Social Security says I owe $13,000, but I’ve never gotten benefits – how is this possible?

It’s not at all unexpected to learn that Social Security plays a pivotal role in the lives of more than 70 million Americans annually. As a result, everyone who receives some kind of Social Security entitlement, whether it’s retirement, disability, survivor, or spousal benefits, doesn’t want to mess with success. 

With this in mind, one Redditor posting in r/SocialSecurity is genuinely worried that at 25 years of age, she is receiving a warning from the Social Security Administration that she owes over $13,000. As someone who has never claimed Social Security, how is this even possible? 

As large an administration as Social Security is, mistakes can and do happen, and the good news is that you can likely get to the bottom of it pretty quickly. 

Overpayment Worries

Unfortunately, the original poster doesn’t know exactly what is going on other than to say that she and her fiancé were supposed to get their income taxes back when the Social Security news dropped. When she contacted the people preparing their taxes, she was informed about the balance due to Social Security, and upon checking the SS website, she learned about the $13,000 balance. 

This is a strange turn of events, considering that at 25, she never received money from unemployment, Social Security, or any other entitlement program. The result is now widespread confusion about what is happening, why, and how to resolve it so it doesn’t interfere with their taxes or, worse, any other financial aspect of their lives. 

This leads directly to why the Social Security office says she was overcharged and what the next step should be. 

Immediate Questions 

It’s immediately worth noting that unemployment and Social Security are separate programs altogether, so there couldn’t be any issues from one that would directly impact the other. In other words, we know that Social Security isn’t an issue. 

Another immediate question is how the two unmarried individuals can file taxes together. Thankfully, there is a pretty easy answer to this one, as the original poster indicates she is listed as a dependent as a stay-at-home mother. 

The Reddit comment section offers some potential suggestions about what kinds of forms you can file to understand more. Multiple comments also point directly toward having a very honest conversation with the original poster’s parents and understanding what, if anything, they might have done when she was younger that might now show this balance. 

The Next Step

Unfortunately, even with the great advice, the Reddit comment section dropped, and this whole scenario turned out to be even more mysterious than we might have initially hoped. After talking with someone at the Social Security Administration, the Redditor also learned that someone had taken out Social Security Disability Insurance payments when she was a minor. 

Her mother indicated she did not do it, so there is no immediate answer to who did this or why. As a result, the couple’s taxes are now delayed, and they will likely need to postpone their wedding or cancel their current date to pay off the balance. Unfortunately, one has to think there is more to this story, and that the mother or the father might not be telling the whole truth. 

The bottom line is that not only are there still more questions than answers, but this isn’t going to be a quick fix, which is truly disheartening for this situation. 

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