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Introduction
This booklet explains some of your rights and
responsibilities when you receive retirement or
survivors benets. We suggest you take time now to
read this booklet, and then, put it in a safe place to
refer to in the future.
If you also get Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
payments, read What You Need to Know When
You Get Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
(Publication No. 05-11011).
About your benets
When and how we pay your benets
We pay Social Security benets monthly. The benets are
paid in the month that follows the month for which they
are due. For example, you would receive your July benet
in August. Generally, the day of the month you receive
your benet payment depends on the birth date of the
person for whose earnings record you receive benets.
For example, if you receive benets as a retired worker,
we base your benet payment date on your birth date. If
you receive benets based on your spouse’s work, we
base your benet payment date on your spouse’s birth
date.
Date of birth Benets paid each month on
1
st
- 10
th
Second Wednesday
11
th
- 20
th
Third Wednesday
21
st
- 31
st
Fourth Wednesday
If you receive both Social Security benets and SSI, your
Social Security benet will arrive on the 3rd of the month
and your SSI payment will arrive on the 1st of the month.
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Electronic payments
When you applied for Social Security benets, you should
have signed up to receive your payments electronically.
If you didn’t, signing up for direct deposit is a simple,
secure way to receive your benets. Contact your bank to
help you sign up or you can start or change direct deposit
online with your personal my Social Security account. If
you don’t have an account, you can create one easily at
www.ssa.gov/myaccount. You can also call us toll-free
at 1-800-772-1213 to sign up. If you don’t have a bank
account, you can also choose to receive your payment
through the Direct Express
®
card program. With Direct
Express
®
, deposits from federal payments go directly to
the card account. You can sign up for the Direct Express
®
card quick and easy. Call the toll-free Treasury Electronic
Payment Solution Contact Center at 1-800-333-1795. Or
sign up online at www.godirect.gov. We can help you
sign up, too.
If you don’t receive your electronic payment on its due
date, please contact your bank or nancial institution
rst. They may experience a delay when your payment
is posted. If you still need to report a late, missing,
or stolen Social Security payment, call us toll-free at
1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). You can also
contact your local Social Security ofce. We will review
the case and if the payment is due, we will replace it.
If you receive an electronic payment that you know is not
due to you, have your nancial institution return it to the U.S.
Treasury Department. If you knowingly accept payments
that aren’t due to you, you may face criminal charges.
Paying taxes on your benets
About 40% of all people who receive Social Security
benets have to pay taxes on their benets. You’ll have to
pay taxes on your benets if you le a federal tax return
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as an individual, and your total income is more than
$25,000. If you le a joint return, you’ll have to pay taxes
if you and your spouse have a total income that is more
than $32,000. If you are married and le separate returns,
you probably will pay taxes on your benets.
To have federal taxes withheld, you can get a Form
W-4V from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
when you call their toll-free telephone number,
1-800-829-3676. You can also download the form from
www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4v.pdf. After you complete
and sign the form, return it to your local Social Security
ofce by mail or in person.
For more information, read Tax Guide for Seniors
(IRS Publication No. 554), and Social Security
and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benets
(IRS Publication No. 915) at www.IRS.gov or call the
IRS’s toll-free number, 1-800-829-3676.
Services we oer
Free Social Security services
Some businesses advertise that they can change
names or provide Social Security cards for a fee. We
provide these services free, so don’t pay for them. Visit
our website or call us rst. We are the best place to get
information about our services.
Information updates
Occasionally, we’ll send you important information about
your Social Security benets, such as:
• Cost-of-living adjustments. If the cost of living
has increased, your benets amount will increase
automatically in January. We’ll let you know your new
payment amount in advance.
• Annual earnings limit. If you’re younger than full
retirement age, there is a limit to how much you
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can earn and still receive all of your Social Security
benets. This amount usually changes each year. We’ll
let you know the new amount in advance.
Online my Social Security account
You can easily set up a secure my Social Security account.
This allows you to access your Social Security Statement
(Statement), verify your earnings, and receive benet
estimates. You can also use your personal
my Social Security account to request a replacement Social
Security number (SSN) card. This service is available in most
states and the District of Columbia.
If you receive benets, you can also:
• Get your benet verication letter.
• Change your address and phone number.
• Request a replacement Medicare card.
• Get a replacement SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S for tax
season.
• For those notices available online, you can opt out of
receipt by mail.
• Start or change your direct deposit.
• Make your Advance Designation of Representative
Payee should you need one in the future.
You can create your personal my Social Security account
if you’re at least age 18 years old, have an SSN, and
a valid email address. To create an account, go to
www.ssa.gov/myaccount. To learn more, read How to
Create an Online Account (Publication No. 05-10540).
What you need to report to us
Your responsibilities
Let us know as soon as possible when one of the
changes listed in this section occurs.
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NOTE: Failure to report a change may result in an
overpayment. If you’re overpaid, we’ll recover any
payments not due to you. If you fail to report changes in
a timely way or you intentionally make a false statement,
we may stop your benets. For the 1st violation, your
benets will stop for 6 months; for the 2nd violation, 12
months; and for the 3rd violation, 24 months.
You can call, write, or visit us to make a report. Have your
Beneciary Notice Control Number (BNC) handy. Your
BNC will be on any letter we send you about your benets.
Another government agency may give us Social Security
information you reported to them, but you must also report
the change to us.
If your estimated earnings change
If you’re working, we usually ask you to estimate your
earnings for the year. If later you realize your earnings
will be higher or lower than you estimated, let us know as
soon as possible so we can adjust your benets. See the
section titled, “Work and receive Social Security at the
same time” for help in making accurate estimates.
If you move
When you plan to move, tell us your new address
and phone number as soon as you know them.
Even if you receive your benets by direct deposit,
we must have your correct address so we can send
letters and other important information to you. We’ll
stop your benets if we can’t contact you. You can
change your address or telephone number with your
personal my Social Security account. Or you can call
1-800-772-1213 and use our automated system.
If any family members who receives benets move in with
you, please tell us their names. Be sure you also le a
change of address with your post ofce.
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If you change direct deposit accounts
If you change nancial institutions or open a new account,
you can change your direct deposit online with a personal
my Social Security account. Or, we can change your direct
deposit information by telephone after we conrm your
identity. Have your new and old bank account numbers
handy when you call us. These numbers are printed on your
personal checks or account statements. This information
takes about 30 to 60 days to change. Don’t close your
old account until after you make sure your Social Security
benets are deposited into the new account.
If a person isn’t able to manage funds
Sometimes a person can’t manage their own money. If this
happens, someone should let us know. We can arrange to
send benets to a relative, other person, or organization that
agrees to use the money for the well-being of the person
who receives benets. We call this person or organization a
“representative payee.” For more information, read A Guide
for Representative Payees (Publication No. 05-10076).
NOTE: People who have “legal guardianship” or “power
of attorney” for someone don’t automatically qualify to be
a representative payee.
To help protect what’s important to you, we now offer you
the option to choose a representative payee in advance.
In the event that you can no longer make your own
decisions, you and your family will have peace of mind
knowing you have already chosen someone you trust
to manage your benets. If you need a representative
payee to assist with the management of your benets, we
will rst consider your advance designees. We must still
fully evaluate them and determine their suitability at that
time. You can submit an Advance Designation request
online when you apply for benets, with your personal
my Social Security account, by telephone, or in person.
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You should tell us if you start to receive a retirement or
disability pension from a job for which you did not pay
Social Security taxes — for example, from the federal Civil
Service Retirement System or some state or local pension
systems. Your Social Security benets may need to be
recalculated and they may be reduced. Also, tell us if the
amount of that retirement or disability pension changes.
If you get married or divorced
If you get married or divorced, your Social Security
benets may be affected, based on the kind of benets
you receive.
If we stop your benets because of marriage or
remarriage, we may start them again if the marriage ends.
The chart below includes examples.
If you get: Then:
Your own retirement benets Your benets will continue.
Spouse’s benets
Your benets will continue if you
get divorced and you’re age 62
or older unless you were married
less than 10 years.
Surviving spouse benets
Your benets will continue if you
remarry when you’re age 60
or older.
If you’re age 50-59 and have
a disability, your benets will
continue.
Any other kind of benets
Generally, your benets will stop
when you get married. Your
benets may be started again if
the marriage ends.
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If you change your name
If you change your name — by marriage, divorce, or court
order — you need to tell us right away. If you don’t give
us this information, your benets will come under your old
name and if you have direct deposit, payments may not
reach your account.
If you receive benets because you care for a
child
You may receive benets because you care for a child
who is younger than age 16 or who has a disability. You
should notify us right away if the child is no longer in
your care or changes addresses. Give us the name and
address of the person with whom the child is living.
A temporary separation may not affect your benets if
you continue to exercise parental control over the child.
However, your benets will stop if you no longer have
responsibility for the child. If the child returns to your care,
we can start sending benets to you again.
Your benets will end when you no longer have a child
in your care who is under age 16 or who who has a
disability, and receives Social Security child’s benets.
Your child’s benets can continue as explained on the
following pages.
If someone adopts a child who receives benets
When a child who is receiving benets is adopted, let
us know the child’s new name, the date of the adoption
decree, and the adopting parent’s name and address.
The adoption won’t cause benets to end.
If you become a parent after you begin to
receive benets
If you become the parent of a child (including an adopted
child) after you begin receiving benets, let us know so we
can decide whether the child is eligible for benets.
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If you have an outstanding felony or
arrest warrant
You must tell us if you have an outstanding felony or
arrest warrant for any of the following offenses:
• Flight to avoid prosecution or connement.
• Escape from custody.
• Flight-escape.
You can’t receive regular retirement, survivors, disability
benets, or any underpayments you may be due for any
month in which there is an outstanding felony or arrest
warrant for any of these offenses.
If you’re convicted of a criminal oense
If you receive Social Security benets and are convicted
of a crime and spend more than 30 continuous days in
a correctional institution, notify us immediately. Benets
generally aren’t paid for the months a person is conned,
but other family members who are eligible may continue
to receive benets.
If you’ve committed a crime and are conned to
an institution
Benets usually aren’t paid to persons who commit a
crime and are conned to an institution by court order and
at public expense for more than 30 continuous days. This
applies if the person has been found:
• Incompetent to stand trial.
• Sexually dangerous.
• Guilty, but insane.
• Not guilty by reason of insanity or similar factors
(such as mental disease, mental defect, or
mental incompetence).
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If you leave the United States
If you’re a U.S. citizen, you can travel to or live in most
foreign countries and not affect your Social Security
benets. There are, however, a few countries where we
can’t send Social Security benets. These countries are
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Moldova, North Korea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and
Uzbekistan. However, we can make exceptions for certain
eligible persons in these countries. For more information
about these exceptions, please contact your local Social
Security ofce.
Let us know if you plan to go outside the United States
for a trip that lasts 30 days or more. Tell us the name of
the country or countries you plan to visit and the date you
expect to leave the United States. We’ll send you special
report submission instructions and tell you how to arrange
for your benets while you’re away. Be sure to let us know
when you return to the United States.
If you aren’t a U.S. citizen and you return to live in
the United States, you must provide evidence of your
noncitizen status to continue to receive benets. If you
work outside the United States, different rules apply in the
decision on whether you can get benets.
For more information, read Your Payments While You Are
Outside the United States (Publication No. 05-10137).
If your citizen status changes
If you aren’t a citizen, let us know if you become a
U.S. citizen or your noncitizen status changes. If your
immigration status expires, you must give us new
evidence that shows you continue to be in the United
States lawfully.
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If a beneciary dies
Let us know if a person who receives Social Security
benets dies. We can’t pay benets for the month of
death. That means if the person died in July, the check
received in August (which is payment for July) must be
returned. If the payment is by direct deposit, notify the
nancial institution as soon as possible so it can return
any payments received after death.
Family members may be eligible for Social Security
survivors benets when a person dies.
If you’re receiving Social Security and Railroad
Retirement benets
If you’re receiving both Social Security and Railroad
Retirement benets based on your spouse’s work and
your spouse dies, you must tell us immediately. You’ll
no longer be eligible to receive both benets. You’ll be
notied which survivor benet you’ll receive.
Work and receive Social Security at the
same time
How earnings aect your benets
You can continue to work and still get Social Security
retirement benets. Your earnings in and after the month
you reach your full retirement age won’t affect your
Social Security benets. We will reduce your benets,
however, if your earnings exceed certain limits for the
months before you reach your full retirement age. The full
retirement age is 67 for people born in 1960 or later. You
can visit www.ssa.gov/benets/retirement/planner/
agereduction.html to nd your full retirement age.
• If you’re younger than full retirement age, we deduct
$1 in benets for each $2 in earnings you have above
the annual limit ($22,320 in 2024).
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• In the year you reach your full retirement age, we
reduce your benets $1 for every $3 you earn over a
different annual limit ($59,520 in 2024) until the month
you reach full retirement age. Then you get your full
Social Security benet payments, no matter how much
you earn.
If you’re younger than full retirement age, and some of
your benets are withheld because your earnings are
more than $22,320, there is some good news. About 1
year after you reach full retirement age, we recalculate
and increase your benets to take into account those
months in which you received no benet or reduced
benets.
Also, any wages you earn after applying to receive Social
Security benets may increase your overall average
earnings and your benet probably will increase.
For more information, read How Work Affects Your
Benets (Publication No. 05-10069).
A special monthly rule
Sometimes people who retire in mid-year already have
earned more than the yearly earnings limit. That is why a
special monthly rule applies to earnings for 1 year, usually
the 1st year of retirement. Under this rule, you can get
full Social Security benets for any whole month you earn
under a certain limit, regardless of your yearly earnings.
In 2024, we consider a person younger than full retirement
age (age 67 for people born in 1960 and later) retired,
if monthly earnings are $1,860 or less. For example, a
person retires at age 62 on August 30, 2024. They will
make $45,000 through August. They take a part-time job
beginning in September, earning $500 a month. Although
their earnings for the year substantially exceed the 2024
limit ($22,320), they will receive a Social Security payment
for September through December. This is because their
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earnings in those months are less than $1,860, the
special “1st year of retirement” monthly limit for people
younger than full retirement age. If a person earns more
than $1,860 in any of those months (September through
December), they won’t receive a benet for that month.
At the start of 2025, only the yearly limits will apply to
them. This is because they will be beyond their 1st year of
retirement and have already used the special monthly rule
during that year.
If you’re self-employed, we base the monthly limit on
whether you perform substantial services in your business.
In general, if you work more than 45 hours a month in self-
employment, you won’t get benets for that month.
If you worked for wages
Wages count toward the earnings limit when they’re
earned, not when they’re paid. If you have income you
earned in 1 year, but the payment was deferred to a
following year, these earnings won’t count for the year you
receive them. Some examples of deferred income include
accumulated sick or vacation pay, bonuses, stock options,
and other deferred compensation. If you receive wages
in 1 year for work you did in previous years, you should
contact us.
We have arrangements with the IRS to have employers
report some types of deferred compensation on the Form
W-2. These amounts are in the box labeled, “Nonqualied
plans.” We’ll subtract the amount shown in the box from
your total earnings to decide which earnings we count
for that year.
If you’re self-employed
If you’re self-employed, income counts when you receive
it — not when you earn it. The exception is if it’s paid in a
year after you become entitled to Social Security and was
earned before you became entitled to Social Security.
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For example, if you started to get Social Security in June
2023 and you receive some money in February 2024 for
work you did before June 2023, it won’t count against your
2024 earnings limit. If the money you receive in February
2024 was for work you did after June 2023, however, it
will count against your 2024 earnings limit.
Report your earnings
Because your earnings may affect your Social Security
benets, we need to know how much you earn within the
year. Usually, we get that information from:
• The earnings your employer reports on your W-2.
• Your self-employment earnings reported on your
income tax return.
You need to report your earnings to us after the end of the
year only if these situations apply:
• You’re eligible for the special monthly rule (see our
section “A special monthly rule”) and you earned
less than the monthly limit. If so, let us know so we can
pay you benets for that month.
• Some or all of the earnings shown on your W-2 weren’t
earned in the year reported.
• Your wages exceeded the limit, and you also had a net
loss in self-employment.
• Your W-2 shows employer-reported wages that you’ll
include on a self-employment tax return (ministers,
for example).
• You led a self-employment tax return, but you didn’t
perform any services in your business, or you led
your tax return by scal year.
• You’re a farmer and you get federal agricultural
program payments or you have income from
carryover crops.
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• We withheld some benets, but you had no earnings
for the year, or your earnings were less than you
told us.
If we have to adjust your benet amount based on your
report, we will tell you. Review of your information is
important. About mid-year, we may send you a letter to
ask you to estimate your current and next year’s earnings.
Your estimates will help us avoid the payment to you for
too much or too little in benets.
NOTE: If you get SSI payments in addition to your Social
Security benets, you must report all of your earnings.
Your earnings estimate and your benets
We may have adjusted your benets this year based on
the earnings you told us you expected to receive this year.
If other family members get benets on your record, your
earnings may affect the total family benets. But, if you
get benets as a family member, your earnings affect only
your benets.
Revise your earnings estimate
When you work, you should save your pay stubs. Within
the year, if you see your earnings will be different from
what you estimated, you should call us to revise the
estimate. This will help us pay you the correct amount of
benets.
Other important information
Retirement benets for surviving spouses
You can switch to retirement benets based on your own
work if they’re higher than those you receive for your
deceased spouse’s work. These benets may be higher
as early as age 62 or possibly as late as age 70. The
rules are complex and vary depending on your situation.
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If you haven’t talked with one of our representatives
about retirement benets (or your circumstances have
changed), contact your local Social Security ofce to
discuss the choices available to you.
Benets for children
If a child receives benets based on your work, there are
important things you should know about their benets:
• When a child reaches age 18
—A child’s benets stop with the month before
the child reaches age 18, unless the child has a
disability or is a full-time elementary or secondary
school student.
—About 3 months before the child’s 18th birthday, the
person who receives the child’s benets will get a
form to explain how benets can continue.
—A child whose benets stopped at age 18 can
have them started again at any age if they have
a disability that began before age 22. They must
meet other criteria for these payments. Benets
can also start again if the child becomes a full-time
elementary or secondary school student before they
reach age 19.
• If a child has a disability
—A child can continue to receive benets at age
18 if they have a disability. The child also may be
eligible for SSI disability payments. Call us for more
information.
• If a child age 18 is a student
—A child can receive benets until age 19, if they
continue to be a full-time elementary or secondary
school student. When your child turns 19 (and their
birthday occurs during a school term), their benets
can continue until completion of the term, or for 2
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months that follow that birthday, whichever comes
rst.
—Tell us immediately if the student drops out of
school, changes status from full-time to part-time,
is expelled or suspended, or changes schools. Also
tell us if the student’s employer pays them to attend
school.
—A student can receive benets during a vacation
period of 4 months or less, if they plan to go back to
school full time at the end of the vacation.
A student who stops attending school can restart benets
if they return to school full time before age 19. The
student needs to contact us and reapply for benets.
• How divorce affects a stepchild’s benets
—If a stepchild receives benets based on your
work and you and the child’s parent divorce, the
stepchild’s benet will end the month the divorce
becomes nal. You must tell us as soon as the
divorce becomes nal.
Can you get SSI?
If you have limited income and resources, SSI may be
able to help. SSI is a federal program that we manage.
General revenues, not Social Security taxes, nance the
SSI program.
SSI pays monthly checks to people with low income
and few resources who are age 65 or older, or who are
blind, or have a disability. If you get SSI payments, you
may also be eligible for Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP), and other social services.
We don’t count some income and some resources when
we decide whether you’re eligible for SSI. Your house and
your car, for example, usually don’t count as resources.
Call us for more information or to apply for SSI.
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Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP)
You might be able to get help for food through
SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. Visit
www.fns.usda.gov/snap to nd out how to apply. If
you and everyone in your household are applying for or
already getting SSI, any Social Security ofce can help
you ll out the SNAP application and send it to the SNAP
ofce for you. For more information, read Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Facts (Publication
No. 05-10101). For information about other nutrition
programs that may be available to you, read Nutrition
Assistance Programs (Publication No. 05-10100). Both
publications are available at www.ssa.gov/pubs.
If you disagree with a decision we make
If you have any questions about your payment amount, or
about information we send you, contact us.
If you disagree with a decision we make, you have the
right to ask us to reconsider it. Your request must be in
writing and led with any Social Security ofce, within 60
days of the date you receive the letter you’re questioning.
If you still aren’t satised, there are additional steps you
can take. Read Your Right to Question the Decision
Made on Your Claim (Publication No. 05-10058).
Your right to representation
You can handle your own appeal with our free help or you
can choose to have a representative help you. We can
give you information about organizations that can help
you nd a representative.
For more information about selecting a
representative, read Your Right to Representation
(Publication No. 05-10075).
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Protect your personal information
You should keep your Social Security card in a safe
place with your other important papers. Don’t carry it
with you unless you need to show it to an employer or
service provider.
We keep personal and condential information — names,
SSNs, earnings records, ages, and beneciary addresses
— for millions of people. Generally, we’ll discuss your
information only with you. When you call or visit us, we’ll
ask you several questions to help us conrm your identity.
If you want someone else to help with your business with
us, we need your permission to discuss your information
with that person.
We urge you to be careful with your SSN and to protect its
condentiality whenever possible.
We’re committed to protect the privacy of your records.
We’re sometimes required by law to give information
to other government agencies that administer health or
welfare programs, such as Medicaid and SNAP. Those
agencies aren’t allowed to share that information with
anyone else.
A word about Medicare
Medicare is a health insurance plan for people who are
age 65 or older. People who have a disability or have
End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), permanent kidney
failure that requires dialysis or a kidney transplant, or
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), can
get Medicare at any age.
Parts of Medicare
We enroll you in Original Medicare (Part A and Part B).
You can enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan within your
initial enrollment period the 1st time you’re eligible for
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Medicare. You can also enroll during the annual Medicare
open enrollment period from October 15 to December 7
each year.
• Medicare Part A (Hospital insurance) helps pay for
inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing facility care,
home health care, and certain follow-up services.
• Medicare Part B (Medical insurance) helps pay for
doctors’ services, outpatient hospital care, home
health care, durable medical equipment, and many
preventative services.
• Medicare Advantage Plan (previously known as Part
C) includes all benets and services covered under
Part A and Part B — prescription drugs and additional
benets such as vision, hearing, and dental — bundled
together in one plan.
• Medicare Part D (Medicare prescription drug coverage)
helps cover the cost of prescription drugs. Anyone
who has Medicare can get Medicare prescription drug
coverage. Some people with limited resources and
income may also be able to get Extra Help to pay for
the costs — monthly premiums, annual deductibles,
and prescription co-payments — related to a Medicare
prescription drug plan.
Who’s eligible for Medicare Part A?
Most people get Part A when they turn 65. You may
be eligible for it automatically if you’re eligible for
Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board (RRB)
benets. Or, you may qualify based on a spouse’s (or
divorced spouse’s) work. Others qualify because they’re
government employees not covered by Social Security
who paid the Medicare tax.
If you get Social Security disability benets for 24 months,
you’ll qualify for Part A.
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If you get disability benets because you have
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), you
don’t have to wait 24 months to qualify.
Also, people who have ESRD or permanent kidney
failure that requires maintenance dialysis or a kidney
replacement qualify for Part A. This applies if they’ve
worked long enough or if they’re the spouse or child of a
person who has worked long enough.
Who’s eligible for Medicare Part B?
Anyone eligible for Part A can get Part B. Part B is
optional and you usually pay a monthly premium. In 2024,
the standard monthly premium is $174.70. Some people
with higher incomes pay higher premiums.
Who can get Medicare Advantage plans?
Anyone who has Original Medicare (Part A and Part B)
can join a Medicare Advantage plan. Medicare Advantage
plans include:
• Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans.
• Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans.
• Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans.
• Special Needs Plans (SNPs).
In addition to your Part B premium, you might have to pay
another monthly premium because of the extra benets
the Medicare Advantage plan offers.
Who can get Medicare Part D?
Anyone who has Original Medicare (Part A or Part B) is
eligible for Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D).
Part D benets are available as a stand-alone plan or built
into Medicare Advantage, unless you have a Medicare
PFFS plan. The drug benets work the same in either
plan. It is voluntary to join a Medicare prescription drug
plan. You pay an extra monthly premium for the coverage.
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For more information, read Medicare
(Publication No. 05-10043).
When should I apply for Medicare?
If you do not already get benets, you should
contact us about 3 months before your 65th birthday
to apply for Medicare, even if you don’t plan to
retire at age 65. You can easily apply online at
www.ssa.gov/benets/medicare.
You can enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan within your
initial enrollment period, the 1st time you’re eligible for
Medicare. You can also enroll during the annual Medicare
open enrollment period from October 15 to December
7 each year. The effective date for the enrollment is
January 1 of the year that follows. For example, if you
signed up on November 8, 2023, your coverage would
become active on January 1, 2024. There are also special
enrollment periods for some situations.
If you already get Social Security benets or RRB
payments, we’ll contact you a few months before you
become eligible for Medicare and send you information.
If you live in one of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., the
Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, or
the U.S. Virgin Islands, we’ll automatically enroll you in
Medicare Parts A and B. However, because you must pay
a premium for Part B coverage, you can choose to turn it
down. Residents of Puerto Rico or foreign countries won’t
receive Part B automatically. They must elect this benet.
We will not automatically enroll you in a Medicare
prescription drug plan (Part D). Part D is optional and you
must elect this coverage.
If you don’t enroll in Part B and Part D when you’re 1st
eligible, you may have to pay a late enrollment penalty for
as long as you have Part B and Part D coverage. Also,
you may have to wait to enroll, which will delay coverage.
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To learn more about the enrollment periods and for
more information about Medicare, read Medicare
(Publication No. 05-10043), visit the website, or call the
toll-free number listed below.
Medicare
Website: Medicare.gov
Toll-free number: 1-800-MEDICARE
(1-800-633-4227)
TTY number: 1-877-486-2048
Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Medicare
If you have an HSA when you sign up for Medicare,
you can’t contribute to your HSA once your Medicare
coverage begins. If you contribute to your HSA after your
Medicare coverage starts, you may have to pay a tax
penalty. If you’d like to continue your contribution to your
HSA, you shouldn’t apply for Medicare, Social Security, or
RRB benets.
Premium-free Part A coverage begins 6 months before
the date you apply for Medicare (or Social Security/RRB
benets), but no earlier than the 1st month you were
eligible for Medicare. To avoid a tax penalty, you should
stop your contribution to your HSA at least 6 months
before you apply for Medicare.
“Extra Help” with Medicare prescription
drug costs
If you have limited resources and income, you may be
eligible for Extra Help to pay for your prescription drugs
under Medicare Part D. Our role is to help you understand
how you may be eligible and to process your application
for Extra Help. To see if you are eligible or to apply,
visit our website at www.ssa.gov/extrahelp or call our
toll-free number.
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Help with other Medicare costs
If you have limited income and few resources, your
state may pay your Medicare premiums and, in some
cases, other “out-of-pocket” medical expenses, such as
deductibles and coinsurance.
Only your state can decide whether you may be eligible
for help under this program. For more information, contact
your Medicaid, social services, or health or human
services ofce. Visit Medicare.gov/talk-to-someone, or
call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY: 1-877-486-2048) to get their
phone number.
How we’ll contact you
We usually mail you a letter or notice when we want
to contact you, but sometimes a Social Security
representative may come to your home. Our
representative will show you identication before you
talk about your benets. If you ever have doubts about
someone who comes to your home and says they’re
from Social Security, call the Social Security ofce to
ask if we sent someone to see you. A Social Security
representative may occasionally contact you by telephone
if you have ongoing business with us. However, our
employees will never threaten you or promise a Social
Security benet approval or increase, in exchange for
information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call or are unsure of the
identity of someone wgo alleges to be one of our
representatives, you should hang up. Do not provide
personal information, money, or retail gift cards, and
report details of the call to our Ofce of the Inspector
General at www.oig.ssa.gov.
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Contacting Us
There are several ways to contact us, such as online,
by phone, and in person. We’re here to answer your
questions and to serve you. For nearly 90 years, we have
helped secure today and tomorrow by providing benets
and nancial protection for millions of people throughout
their life’s journey.
Visit our website
The most convenient way to conduct business with us is
online at www.ssa.gov. You can accomplish a lot.
• Apply for Extra Help with Medicare prescription drug
plan costs.
• Apply for most types of benets.
• Start or complete your request for an original or
replacement Social Security card.
• Find copies of our publications.
• Get answers to frequently asked questions.
When you create a personal my Social Security account,
you can do even more.
• Review your Statement.
• Verify your earnings.
• Get estimates of future benets.
• Print a benet verication letter.
• Change your direct deposit information (Social Security
beneciaries only).
• Get a replacement SSA-1099/1042S.
Access to your personal my Social Security account may
be limited for users outside the United States.
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Call us
If you cannot use our online services, we can help you by
phone when you call our National toll-free 800 Number.
We provide free interpreter services upon request.
You can call us at 1-800-772-1213 — or at our TTY
number, 1-800-325-0778, if you’re deaf or hard of hearing
— between 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday. For quicker access to a representative, try calling
early in the day (between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. local time)
or later in the day. We are less busy later in the week
(Wednesday to Friday) and later in the month. We
also offer many automated telephone services, available
24 hours a day, so you may not need to speak with a
representative.
If you have documents we need to see, they must be
original or copies that are certied by the issuing agency.
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Notes
Social Security Administration | Publication No. 05-10077
January 2024 (Recycle prior editions)
What You Need to Know When You Get Retirement or Survivors Benefits
Produced and published at U.S. taxpayer expense
