Is your Social Security check smaller this month? Here’s what it might be, and what to do

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Is your Social Security check smaller this month? Here’s what it might be, and what to do

If you receive Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or both, and you have outstanding student loan debts you haven’t been paying, your June check — and potentially future checks —

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

In May, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it would begin

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

against

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

who have defaulted on their federal student loans. Previously the government put repayments on pause at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but that has ended, as have some of former President Biden’s repayment options and loan forgiveness initiatives.

Notices sent out by the Education Department urged borrowers in default to contact their

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

to make a monthly payment, enroll in an income-driven repayment plan, or sign up for loan rehabilitation. To cover the debt owed, those who have not done one of those will see their wages garnished and tax refunds confiscated.

And their Social Security benefits reduced. Of the 5.3 million borrowers, an estimated 425,000 are 62 years old or older, according to the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Here’s what you can do.

Social Security benefits have special protections against garnishment, with limits on how much can be garnished by the Treasury Offset Program.

Money cannot be taken for medical debts, bankruptcy or civil lawsuits. But it can be garnished, with different limits, to repay child support, alimony or restitution, and debts owed to the federal government, such as student loans.

The most that can be taken for federal debts, such as student loans. is 15%, which is not insignificant for people living on a fixed income. Currently,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

is protected from garnishment, which can put recipients under the poverty line.

You should have received notice from the Education Department by now if you’re in default, and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon has

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

that receive federal funding assistance to reach out to all former students by June 30 to remind them of their obligation to repay any federal student loan that is not in deferment or forbearance.

To be in default, you would need to have 270 days (roughly nine months) of nonpayment for most federal student loan servicers. Check the terms of your specific student loans. After 360 days, loans are transferred to the Department of Education’s default collections program.

Story Continues

You can also login to a page on the StudentAid.gov site to

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Check

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

to see your status, who your servicer is, and the terms of your loan.

If you received notice from the Department of Education, read it carefully to see

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

. Generally speaking, you can:

Apply for

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

that can lower your monthly payments to make them more affordable

Rehabilitate defaulted loans by making nine out of 10 consecutive, on-time, full, voluntary, reasonable and affordable payments

Consolidate your loans as part of a loan rehabilitation agreement

Continue letting the government garnish your income, which can affect uyour credit rating

Pay the debt in full

The Education Department notes that depending on a borrower’s income, payments under a loan

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

could be low as $5 a month.

The Education Department said it will offer support to assist borrowers in selecting the best repayment plan, including a new Loan Simulator,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, and extended servicers call times.

An enhanced

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

will simplify the time that it will take borrowers to enroll, according to the Education Department, and eliminate the need for borrowers to recertify their income every year.

Keep in mind that under the Trump administration, the staff at the Education Department has been

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, so it may be more difficult to reach someone there for help. You may have to make repeat calls to get through.

Social Security in Florida:

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Supplemental Security Income is a benefit payment for those with limited income or resources aged 65 or older, who are blind, or have a qualifying disability. Children with a qualifying disability can also get SSI, according to the SSA’s

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Adults who earn more than

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

monthly typically do not qualify for SSI.

As of April 2025, 543,098 Floridians received SSI payments according to

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

. Of those, 241,868 were 65 years old or older and 382,925 were visually impaired or disabled.

Florida had more than 5 million people

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

as of December 2023, according to the AARP. That included more than 3.9 million retirees, over 478,000 disabled workers, more than 401,000 spouses or survivors and nearly 240,000 children.

Nearly

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

receive Social Security benefits, according to the AARP.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News:

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#Social #Security #check #smaller #month #Heres

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up