Government Shutdown Looms This Week: Are Social Security Checks at Risk?

The federal government may run out of money at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday unless lawmakers reach a last-minute deal. President Donald Trump and top congressional leaders plan to meet today at the White House to hopefully avoid a shutdown, but so far, the two parties remain divided. 

For most Americans, this lack of resolution is unsettling, as a shutdown would mean that hundreds of thousands of federal workers and military families would likely face missed checks until funding is restored. This impact stretches far beyond Washington, D.C., affecting households that rely on steady income and government services.

While Social Security recipients can take comfort in knowing their benefits will continue regardless of the outcome, this shutdown can disrupt and slow other services, showing just how much these budget standoffs affect everyday Americans and make it challenging to eliminate money stress. Here's what you need to know. 

Why your Social Security check is safe

Despite the drama of budget negotiations, experts, including Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, have confirmed the safety of Social Security checks.

Social Security is considered mandatory government spending, and because the money comes from a trust specifically designated for Social Security payouts, it is immune to the varying budget discussions every year.

Amidst the fiscal discussions, the primary concern for beneficiaries revolves around the timely receipt of financial support.

How a shutdown affects your Social Security

In the event of a government shutdown, your Social Security check is safe, but it will impact other operations that support Social Security offices. For example, a shutdown won't impact applying for benefits or issuing Social Security cards, but other services like benefit verifications and replacement Medicare cards would temporarily stop.

While the offices that sustain Social Security will remain open, a shutdown might affect other offices that offer extended support. This may result in delayed responses but not a cutoff in payment checks.

What to expect with the government shutdown

Andrew Lautz, the director of Tax Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, said the true impact on Americans unfolds gradually as essential programs and services face disruptions.

As agencies begin shutting down, you may feel the effects on a "rolling basis" as services start to become unavailable. Medicare and Social Security often go hand in hand, and while Medicare benefits are also considered mandatory spending and are safe, other services may be interrupted.

This means initial Medicare enrollment could be disrupted due to administrative delays and longer call wait times. One extreme case was during the 1995-1996 federal shutdown, when more than 10,000 Medicare applicants were temporarily turned away every day of the shutdown.

So, while Social Security benefit checks and new applicants are safe, a shutdown affects the overarching support system that extends beyond just Social Security. With that in mind, it's best to prepare yourself financially. 

In reality, the government has never shut down long enough for a real effect on Social Security and Medicare benefit payments and services. If they truly happen, shutdowns usually do not last more than a couple of weeks, with the longest government shutdown on record lasting 35 days.

Bottom line

As Congress navigates the fiscal landscape this week, the fate of Social Security benefits remains safe, and recipients need not worry. Budget negotiations will not interrupt your monthly benefit check. 

However, it might be wise for seniors and any Social Security or Medicare recipients to try to get any administrative work out of the way before any supporting offices are affected. In the current economy, you may also want to explore other ways to make extra money in your free time to build your emergency fund in case any unprecedented situations happen.