying to reconcile different calculations. Sometimes they make an initial payment estimate, then adjust it when they get all the details sorted out. This creates a temporary "overpayment" notation that usually resolves itself. I'd definitely wait for the official letter before worrying too much. These online system notifications are often misleading or incomplete. Once you get the detailed breakdown in the mail, everything should be much clearer. And yes, your birth date (15th) determines your payment schedule - 3rd Wednesday is correct for birth dates between the 11th-20th. It's one of those SSA rules that makes no intuitive sense but that's how they do it. Hang in there - the hardest part of dealing with SSA is usually just getting through the initial application and first few payments. After that it typically runs much smoother.

I'm really sorry for your loss, Dmitry. Navigating SSA systems while grieving is incredibly difficult and stressful. What you're experiencing sounds completely typical for survivor benefit claims. The $2,780 deposit is almost certainly retroactive benefits covering the months between your eligibility date and when you applied. Since you mentioned applying about 2 months after your husband passed away, they're likely paying you for those interim months. The "overpayment" notation is usually just their system's way of showing adjustments during the initial calculation process. When they first process a claim, they often make an estimated payment, then refine the calculation as they verify all the details. This creates temporary accounting entries that show up as "overpayments" even when no money actually needs to be returned. I'd strongly recommend waiting for the official letter before worrying too much about it. The online portal notifications are notorious for being confusing and incomplete. The letter should break down exactly what each payment represents and explain any adjustments. Your payment schedule (3rd Wednesday) is correct based on your birth date falling on the 15th. It's one of those SSA rules that seems arbitrary but that's how they distribute the payment workload. The hardest part is usually getting through this initial setup period. Once everything is sorted out, the monthly payments typically run much smoother. Hang in there!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Dmitry. Dealing with SSA during such a difficult time is overwhelming, and their systems don't make it any easier. What you're experiencing is actually quite common with survivor benefit claims. That $2,780 deposit is almost certainly retroactive benefits - they're paying you for the months between when you became eligible (likely around the time your husband passed) and when you applied. Since there was about a 3-month gap, this lump sum makes sense. The "overpayment" notation you're seeing online is usually just their system working through calculations. When they process a new survivor claim, they often make initial payments based on estimates, then adjust as they verify all the details. This creates temporary accounting entries that show as "overpayments" even when you don't actually owe anything back. I'd definitely wait for the official explanation letter before worrying too much. Their online portal is notorious for showing confusing or incomplete information during the initial processing period. The letter should clearly break down what each payment represents. Your payment date (3rd Wednesday) is correct based on your birth date being the 15th. And at 63 with only $12K in earnings, you're well under the earnings test limits, so that shouldn't cause any issues. The initial few months are always the most confusing - once everything gets sorted out, the monthly payments typically run much smoother.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Dmitry. Navigating Social Security survivor benefits while grieving is incredibly challenging, and the confusing online notifications just make everything more stressful. From what you've described, this all sounds very typical for a new survivor benefit claim. The $2,780 deposit is almost certainly your retroactive benefits - since you applied about 2 months after your husband passed away, SSA is paying you for those months when you were eligible but hadn't yet received benefits. They can pay survivor benefits retroactively for up to 6 months in many cases. The "overpayment" notation you're seeing online is likely just their system working through the calculations. When they initially process survivor claims, they often make estimated payments first, then adjust the amounts as they verify all the details and finalize the calculations. This creates temporary accounting entries that show up as "overpayments" online, even when you don't actually owe any money back. I'd strongly recommend waiting for the official letter to arrive before worrying too much about it. SSA's online portal is notorious for displaying confusing or incomplete information during the initial processing period. The detailed letter should clearly explain what each payment represents and any adjustments they made. Your payment schedule is correct - since you were born on the 15th, you'll receive benefits on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. This is based on YOUR birth date, not your deceased husband's, which is where a lot of the confusion comes from. The hardest part is usually getting through these first few months while everything gets sorted out. Once the initial calculations are finalized, the monthly payments typically run much more smoothly.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Dmitry. Dealing with SSA bureaucracy while grieving is incredibly difficult, and their confusing systems just add unnecessary stress to an already overwhelming situation. What you're experiencing sounds completely normal for a new survivor benefit claim, even though I know it's anxiety-provoking to see that "overpayment" notation pop up right after your first payment. The $2,780 deposit is almost certainly retroactive benefits covering the period between when you became eligible (around when your husband passed) and when you applied about 2 months later. The "overpayment" showing up online is likely just their system reconciling different calculations during the initial processing. SSA often makes estimated payments first, then adjusts as they finalize all the details, which creates these temporary accounting entries that look scary but usually don't mean you owe anything back. Since you're receiving benefits on the 3rd Wednesday and were born on the 15th, that confirms your payment schedule is based on YOUR birth date (11th-20th = 3rd Wednesday), not your husband's. This is one of those SSA rules that's counterintuitive but that's how they distribute the payment workload. I'd definitely wait for the official explanation letter before worrying too much. Their online portal is notorious for incomplete or confusing information during initial processing. The letter should clearly break down what each payment represents and explain any adjustments. Hang in there - once this initial setup period is over, things typically run much smoother month to month.

Yes on the my social security app.gov it has a date of my first benefit being on 9/8/2025 when will it actually be deposited

I'm so sorry for your loss, Dmitry. Losing a spouse is incredibly difficult, and having to navigate the SSA system during such a painful time just adds to the stress. What you're experiencing sounds completely typical for survivor benefit claims. That $2,780 deposit is almost certainly retroactive benefits - they're paying you for the months between when you became eligible and when you applied. Since you mentioned applying about 2 months after your husband passed, this makes perfect sense. The "overpayment" notation you're seeing is usually just their system working through calculations during initial processing. They often make estimated payments first, then adjust as they verify details, which creates temporary entries that show as "overpayments" even when you don't actually owe money back. Your payment schedule is correct - since you were born on the 15th, you'll receive benefits on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. This is based on YOUR birth date, not your husband's, which is where a lot of confusion comes from. I'd definitely wait for the official letter before worrying about the overpayment notation. SSA's online portal often shows incomplete information during processing. The letter should clearly explain what each payment represents. The initial few months are always the most confusing part - once everything gets sorted out, monthly payments typically run much smoother. You're doing great navigating this difficult process.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Dmitry. Navigating Social Security survivor benefits while grieving is incredibly overwhelming, and the confusing online system notifications just make everything more stressful. What you're experiencing is actually very common with new survivor benefit claims. The $2,780 deposit is almost certainly your retroactive benefits - since you applied about 2 months after your husband passed away, SSA is paying you back for those months when you were eligible but hadn't yet received benefits. They can pay survivor benefits retroactively up to 6 months in many cases. The "overpayment" notation you're seeing online is likely just their system reconciling calculations during initial processing. When they first process survivor claims, they often make estimated payments, then adjust the amounts as they verify all the details. This creates temporary accounting entries that appear as "overpayments" even when you don't actually owe anything back. Your payment schedule is correct - since you were born on the 15th, you'll receive benefits on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. This is based on YOUR birth date (11th-20th = 3rd Wednesday), not your deceased husband's birth date, which is where a lot of people get confused. I'd strongly recommend waiting for the official explanation letter before worrying too much about that overpayment notation. SSA's online portal is notorious for showing incomplete or confusing information during the initial processing period. The detailed letter should clearly break down what each payment represents and explain any adjustments they made. The hardest part is usually getting through these first few months while everything gets sorted out. Once the initial calculations are finalized, monthly payments typically run much more smoothly. You're handling a very difficult situation with grace.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Dmitry. Losing a spouse is devastating, and having to navigate the SSA system while grieving just adds another layer of stress to an already overwhelming time. What you're experiencing sounds completely normal for a new survivor benefit claim, even though I know seeing that "overpayment" notation must be really anxiety-provoking. The $2,780 deposit is almost certainly retroactive benefits covering the gap between when you became eligible (likely when your husband passed) and when you applied about 2 months later. The "overpayment" showing up online is typically just their system working through calculations during initial processing. SSA often makes estimated payments first, then refines the calculations as they verify all the paperwork, which creates these temporary accounting entries that look scary but usually don't mean you actually owe anything back. Your payment schedule is correct - since you were born on the 15th, the 3rd Wednesday payment date is right for birth dates between the 11th-20th. This is based on YOUR birth date, not your husband's, which trips up a lot of people. I'd definitely wait for the official letter before worrying too much about that overpayment notation. Their online portal is notorious for showing confusing information during processing, but the letter should give you a clear breakdown of everything. The first few months are always the hardest part of dealing with SSA - once things get settled, it usually runs much smoother. You're doing great handling such a difficult situation.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Dmitry. Dealing with survivor benefits while grieving is incredibly difficult, and SSA's confusing systems just make it worse. What you're experiencing is completely normal for new survivor benefit claims. That $2,780 is almost certainly retroactive benefits - they're paying you for the months between when you became eligible (likely when your husband passed) and when you applied 2 months later. Since survivor benefits can be paid retroactively up to 6 months, this makes perfect sense. The "overpayment" notation is just their system reconciling calculations during processing. They often make initial estimated payments, then adjust as they verify details, creating temporary entries that show as "overpayments" even when you don't owe anything back. Your payment schedule is correct - birth dates 11th-20th get paid on 3rd Wednesday. It's based on YOUR birthday (15th), not your husband's, which confuses everyone initially. Definitely wait for the official letter before panicking about the overpayment. Their online portal shows incomplete info during processing, but the letter will explain everything clearly. The first few months are always the most confusing part of dealing with SSA. Once everything gets sorted out, monthly payments run much smoother. You're handling an incredibly difficult situation with grace.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Dmitry. Losing a spouse is incredibly difficult, and trying to navigate Social Security's complex system while grieving just adds so much unnecessary stress to an already overwhelming time. What you're experiencing sounds completely typical for a new survivor benefit claim, even though I know that "overpayment" notation must be really anxiety-provoking to see right after your first payment. The $2,780 deposit is almost certainly your retroactive benefits - since you applied about 2 months after your husband passed away, SSA is paying you back for those months when you were eligible but hadn't yet received benefits. The "overpayment" showing up online is likely just their system working through calculations during initial processing. When they process survivor claims, they often make estimated payments first, then adjust the amounts as they verify all the details and finalize calculations. This creates temporary accounting entries that appear as "overpayments" even when you don't actually owe any money back. Your payment schedule is absolutely correct - since you were born on the 15th, you'll receive benefits on the 3rd Wednesday of each month (birth dates 11th-20th = 3rd Wednesday). This is based on YOUR birth date, not your deceased husband's, which is where so much confusion comes from. I'd strongly recommend waiting for the official explanation letter before worrying too much about that overpayment notation. SSA's online portal is notorious for displaying incomplete or confusing information during the initial processing period, but the detailed letter should clearly break down what each payment represents and explain any adjustments. The hardest part is usually getting through these first few months while everything gets sorted out. Once the initial calculations are finalized, monthly payments typically run much more smoothly. You're handling an incredibly difficult situation, and it's completely understandable to feel confused and worried about all of this.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Dmitry. Losing a spouse is heartbreaking, and then having to figure out all these government systems on top of grief is just exhausting. What you're describing sounds exactly like what happened to me when I applied for survivor benefits last year. That big deposit you got is almost definitely retroactive payments - they're paying you for the months you were eligible but hadn't received benefits yet. Since you said you applied about 2 months after your husband passed, they're probably covering that gap period. The "overpayment" thing showing up online is super common and usually not something to panic about. Their computer systems are terrible at explaining what's actually happening during the initial processing. They often make an estimated payment first, then adjust it as they get all your paperwork sorted out, which creates these weird accounting entries that look scary but don't usually mean you owe money back. Your payment date makes sense too - since you were born on the 15th, the 3rd Wednesday is right for your birth date range (11th-20th of the month). I'd definitely wait for the official letter before stressing too much about that overpayment notice. When I went through this, the online stuff looked confusing for weeks before I got the actual letter that explained everything clearly. The first few months are always the messiest part of dealing with SSA, but once they get everything straightened out, it usually runs pretty smoothly. Hang in there - you're dealing with one of the hardest things in life and navigating a complicated bureaucracy at the same time. That's not easy for anyone.