By Betty Berry, Tuesday, January 12, 2010 Q: I received a letter from Social Security informing me that I have been overpaid and must repay Social Security. I don’t understand how this could have happened and don’t think I have been overpaid. I don’t know how to respond to this problem. Can you help?
A: Overpayment can occur in either Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and may be caused by a number of situations.
There could have been a miscalculation in determining the benefit amount or a duplicate check issued. In other cases, resources, income or earnings may be higher than the allowable limits or the beneficiary’s living arrangements may have changed….
