What the government shutdown means for Social Security benefits

Local offices will remain open, but services will be reduced, according to the Social Security Administration.

According to the agency, consumers can still:

• apply for benefits
• request an appeal
• change address or direct deposit information
• report a death
• verify or change citizenship status
• replace a lost or missing Social Security payment
• obtain an expedited payment in an emergency
• change a representative payee,
• obtain a new or replacement Social Security card

SSI beneficiaries will still be able to make changes to their living arrangements or income.

Offices will be open for hearings before administrative law judges.

However, certain in-person services will not be available, according to SSA, including:

• proof of income letters
• updates or corrections to earnings records
• overpayment processing

It also will not be possible to replace Medicare cards, the agency said.

To access benefit information and services, SSA is urging individuals to log on to their online My Social Security accounts.

A government shutdown could delay the release of key economic data.

New consumer price index data is scheduled to be released on Oct. 15. The Social Security Administration is expected to announce the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment this month based on that data.

If the CPI data release is delayed, that may have an impact on when the Social Security COLA is announced, according to the Department of Labor.

More than 74 million beneficiaries may see an increase in their monthly payments next year, based on the annual inflation adjustment. Estimates released in September pointed to a 2.7% to 2.8% benefit boost for 2026, which would push the average retirement benefit up by about $54 per month.

Not counting the current one, the federal government has had 14 shutdowns since 1980, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.

This lapse “feels different” due to the strong political opposition between the parties, said Maria Freese, senior legislative representative at the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said the federal funding lapse may lead to “irreversible” cuts to health care and social benefit programs. Trump did not elaborate on exactly which programs could be affected. The White House did not respond to a request for further information by press time.

The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare is still telling people that benefit checks will continue to go out, Freese said.

“The question is, is it going to be a long shutdown?” Freese said. “It does take a while to get these agencies shut down, so if it’s only a couple of days, people don’t even really notice.”