Unexpected $150 Social Security deposit showed up today - different than spouse's payment

This exact thing happened to me last month! I got a random $150 deposit and totally panicked thinking they'd made a mistake. Turns out it was a one-time catch-up payment for an underpayment from earlier in the year. Check your mySocialSecurity account - there should be a notice explaining it. Mine was because of an earnings record correction that slightly increased my monthly benefit, and they owed me the difference for previous months.

probly a cola adjustment or somthing. ss always messes up the math lol. i got a weird payment last year and never figured out why, they just said to keep it when i finally got someone on the phone

This happened to my sister just last week! She got $150 too. So weird it's the exact same amount.

It's most likely one of these things: 1. An underpayment correction due to incorrect calculations in previous months 2. A delayed COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) payment 3. An earnings record update that affected your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) 4. A one-time payment related to recent legislative changes The fact that your husband didn't receive it suggests it's specific to your work record or benefit calculation. The SSA typically sends a letter explaining such adjustments, but it might arrive after the deposit. You can check your mySocialSecurity account for any notices or call the SSA directly. Your regular monthly benefit should still arrive on schedule.

UGH trying to call SSA is THE WORST!!!! I spent THREE DAYS trying to reach someone last month about my Medicare premium issue. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. The system is COMPLETELY BROKEN!!!!

Did you check if the deposit actually came from Social Security? Sometimes scammers will make small deposits before trying to access your account. Not trying to scare you, just worth verifying it's legitimately from SSA.

Just to clarify some misinformation in this thread: COLA adjustments are applied to your regular monthly benefit amount, not as separate payments. And they're announced in October and take effect in January each year. Since we're not in that timeframe, this is almost certainly an underpayment correction. The fact that it's exactly $150 suggests it might be related to a specific program adjustment rather than a calculation based on your individual record. You should definitely keep calling SSA for an explanation, and check your mail carefully for notices in the coming days.

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at SSA! The $150 was indeed a one-time adjustment related to my earnings record from 2023. Apparently when they processed my tax return information, they found I was eligible for a slightly higher benefit for part of the year. My husband didn't get one because his benefit amount wasn't affected by the earnings update. Mystery solved! And yes, my regular payment came through on schedule too. Thanks everyone for your help!