Is the amount of your Social Security benefit payment set in stone? Nope. For one thing, beneficiaries eagerly await increases with the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). There’s also another way your Social Security payment could grow.
Given that the Social Security Administration (SSA) processes millions of benefit payments, clerical errors are an unfortunate reality. Those errors can sometimes result in underpayment. How can you find out if you may have been affected by a processing glitch? Here are three steps to check if you’re owed more Social Security than you’re currently getting.
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1. Verify your earnings record
Probably the most important step for every person receiving Social Security retirement benefits is to verify their earnings record. The Social Security benefits formula uses your 35 highest-earning years. Make sure the income recorded for those years looks correct.
You can do this relatively easily by logging into your “my Social Security” account at ssa.gov. Compare the earnings record that SSA has for you against your old tax returns. If your income was either underreported or a high-earnings year is missing from SSA’s record, you could be owed more money.
2. Check that the death of a spouse or former spouse has been updated in SSA’s system
If your spouse or former spouse has passed away, you could be eligible for Social Security benefits that are higher than your current benefits. SSA typically receives death notifications from funeral homes. However, some notifications may fall through the cracks.
Call 800-772-1213 or visit your local SSA office if you don’t think your spouse’s death has been updated in SSA’s system. If it hasn’t, you’ll need to provide your spouse’s name, Social Security number, date of birth, and date of death.
3. Make sure SSA recalculated your benefits after withholding due to the earnings test
Did you continue to work while receiving Social Security retirement benefits after claiming before your full retirement age? If so, you were subject to the Social Security earnings test. SSA withholds $1 for every $2 earnings above the specified limits (the threshold is $24,480 in 2026).
Once you reach your full retirement age, SSA is supposed to recalculate your benefit to pay back the money withheld earlier. Make sure this recalculation actually happened by reviewing information in your “my Social Security” account.
How to dispute your Social Security benefit payment
What should you do if you discover an underpayment? Either call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or visit your nearest SSA office. You’ll need to submit a written request for a Social Security benefit recomputation.
