5 steps to help retirees affected by new Social Security clawbacks

Published 5 Min Read

Retirees are bracing for potential cuts to their Social Security benefits as a new overpayment “clawback” policy takes effect later this month.

The Social Security Administration announced last Friday that it will increase the default overpayment withholding rate for beneficiaries to 100%. That means that down the road, a beneficiary could see their entire monthly payment withheld if they received large enough overpayments. The announcement is a sharp reversal of a Biden-era policy that capped the overpayment recovery at 10% of a person’s monthly benefit.

Elijah Nicholson-Messmer
Former Data Reporter

Elijah returned to Financial Planning in 2025 after working as a summer intern with FP in 2023. He earned an undergraduate degree from Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, and a master's degree in data … Read full bio


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