Unexpected small SS deposit showed up today - not regular benefit payment. What is this?

got somethn similar last week, $108 and change. no idea what it is either lol. figured id wait and see if they send explanation

Me too! I got $219.44 yesterday and my regular payment was already deposited two weeks ago. Called my daughter to see if she knows anything but waiting to hear back. Social Security is just so confusing sometimes.

OH MY GOSH I'm having the EXACT same problem!!!! Got $197.31 yesterday and have NO IDEA what it's for!!! Could it be a mistake?? Will they take it back?? What if I spend it and then they say I owe it back? I'm already struggling to make ends meet on my SS check and now I'm terrified this is going to turn into an overpayment situation. Has anyone actually gotten an explanation???

The EXACT same thing happened to my sister last month. She called SSA about 6 times and nobody could even tell her what it was for! They kept saying "it'll show up in the system eventually" but never gave her a straight answer. She finally gave up and just kept the money. The whole system is completely broken. They make these random deposits with zero explanation and expect us to just figure it out ourselves. I'm convinced half the people working there don't even know what's going on.

I got a small payment last week too. After spending half a day trying to reach someone at Social Security, I finally learned it's related to the COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) recalculation they did for 2024. Apparently they had to adjust some payments from earlier in the year and are sending out the difference as a one-time payment. I wouldn't worry about it - it's money you're entitled to. Check your mySSA account in a few days and you might see a message about it.

My daughter just called me back. She says it's probably that COLA thing everyone is talking about. Did anyone else get a letter before or after their payment?

This is the mid-year COLA adjustment payment. For those who don't know, the 2024 COLA was initially set at 3.2%, but due to adjusted inflation calculations, they had to recalculate some payments. These deposits represent the difference between what you've been paid so far in 2024 and what you should have received with the corrected calculation. The amounts vary based on your monthly benefit amount and how long you've been receiving benefits this year. You may also see adjustments to your Medicare premium withholding if applicable. A notification letter explaining the adjustment should arrive within 2 weeks of the deposit.

If you're trying to reach SSA to ask about this, good luck. I tried calling them about a different issue for TWO WEEKS and couldn't get through. Every time I called it was either "all representatives are busy" or I'd wait on hold for hours and then get disconnected. The system is completely broken!

To clarify what others have said - this is indeed the COLA adjustment payment. There was a recalculation of the 2024 COLA due to updated inflation data. The Social Security Administration is issuing these one-time payments to millions of beneficiaries to account for the difference between what you've received so far in 2024 and what you should have received under the corrected calculation. The amount varies by individual based on your benefit amount and when you started receiving benefits. This is not an error or overpayment - it's money you're entitled to. You should receive an official notice in the mail explaining the adjustment within 7-10 business days after the deposit. There's no need to call SSA about this unless you don't receive an explanation letter within two weeks.