Readers of NORA will know we’ve been covering the problem of Social Security overpayments for a while now.

This pressing issue can impact anyone. Many seniors have been sent more money by the Social Security Administration than they were actually due.

Given they were unaware of this error initially, said seniors were blindsided when trying to pay it back. While some of the errors have been corrected, others continue to cause harm. Harm, in this case, in the form of mental and financial strain on those affected.

But could a new solution clear up this troubling and persistent problem?

Could a Payroll Change Stop Social Security Overpayments?

The Payroll Information Exchange (PIE) could be a potential solution to overpayments. This act would see payroll data shared with government departments, to reduce errors from self-reporting for various types of Social Security benefits. Some say this could be the answer to this ongoing issue.

The justification behind this proposal is that unreported earnings are often the cause of overpayments. The same could be said of late or incorrectly reported earnings.

While some wonder if this extra step would compromise privacy or create delays in benefits, some say it could be worth it. After all, clawbacks of overpayments have put some seniors in serious financial trouble. This program was meant to help people in need. If this problem is causing it to have the complete opposite effect, changes must be made sooner rather than later.

Is this the solution seniors and other benefit recipients have been waiting for? Will it provide the fixes we need? We want to know your thoughts.

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