2026年9月3日 / 美国东部时间下午1:59 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
全美超过7500万美国人每月依靠社会保障金维持生计。但有时领取人会收到一笔经济上的沉重打击：社会保障局发来通知，称他们的退休或残疾福利金被多付了——通常数额高达数千美元——并要求他们尽快还钱。
一位75岁左右的社会保障金领取人就遭遇了这种情况，她最近被告知欠该局3.5万美元。她并非个例：该局每年都会向受益人发送数百万份多付款项追讨通知。
即便多付款项是该局的失误导致的，受益人仍需承担还款责任。
这位女性因害怕在申诉过程中遭到该局报复，匿名接受了哥伦比亚广播公司新闻的采访。
今年2月，她的月度福利金突然减少了约600美元，税后、扣除自愿预扣款和医疗保险费用后，她每月到手约2700美元，这是坏消息的开端。
“我开始打电话给社会保障局，想弄清楚发生了什么，也想表达我的不满，”她说。
据哥伦比亚广播公司新闻看到的该局发给这位女性的信件副本，社会保障局“为纠正[她的]福利金额”减少了她的月度付款。这位女性表示，信中没有给出其他解释。
随后是更大的冲击：社会保障局在8月发来通知，称她欠了数万美元。该局表示，过去四年一直在向她多付款，这与她开始申领个人福利金的时间线一致。
她说该局没有解释她被多付款的原因。据她所知，她没有任何过错。
在信中，社会保障局告知她有30天时间偿还全部欠款。如果她无力偿还，该局将从12月起用两年时间每月扣除其50%的福利金以追回多付款项，这意味着她每月到手约1350美元。
“我很惊慌，”她说，并补充道，“我现在正努力理清下一步该怎么做，因为我已经在推进一项计划了。”
社会保障局没有立即回复置评请求。
社会保障局为何会追讨多付款项？
所谓的追讨多付款项，是指社会保障局向受益人多支付款项后要求还钱。去年，该局在接受哥伦比亚广播公司新闻《60分钟》节目采访时表示，其各项福利项目每年约向200万人发送多付款项追讨通知。
根据社会保障局官网的信息，多付款项的产生是因为“信息缺失或有误”。如果人们没有向社会保障局报告可能影响福利金计算的变动，比如收入或婚姻状况的变化，就可能出现这种情况。
倡导组织“社会保障保障”的主席南希·奥尔特曼表示，即便人们报告了变动，仍可能意外发现自己需要偿还多付款项。
“社会保障局人手严重不足，即便人们及时报告了变动，该局也未必能及时将信息录入系统以阻止不当支付，”她在一封电子邮件中说道。“这意味着有人可能在不知情的情况下被多付了好几个月的款项。”
全国注册社会保障分析师协会主席玛莎·谢登表示，最常见的多付款原因之一是，在达到全额退休年龄（1960年及以后出生的人为67岁）前申领社会保障金的受益人面临收入上限。收入超过该上限会减少他们应得的社会保障福利金，可能导致多付款情况发生。
“由于向社会保障局报告收入存在延迟，这种情况可能不会被及时发现，”她在一封电子邮件中告诉哥伦比亚广播公司新闻。
在其他情况下，问题则源于计算错误。谢登表示，有时该局会错误计算个人最初的福利金。对于同时领取多种社会保障福利的人来说，也可能出现错误。
即便没有过错，人们仍需向该局还款。奥尔特曼表示，解决这一问题的最佳方式是修改法律。
“如果多付款项的发生并非受益人的过错，政府应该承担相关成本，”她说。
无论原因是什么，人们往往要在多年后才会收到多付款项通知，这位匿名接受采访的女性就是如此。
社会保障局给受益人30天时间还款。根据该局官网信息，如果受益人未对多付款项提出异议，该局将自动每月扣除其50%的社会保障福利金，或10%的补充保障收入，直至欠款还清。
如果遇到这种情况该怎么办？
尽管收到多付款项通知会令人震惊，但专家表示，社会保障金领取人有多种选择，不必惊慌。
“人们应该明白，多付款项通知只是社会保障局的一项认定，并非最终结论，”谢登说。“社会保障局也会犯错，受益人有权对多付款项的存在和金额提出异议。”
奥尔特曼表示，由于人手不足，前往实地办公室预约可能很困难，受益人可以尝试直接致电该局咨询。如果该局没有回应，他们可以联系国会议员，议员或许能帮助推进他们的案件。
如果受益人想要对多付款项提出异议，有两种选择。
他们可以提交上诉，表明自己不同意多付款项的金额，或者根本不认可存在多付款项的说法。人们有60天时间提交上诉，即“复议请求”（表格SSA-561-U2）。但如果想要暂停扣款，必须在30天内提交申请。
如果个人无力偿还所谓的欠款，认为多付款项并非自己的过错，或者认为追讨要求不公平，他们可以提交“多付款项追讨豁免请求”（表格SSA-632-BK），要求该局不予追讨。该申请可以随时提交。
目前关于这类豁免申请的获批率数据较为稀缺。2015年总监察长办公室的一份报告发现，获批率因州而异，部分实地办公室的获批率高达96%，而另一些则不到30%。
如何寻求帮助
鉴于整个过程繁琐复杂，专家建议人们向法律援助团体或社会保障专家寻求协助。
“最重要的行动是不要拖延，如果截止日期已过，人们仍应提交相关表格，并确保所有事项都有书面记录，包括通话记录、保存的电子邮件和社会保障局表格副本等，”谢登说。
这位接受哥伦比亚广播公司新闻采访的女性目前正在与一名顾问合作处理申诉程序，这暂时暂停了社会保障局的追讨流程。但在规划未来时，她仍感到压力巨大。
她告诉哥伦比亚广播公司新闻，大约六个月前她开始减少工作量，当时她确信自己的储蓄和社会保障金能够覆盖开支。但如今一切都悬而未决。
“现在我失去了收入，他们还要追讨欠款，”她说，并补充道，“我不知道我的退休生活——如果我继续推进的话——会是什么样子。”
Social Security overpaid a woman by $35,000. Now the agency wants its money back — pronto.
September 3, 2026 / 1:59 PM EDT / CBS News
More than 75 million Americans rely on Social Security checks each month to help them get by. But sometimes recipients get a financially painful surprise: a notice from the Social Security Administration that their retirement or disability benefits were overpaid — often by thousands of dollars — and that they need to repay the money. Fast.
That’s what happened to one Social Security recipient in her mid-seventies who was recently told she owes the agency $35,000. She isn’t alone: The agency sends millions of overpayment notices to beneficiaries each year.
Even if the overpayment is the agency’s fault, the recipient is still on the hook for repayment.
The woman spoke with CBS News on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution from the agency as she navigates an appeal process.
The bad news started earlier this year when her monthly benefit check was suddenly reduced in February by about $600, leaving her with around $2,700 per month after taxes, voluntary withholding and Medicare deductions.
“I started calling Social Security to figure out what happened and [to share] why I was upset about it,” she said.
According to a copy of a letter the agency sent the woman that was viewed by CBS News, the Social Security Administration reduced her monthly payment “to correct [her] benefit amount.” No other explanation was provided, the woman said.
Then came an even bigger shock: The Social Security Administration sent a notice in August informing the woman that she owed tens of thousands of dollars. The agency said it had been overpaying her for the past four years, which coincides with the timeline for when she started claiming her own benefits.
She said the agency has not provided an explanation for why it overpaid her. As far as she knows, she didn’t do anything wrong.
In the letter, Social Security informed her that she had 30 days to repay the full balance. If she couldn’t, the agency would reduce her benefits by 50% for two years starting in December to recover the overpayment, leaving her with around $1,350 a month.
“I’m alarmed,” she said, adding, “I’m trying to sort out what I should do next at this point because I was already underway with a plan.”
The Social Security Administration didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
Why does SSA issue clawbacks?
So-called clawbacks occur when the Social Security Administration overpays beneficiaries and then requests the money back. Last year, the agency told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” that it sends overpayment notices to roughly 2 million people a year across its benefit programs.
According to Social Security’s website, overpayments occur “because of missing or wrong information.” That can happen if people fail to tell Social Security about changes that could affect the agency’s benefit calculation, such as changes to their income or marital status.
Even if people do report the changes, they may still unexpectedly find themselves on the hook for overpayment, said Nancy Altman, the president of the advocacy group Social Security Works.
“SSA is so understaffed that even when people do report changes in a timely manner, they don’t always get inputted in time to stop an improper payment,” she said in an email. “That means someone could get overpaid for several months, without their knowledge.”
One of the most common reasons for overpayment is that beneficiaries who claim Social Security before they reach their full retirement age — 67 for people born in 1960 or later — face an income cap, said Martha Shedden, the president of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts. Earning above that threshold can reduce the Social Security benefits they are entitled to receive, potentially leading to overpayment, she said.
“That can go unnoticed due to a delay in the earnings being reported to the SSA,” she told CBS News in an email.
In other cases, it boils down to number-crunching mistakes. Sometimes the agency miscalculates the person’s original benefit, Shedden said. Errors can also crop up for people who receive more than one type of Social Security benefit, Shedden added.
People are still required to repay the agency, even if they are not at fault. Altman said the best way to address this issue would be to change the law.
“When an overpayment is made through no fault of the beneficiary, the government should absorb the cost,” she said.
Whatever the cause, overpayments can stretch back years before people are notified, as was the case with the woman who spoke with CBS News on the condition of anonymity.
The Social Security Administration gives recipients 30 days to repay the agency. If the person does not take steps to challenge the overpayment, the agency automatically withholds 50% of the person’s Social Security benefit or 10% of their Supplemental Security Income until it’s repaid, according to its website.
What should I do if I find myself in this situation?
While receiving an overpayment notice can be a shock, experts say Social Security recipients have options and shouldn’t panic.
“People should understand that an overpayment notice is a determination by Social Security, not the final word,” Shedden said. “SSA can make mistakes, and beneficiaries have the right to challenge both the existence of the overpayment and the amount.”
While making a field office appointment may be difficult due to understaffing, recipients can try calling the agency directly for information, Altman said. If the agency doesn’t respond, they can contact a member of Congress, who may be able to elevate their case, she added.
If recipients want to challenge the overpayment, they have two options.
They can file an appeal saying that they disagree with the overpayment amount or the assertion that they were overpaid at all. People have 60 days to file the appeal, called a Request for Reconsideration (Form SSA-561-U2). However, they must file within 30 days for Social Security to pause collection.
If the person cannot afford to repay the amount they allegedly owe, believes the overpayment was not their fault or feels the request is unfair, they can submit what’s called a Request for Waiver of Overpayment Recovery (Form SSA-632-BK) asking the agency not to collect. That can be filed at any point.
Recent data on the approval rate for these waivers is scarce. A 2015 Office of the Inspector General report found that approvals can vary drastically from state to state, with some field offices approving 96% and others approving 30% or less.
How to find help
Given how cumbersome the process can be, experts advise people to turn to legal aid groups or Social Security specialists for assistance.
“The most important action is do not delay, and if a deadline has passed, people should still file the appropriate forms and make sure everything is in writing, including logging calls, saving emails and copies of SSA forms, etc.,” Shedden said.
The woman who spoke to CBS News is now working with an advisor to navigate the appeal process, which is keeping Social Security’s collection process on pause. But that’s providing little relief as she tries to plan for her future.
She told CBS News that she started reducing her workload around six months ago, confident that her savings and Social Security benefits would cover her expenses. But that’s all up in the air now.
“Now I’ve lost income. Now they want money back,” she said, adding, “I don’t know what my retirement, if I go forward with it, what it looks like.”
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