A partial government closure was avoided on Thursday when Congress passed a second short-term budget package, delaying the deadline for reaching a long-term financing agreement until later this month. Now, Congress has two deadlines to approve budget bills: March 8 for funding about 20% of the government and March 22 for the remaining 80%. You might be wondering if you’ll still receive your March cheque in the event that the IRS and Social Security Administration close down, and that you obtain Social Security or any other government benefits, should a shutdown occur. What would affect Social Security payouts in the event of a partial govt shutdown is explained here. See if you must pay tax on the benefits you receive from Social Security this year for additional information. Here’s the latest information on tax refunds in the event of a government shutdown.
The deputy commissioner of budget, finance, and management of the administration, Chad M. Poist, outlined the agency’s contingency plan (PDF) in 2023 while bracing for a shutdown. He predicted that the administration would stop doing non-benefit-related activities and furlough 53,000 among its 60,000 workers, but that the agency would “keep up activities crucial for our direct-service activities and those required to ensure timely and precise payment of benefits.”
What Does That Mean For You?
Both employees and employers pay a specific payroll tax, which is the source of revenue for Social Security payments. These Social Security funds from the trust are used to pay benefits. You will continue to receive your monthly checks if you’re one of the approximately 72 million US citizens who get Social Security payments or if you’re enrolled in other programs (see below). This covers Social Security Disability Insurance, Supplemental Security Income, and Social Security benefits. Be advised that it can take some time for the SSA to respond to you if there are any problems with your payments. The federal benefits that might be impacted by a shutdown are listed below.
Anticipate Receiving Your Benefits
You should also anticipate receiving Medicaid and Medicare benefits on schedule if you are eligible for them. In the event of a shutdown, you could be required to wait a little while to hear back. In the event of a government shutdown, recipients of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Programme for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, may face an immediate loss of benefits. The USDA may only distribute benefits for 30 days from the start of a shutdown, so if you happen to be one of the 40 million Americans who get the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme, or SNAP, your payments would still be available, but only for a short period of time. Here is the Social Security payout schedule, which includes when SSDI checks are sent out and when you can anticipate receiving your SSI payment, to ensure that your payments arrive on time.
