SSA-634: ask Social Security to take less each month

Who should use SSA-634

SSA-634 is for one situation: the overpayment is real, the amount is right, and the default monthly withholding is more than the household can live on. Since April 25, 2025, that default is 50% of a Social Security retirement, survivor or SSDI benefit for new overpayment notices. For SSI it is 10%, and SSI recipients can also ask for less.

Before you choose it, check the other two doors:

• If SSA got the amount, the months or the reason wrong, ask for reconsideration on Form SSA-561 first. A lower rate means you have agreed to pay.
• If the overpayment was not the person's fault and repaying would be a hardship, ask for a waiver on Form SSA-632. A waiver, if approved, means the money does not have to be repaid at all. See how to fill out SSA-632.

You can ask for a lower rate while a waiver is pending, or after one is denied. Many families file SSA-634 because it is the fastest way to get most of the check back while the bigger questions are sorted out.

What the form asks

SSA-634 is mostly a household budget. SSA wants to see that the current withholding leaves too little for ordinary living expenses, and what you can afford instead. Expect questions about:

• Who lives in the household and who depends on the person who was overpaid.
• Monthly income for everyone in the household: Social Security, pensions, wages, other benefits, support from family.
• Monthly expenses: rent or mortgage, property tax, utilities, phone, food, insurance, medical and pharmacy costs, car payment and gas, debts you are paying.
• Assets: bank balances, cash, investments, vehicles, property other than the home you live in.
• The amount you propose to have withheld or to pay each month.

Use the current version from SSA's form page so you are not filling in an old edition. The person who was overpaid signs it, or their representative payee or legal representative.

What to gather first

• The overpayment notice, with the date at the top and the monthly amount SSA plans to withhold.
• One or two months of bank statements for every account.
• Proof of income: benefit letters, pension statements, pay stubs.
• Your regular bills: lease or mortgage statement, utility bills, insurance, pharmacy receipts, car payment.
• Anything unusual that raises costs: a medical device, home care, a family member you support.

Real numbers from statements beat round guesses. SSA can ask for proof of any figure you write down, and numbers that match the bank records move faster.

Picking the number to propose

There is no fixed formula you can look up, so propose something you can actually keep paying every month for as long as it takes. A simple way to get there:

1. Add up monthly household income.
2. Subtract necessary monthly expenses, using the statements.
3. What is left is the most you could pay. Propose an amount at or below it, with a little room for the bills that always come up.

If what is left is zero or below, say so. That is the situation the waiver test is built for, and you may want to file SSA-632 as well. SSA generally prefers a rate that repays the debt in a reasonable time, and it may come back with a different number. A clear one-page budget makes that conversation easier.

Example: a $9,880 overpayment, a $2,428 monthly benefit, and 50% withholding of $1,214 a month. After rent, utilities, food and prescriptions, the household has about $180 a month left. Proposing $150 a month is realistic and easy to explain.

How to send it

You can mail the form to the local Social Security office, take it in person, or ask about sending it electronically. If you mail it, use certified mail with a return receipt. If you go in person, ask for a dated receipt. Keep a copy of every page.

For smaller changes, SSA can sometimes agree a lower rate over the phone. Call 1-800-772-1213, say you are asking for a lower overpayment recovery rate, and ask the agent what proof they need. Write down the date, the time and the agent's name or ID, and follow up in writing.

Timing: SSA-634 does not pause collection by itself

Asking for reconsideration or a waiver within 30 days of receiving the notice keeps SSA from starting to collect until it decides. A rate request is different: withholding can continue at the default rate while SSA reviews it. So if the 30-day window is still open and a waiver or reconsideration might fit, file that too. Our guide on how to stop withholding before it starts counts the dates.

SSA treats a notice as received 5 days after the date printed on it. The free deadline calculator counts both dates from your own letter.

After SSA decides

If SSA agrees, the next checks arrive with the new, smaller amount held back, and the debt is repaid more slowly. If your situation changes, such as a rent increase or a new medical cost, you can ask again. If SSA says no or offers a rate you cannot meet, ask what proof would change the answer, and consider whether a waiver fits.

Keep a simple log: what you sent, when, how, and every call. It is the most useful thing to have if a paper goes missing.