Social Security: Capping Overpayment Withholding at 10%
This bill is currently held in the House Committee on Ways and Means. It has not moved since April 2025, and the committee must take action before it can proceed further. Most bills like this do not receive a committee vote and remain stalled.
No action since April 2025
While there is bipartisan interest in fixing Social Security overpayment issues, this specific bill currently lacks Republican cosponsors and faces a long path through committee.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Social Security recipients who owe money back to the government because of an overpayment currently can have a large chunk of their monthly check withheld until the debt is paid. This bill limits that withholding to 10% of the monthly benefit unless the person asks to pay back faster, so people keep more of their check each month while the debt is repaid over a longer time.
“the Commissioner may not decrease the amount of a monthly benefit payable to an individual by more than 10 percent of the amount payable, unless such individual requests a higher recovery rate.”
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Lawmakers have introduced the Social Security Overpayment Relief Act to limit clawbacks. The bill, including H.R. 2999 introduced by Rep. Dwight Evans, aims to codify a 10% cap on monthly benefit withholding for accidental overpayments, protecting seniors from losing their entire checks.
The SSA announced it will return to withholding 100% of monthly benefits for new overpayments, reversing a 2024 reform that capped clawbacks at 10%. The move, intended to recover $7 billion over a decade, has sparked concerns about financial destitution for those relying on the benefits.
Commissioner Martin O'Malley announced the SSA will cease the practice of intercepting 100% of monthly benefits to recover overpayments. Instead, the agency will default to a 10% withholding rate, a move designed to prevent homelessness and extreme financial distress among beneficiaries.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
To amend title II of the Social Security Act to provide that not more than 10 percent of a monthly benefit may be withheld on account of overpayments.
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