What to Do About a Lost or Stolen Social Security Payment

Lost or Stolen Social Security Payment: What to Do First

Before you report a missing payment, take these three checks. They take minutes, and SSA asks for the first two before it will act on a late payment.

1. Confirm the date. Find your payment day on the 2026 payment schedule. Weekends and holidays move payments earlier, and some months pay SSI on the last day of the month before.
2. Wait three mailing days. SSA’s calendar asks you to allow three additional mailing days after the expected date before contacting it.
3. Call your bank or card provider. For a direct deposit, SSA says to contact your bank first. It may be slow to post the payment.

If the money still hasn’t arrived, report it to SSA. Call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., or contact your local office. SSA reviews the case and replaces the payment if it is due.

Who to Call for Each Kind of Missing Payment

How you were paid decides who handles the problem.

How you’re paid	What went wrong	Who to contact first	What happens next
Direct deposit	Money never posted	Your bank	Then SSA, which asks Treasury to trace the payment
Direct deposit	Money posted, then taken by fraud	Your bank	Then SSA and SSA’s Inspector General
Direct Express card	Card lost or stolen	Direct Express customer service	Direct Express replaces the card
Direct Express card	Deposit didn’t load	Direct Express customer service	Then SSA if Direct Express shows no deposit
Paper check	Never arrived	SSA, after three mailing days	Treasury may issue a courtesy check
Paper check	Arrived, then lost or stolen before cashing	SSA, right away	SSA reports it to Treasury

You can confirm whether SSA sent a payment by signing in to your my Social Security account, which shows upcoming and past payments. The automated line at 1-800-772-1213 also answers payment questions any time; say “check delivery.”

What to Have Ready When You Call

SSA’s staff work through a set of questions to decide whether a payment was due and what happened to it. Having the answers ready shortens the call.

• Your Social Security number, or the number of the person you’re the payee for.
• Which month’s payment is missing and the date you expected it.
• How you’re paid: direct deposit, Direct Express card or paper check.
• What your bank or Direct Express told you.
• Whether you never got it, or got it and then lost it or had it stolen.
• Any new address or bank account SSA doesn’t have yet.

SSA’s manual says how a report is handled depends on when it’s made, the type of report and whether the payment was due. Write down the date of your call and the name of the person you spoke with.

A Missing Direct Deposit

Call your bank before anything else. Ask whether your Social Security deposit has posted or is pending.

If the bank has no record, report it to SSA. SSA’s operations manual explains what happens next. SSA asks Treasury to trace the original payment. A direct deposit trace does not trigger a second payment, so don’t expect a new deposit while the trace is open.

If you recently changed banks, tell SSA when you report the missing payment. SSA’s manual has staff send the corrected bank details with the report. Going forward, you can change direct deposit yourself in my Social Security, or ask your bank whether it offers Automated Enrollment, which sends the update to SSA for you.

A Lost or Stolen Direct Express Card

Direct Express is a U.S. Treasury program, and its customer service, not SSA, replaces the card. Call Direct Express customer service at the number on the back of your card, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:

• Card number starts with 5332: 1-888-741-1115
• Card number starts with 5141: 1-833-347-9777

Treasury says Direct Express replaces lost or stolen cards. Report it quickly so no one else can use the card.

A Lost, Stolen or Damaged Paper Check

SSA stopped issuing paper benefit checks on September 30, 2025, except in limited cases. If you still get a check, here is how SSA handles problems:

• It never arrived. SSA asks you to call again if it hasn’t come by the third mail delivery day after the scheduled date. Treasury may then issue a courtesy check before it finds out what happened to the original.
• It arrived, then was lost, stolen or destroyed before you cashed it. Report it right away. You don’t need to wait.
• It’s smudged or torn. Stores and banks can refuse a damaged check even if it’s readable. Call SSA about a replacement.
• You aren’t sure whether you received it. SSA may wait until Treasury confirms the original wasn’t cashed before replacing it.

If someone forged your signature and cashed the check, Treasury’s Check Claims Branch investigates the endorsement. Its Check Forgery Insurance Fund exists to replace payments that someone cashed by fraud.

When Many Neighbors Are Missing Payments

Sometimes a whole street or town is affected at once. SSA’s manual calls this a mass loss: a large number of recurring checks in one area lost, stolen or otherwise undeliverable.

In a mass loss, Treasury issues courtesy checks before it determines what happened to each original. If neighbors have the same problem, mention it when you call so SSA can check whether the case is part of a wider loss.

If You Get Two Payments for One Month

A replacement and the original can both reach you. SSA’s manual is clear: only one payment is due for each benefit month.

If you receive both, return the original uncashed. Don’t sign it over to SSA. If you cash both, SSA treats the extra as an overpayment and will ask for it back. Keep notes of when you reported the missing payment and what you were told.

Stop It Happening Again

SSA says paper checks were 16 times more likely to be lost or stolen than electronic payments. If you still get a check, switch now:

• Direct deposit: sign in to my Social Security, or call Treasury’s Go Direct line at 1-877-874-6347.
• Direct Express card: for people without a bank account, enroll through Go Direct at 1-877-874-6347.

If you’ve moved, update your address too. The change of address guide covers both address and bank changes. If a lender or agency needs proof of your benefit while a payment is sorted out, download a benefit verification letter.

Do You Need to Visit an Office?

Usually not. A phone call to 1-800-772-1213 is the standard way to report a missing payment, and SSA also takes reports at local offices.

Go in person if you can’t get through by phone or SSA asks you to come in. The office finder lists all 1,231 offices; 1,194 keep standard hours, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Check office hours and appointments and bring the right documents.

City pages list every office with its address and phone number. See San Diego, Jacksonville, Columbus and Memphis. In Boston, the Boston office is at 10 Causeway Street. If you get SSI, the SSI office guide covers your benefit.

When It’s Fraud, and When It’s a Scam

If someone stole your payment by changing your bank details or cashing your check, report it to SSA and to SSA’s Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov/report or the fraud hotline, 1-800-269-0271 (TTY 1-866-501-2101).

Be just as wary of anyone who contacts you about a missing payment. SSA warns that scammers:

• say your benefits or Social Security number will be suspended;
• tell you to move your money to a “protected” bank account;
• demand payment by gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency or cash.

SSA doesn’t charge to replace a payment that’s due. Hang up and call SSA yourself at 1-800-772-1213.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Should I Wait Before Reporting a Missing Payment?

SSA's payment calendar asks you to allow three additional mailing days after the expected date before contacting Social Security. For a direct deposit, call your bank first, since it may be slow to post the payment.

Will SSA Send Me a Second Payment Right Away?

It depends on how you were paid. For a missing direct deposit, SSA asks Treasury to trace the original payment rather than sending a second one. For a missing paper check, SSA's manual allows Treasury to issue a courtesy check before the original's status is known.

What if I Find the Original Check After Getting a Replacement?

Return the original. SSA's manual says only one check is due for each benefit month. If you cash both, SSA treats the extra money as an overpayment you'll have to repay.

Who Do I Call About a Lost Direct Express Card?

Direct Express customer service, 24 hours a day. Treasury lists 1-888-741-1115 for cards starting with 5332 and 1-833-347-9777 for cards starting with 5141. Direct Express replaces lost or stolen cards.

Does SSA Still Mail Paper Checks?

Rarely. SSA stopped issuing paper benefit checks on September 30, 2025, and Treasury allows exceptions only in limited cases. Everyone else is paid by direct deposit or the Direct Express card.

Someone Called Saying My Payment Was Stopped. Is That Real?

Treat it as a scam. SSA warns that scammers threaten to suspend your benefits or Social Security number and push you to act immediately. Hang up and call SSA yourself at 1-800-772-1213.

Keep Reading

• What to BringThe documents SSA asks for at common office visits and what you can do online instead
• Office Hours and AppointmentsStandard office hours, how appointments work and when to call instead
• Phone NumbersSSA's national number, local office lines and how to get through faster
• Replace a CardWho can replace a card online, the documents needed and what it costs
• Name ChangeChanging your name on your Social Security record after marriage, divorce or a court order
• Change of AddressWho must report a move, the ways to do it and what happens to your payments

Sources

1. SSA FAQ: How do I report a missing payment?
2. SSA: Schedule of Social Security Benefit Payments 2026
3. SSA POMS GN 02406.135: Reports of nonreceipt, loss, theft or destruction of payments
4. SSA POMS GN 02406.001: Glossary of nonreceipt terms
5. Treasury Bureau of the Fiscal Service: Direct Express
6. SSA: Social Security direct deposit
7. SSA: Update direct deposit
8. SSA: Protect yourself from scams