My husband and I each received an additional (smaller amount) deposit this week from Social Security. We have no idea why. When I noticed the first deposit I assumed it was some type of error. Then I found the second. These deposits go to two different financial institutions. I tried calling the SSA but the hold time was more than I could manage that day. Any help/advice would be appreciated.

Hi,

There are a number of reasons why you may have received an extra payment from Social Security. It's likely an adjustment payment of some sort, and the most common types of adjustments are caused by automated recomputations to include additional earnings.

Social Security retirement benefits are based on an average of a person's highest 35 years of Social Security covered wage-indexed earnings. If a person is already drawing their benefits and then earns more in a year than they did in one or more of their previous 35 highest earnings years, then Social Security automatically adjusts their benefit rate accordingly. Those recomputations are normally done in the fall of the year after the year of the higher earnings, and that can result in back pay being due for past months.

I don't know if your extra payments were caused by an earnings recomputation, but whatever the cause you should receive a notice in the mail from Social Security to explain the payments within 2 weeks of the deposits.

Best, Jerry