Payment Options for Your Social Security Disability Benefits

If you have gotten a favorable decision and found out that you will receive Social Security disability benefits, you may wonder how the payments will work. If you have any questions about the start of your benefits, New York disability lawyers Markhoff & Mittman, P.C., may be able to help.

Direct deposit, which allows for a direct electronic payment of funds into your bank account, may seem convenient and reliable. To arrange for the direct deposit of your benefits, you should contact your local Social Security Administration (SSA) office. If you don’t sign up early enough, however, it might become too late to have the SSA send any back benefits by direct deposit; instead, the SSA might pay your back benefits with a regular check.

Some claimants experience other problems with direct deposit. For example, an individual might forget that she requested direct deposit and wonder why she hasn’t received any Social Security disability checks in the mail. Furthermore, if in the future a claimant closes a bank account used to receive direct deposits, the SSA might have problems with processing the payments and need to take some time to correct the account information. If you believe that you received a favorable decision but haven’t received any payments, contact a New York disability lawyer for assistance immediately.

If you have already received a direct deposit from the SSA, you may want to consider waiting for a written Notice of Award before spending any of the funds. You might also wait for your notice if you received a paper check in the mail; in this situation, you might choose to deposit your check into an interest-bearing savings account and wait until you’ve received a Notice of Award before you spend the money. The notice will explain your benefits and also state whether the SSA properly withheld part of the money to pay for your attorney’s fees. Once you’ve received an official Notice of Award, you can feel more comfortable about spending the benefits received by direct deposit or cashing your checks.