I'm new to this community and unfortunately dealing with this exact Medicare premium double payment situation! I've been stuck in this nightmare for about 10 weeks now and was starting to think I'd never see my $210.70 again until I found this incredibly helpful thread. Like so many others here, I was using completely wrong terminology when calling - saying things like "premium billing error" and "duplicate Medicare charge" which just got me transferred around endlessly. Reading through everyone's detailed experiences has been a real eye-opener. I had no idea there was specific language I needed to use, a 6-month deadline, or even that there's a dedicated MPOG department that handles these issues. The advice about using the exact phrase "Medicare premium credit adjustment for a duplicate payment" and having my Medicare.gov account open with the payment confirmation number ready during the call is exactly what I needed to know. It's brilliant preparation that I never would have thought of on my own. It's both incredibly frustrating and oddly reassuring to see how widespread this problem is. Frustrating because you'd think their systems would automatically catch these duplicate payments, but reassuring because so many of you have successfully gotten your money back once you knew the right approach and terminology. I'm planning to call first thing Monday morning right when they open, armed with all the excellent advice from this thread. I'll definitely post an update on how it goes to help other newcomers who might find themselves in this same frustrating situation. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences and specific tips - this community has been a lifesaver!

I'm also new to this community and unfortunately dealing with this exact Medicare premium double payment situation! I've been fighting this for about 7 weeks now and was getting absolutely nowhere until I stumbled across this incredibly detailed and helpful thread. Like so many others here, I was using completely wrong terminology when calling - saying things like "Medicare overpayment" and "duplicate billing issue" which just resulted in endless transfers to departments that couldn't help me. Reading through all these experiences has been such an eye-opener. I had no idea there was specific language I needed to use, that there's a 6-month deadline, or that there's actually a dedicated MPOG department for these issues. The tip about using the exact phrase "Medicare premium credit adjustment for a duplicate payment" seems to be the key everyone's been missing when they call. And having your Medicare.gov account open with the payment confirmation number ready during the call is such brilliant preparation - I never would have thought of that but it makes perfect sense that having that specific transaction info would help them locate the duplicate payment faster. It's both incredibly frustrating and oddly comforting to see how common this problem is. Frustrating because you'd think their computer systems would automatically catch these duplicate charges, but comforting because so many of you have successfully gotten your money back once you figured out the right approach. I'm going to call tomorrow morning right when they open, armed with all the excellent advice from this thread. I'll definitely post an update on my results to help other newcomers who might be dealing with this same nightmare. Thank you all so much for sharing your detailed experiences - this community has been a complete lifesaver for what felt like an impossible situation!

Just wanted to share my recent experience since I went through this exact same process last year! I applied online in January at age 67 and received my first payment about 5 weeks later in March (for February benefits). The key things that helped speed up my process: 1) Made sure all my W-2s and tax info was up to date in their system beforehand, 2) Double-checked that my direct deposit info was correct in my mySSA account, and 3) Didn't call unless absolutely necessary since that seemed to slow things down. The online status tracker was actually pretty accurate - it went from "pending" to "approved" about a week before I got my first deposit. Since you're at full retirement age and filed online, you're in a good position for faster processing. Fingers crossed you see that payment sooner rather than later!

I went through this same process about 6 months ago and wanted to share what helped me get accurate information. While waiting for processing, I found that creating a my Social Security account online (if you don't already have one) was invaluable. Not only can you track your application status there, but you can also see your estimated benefit amount and payment schedule once approved. One thing that caught me off guard was that your first payment date depends on when your application gets fully processed, not just when you applied. So even though you applied in February, if processing takes a few weeks, your first payment might still follow the normal schedule based on your birth date (sounds like that would be the third Wednesday for you). The good news is that once you're in the system, payments are very reliable. I'd recommend checking your online account every few days rather than calling - the phone wait times are brutal and the online info is usually more current anyway.

I'm new to this community but found this thread while searching for answers about my own SSA application delay. Applied online in mid-January for April 2025 benefits and like everyone else here, I've had zero communication beyond the initial confirmation email. My mySocialSecurity account just shows "processing" with no status updates. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly reassuring - I was starting to panic that something had gone wrong with my application! The information about the December systems issues really explains what so many of us are experiencing. It sounds like 8-10 weeks of complete silence is unfortunately the new normal with SSA processing. I'm going to try the early morning phone call strategy that several people mentioned, and I'll also check out that Claimyr service Jamal recommended. Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines - it's so helpful to know we're not alone in this frustrating waiting period!

I'm new to this community but dealing with a very similar situation! Applied online in early January for March 2025 benefits and haven't heard anything beyond the initial confirmation email. My mySocialSecurity account just shows "processing" with no updates whatsoever. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - I was convinced my application had somehow been lost or rejected! The information about the December systems issues is particularly eye-opening and explains why so many of us are experiencing this communication blackout. It's frustrating that 8-10 weeks of complete silence has become the norm, but at least knowing that benefits still get processed and backdated correctly gives me some peace of mind. I'm definitely going to try the early morning phone call strategy and maybe check out that Claimyr service that was mentioned. Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines - it's incredibly helpful to know we're all in the same boat with these processing delays!

Hi Isaac! As a new member here, I just wanted to say congratulations on your upcoming retirement and thank you for asking this question! I'm about 2 years away from retirement myself and had been wondering about this exact same thing. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational - it's amazing to see such a supportive community with so many people sharing their real experiences rather than just guessing. The consistent advice about calling your bank first really stands out, and it's encouraging to see successful examples from so many different financial institutions. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread for when I need to set up my own benefits! Based on everyone's experiences, it sounds like savings accounts work perfectly fine with SSA as long as you do that upfront communication with your bank. Thanks again for starting such a helpful discussion, and best of luck with your setup!

Hi Isaac! Congratulations on your upcoming retirement! As someone who's been receiving Social Security benefits in my savings account for the past year and a half, I can absolutely confirm that it works perfectly fine! The SSA rep you spoke with was unfortunately giving you incomplete information - this seems to happen more often than it should, and I think it's because most reps are just more familiar with checking account setups since that's what the majority of people choose. I've had my monthly benefits deposited into my high-yield savings account at Marcus by Goldman Sachs without a single issue. The setup process was straightforward - I just needed my account number and routing number when I applied online through the SSA portal. The most important advice I can give you (and this echoes what everyone else has said) is to call your bank FIRST before setting up the direct deposit. Let them know you'll be receiving regular monthly government deposits. This prevents any potential fraud alerts or payment holds that could cause delays or headaches later. I'm earning about $4-6 per month in interest, which adds up to roughly $60-70 per year. While that might not seem like a lot, every dollar counts when you're on a fixed income! Just keep in mind the federal transaction limits on savings accounts (typically 6 withdrawals per month), but if you're planning to let the money accumulate like I do, it's perfect. Don't let that rep's uncertainty discourage you from using your preferred account type. You've gotten excellent advice from this community - this thread has been incredibly helpful to read through! Best of luck with your setup, and happy early 67th birthday! 🎉

As someone who just joined this community while frantically searching for SSA callback advice, this thread has been an absolute lifesaver! I'm currently on day 2 of waiting for my own callback after finally getting through at exactly 8am (thanks to all the advice I found here), and reading your success story gives me so much hope that persistence really does pay off. I'm dealing with a question about my late father's Social Security record that's affecting my survivor benefits calculation, and I was starting to panic that I'd never get through to anyone who could help. But seeing that you not only got your callback but actually had your underpayment resolved with a clear 30-day timeline is incredibly reassuring. The tip about calling right at 8am really seems to be the magic formula - I tried calling randomly for weeks before that with no luck. It's also helpful to know that callbacks do roll over to the next business day when they can't get through everyone before closing. Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and update everyone with your positive outcome. Stories like yours are exactly what newcomers like me need to hear when this whole process feels so overwhelming and impossible!

As someone who just discovered this community while dealing with my own SSA frustrations, this entire thread has been incredibly helpful and encouraging! I've been putting off calling about a question regarding my Medicare Part B enrollment for weeks because everything I read online made it sound absolutely hopeless. But seeing your success story and all the practical advice shared here gives me the confidence to finally try the callback system. The consistent advice about calling exactly at 8am seems to be the golden strategy that everyone who succeeded used. I'm also taking notes on all the other tips shared - having someone trustworthy ready to answer if needed, watching for those 800/866/877 callback numbers, and understanding that callbacks do roll over to the next business day. It's so reassuring to see that despite all the frustrations with wait times and understaffing, when people do finally get through, SSA representatives are generally helpful and can resolve issues efficiently. Your underpayment getting fixed with a clear 30-day timeline is exactly the kind of positive outcome that gives hope to the rest of us still navigating this system. Thanks for taking the time to update everyone with your success - it really makes all the difference for newcomers like me who were starting to feel like the system was designed to make us give up!