Social Security payments may not be high. If you have run out of money because of a difficult situation like a job loss, a natural disaster or you had to close down your business, you may have not paid on time.
Bear in mind that there are different types of monthly payments. Not all of them are for the same purposes. For example, there are Social Security retirement, SSDI, and SSI benefits among others.
While you can qualify for retirement and SSDI because of the taxes you paid to Social Security and the work you did, SSI is a different story. The Supplemental Security Income is for those citizens who have a really low income and resources.
Are my Social Security benefits subject to garnishment?
Those on retirement or SSDI benefits should know that their checks can be subject to garnishment. There are some legal obligations you may have to face so SSA can withhold your payments.
For example, Social Security may opt for garnishment if you must pay child support and you didn’t. Alimony or restitution are among the possibilities that you may face garnishment of your benefits.
SSA has informed that Section 459 of the Social Security Act allows the Administration to withhold your money. This permits SSA to get money from current and continuing benefits.
What is more, SSA makes it clear that by law, they do not make any retroactive adjustments. Undoubtedly, you may disagree with this decision. All you can do is contact an attorney. If not, you can also contact a representative where the court issued the order. Do not contact SSA for this reason.
Can Social Security garnish my SSI payments?
Social Security will not be able to garnish Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Therefore, the protection that SSI payments have is much stronger. This is because the people who collect them may be in a vulnerable position.
For an explanation of #SocialSecurity garnishment policies, please visit: https://t.co/x78GHc86GJ.
— Social Security (@SocialSecurity) July 10, 2020
Remember that those on SSI checks receive them because they are older than 65 years old, have a disability, or are blind. What is more, they are on a low income and have little or no resources.
Then, SSI payments cannot be garnished if you owe money to a creditor or if it is a private debt. The best way to avoid owing money is to stick to a monthly budget.
Make sure you always save some money and do not spend it all. The earlier you start saving money from your Social Security benefits, the easier it will be to face any debt or unexpected expenses.