Is Your May Social Security Check Smaller Than Expected? Here's Why

If you're like most people, your retirement plan hinges, at least in part, on getting a steady Social Security check. After all, almost 90% of people 65 and up collect Social Security benefits, according to the Social Security Administration.

But what happens if your benefit ends up smaller than you expect this month? Sadly, the reality is that there are a lot of different things that could cause your payment to be lower than anticipated. Here are some of the top reasons why benefits end up below the expected amount.

Medicare Part B premiums went up in 2026

If you're 65 or over, chances are good you're having Medicare Part B premiums withdrawn from your Social Security checks. If that's the case, a premium increase that took effect in January of 2026 could explain your reduced Social Security payment.

Medicare premiums rose from $185 in 2025 to $202.90 in 2026. That's close to a 10% increase, and it means your Social Security checks will decline by the extra $17.90 per month you now must pay for medical coverage.

While seniors did get a cost-of-living adjustment totaling 2.8% this year, this raise only gave the average retiree a benefit boost of around $57. A $17.90 premium increase takes up nearly a third of that amount.

IRMAA surcharges caused you to pay more for Medicare

It's not ideal to lose $17.90 of your Social Security increase due to a Medicare premium hike. However, some people will lose much more than that because of IRMAA. IRMAA stands for Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount, which is a fancy way of saying that your Medicare premiums increase if you make a lot of money.

Medicare looks at your tax returns from two years ago to see if you'll be subject to the IRMAA surcharge based on earnings. So in 2026, your 2024 tax returns would determine if you take this extra hit on Medicare. If your income topped $109,000 as a single tax filer or $218,000 as a married joint filer in 2024, you are going to be charged a surcharge for your Medicare Parts B and D coverage in 2026.

That surcharge ranges from $81.20 for those just over the limit to $487 extra each month for Medicare Part B coverage if your earnings top $499,999 as a single filer or $749,999 as a married joint filer. For part D, the surcharge ranges from $14.50 to $91.00.

Since a lot can change in two years, if you've had major life circumstances that altered your income since your 2024 returns, you can submit SSA-44 to request an adjustment.

You've earned more than you're allowed

If you have reached your full retirement age (FRA), which is 67 if you were born in 1960 or after, you are allowed to work an unlimited amount while collecting Social Security checks at the same time. If you're younger than FRA, though, that's not the case.

Younger workers are subject to an earnings test, and if you exceed it, some of your Social Security benefits are withheld. Specifically, in 2026:

• If you won't hit FRA all year, you lose $1 in benefits for every $2 earned above $24,480.
• If you'll hit FRA sometime but are working before that happens, you lose $1 in benefits for every $3 earned above $65,160.

Whole checks can be withheld once earnings are too high. The good news is that when your full retirement age arrives, the Social Security Administration will recalculate your benefit to account for the money you temporarily forfeited by earning too much.

Still, in the meantime, the work rules could be the reason why your May benefit is small.

Social Security taxes are taking a bite of your benefits

Taxes are another possible culprit when it comes to shrinking Social Security checks, especially if your provisional income has recently changed.

Provisional income is the income used to determine if Social Security is taxed. It's equal to half of all Social Security income, all taxable income, and some non-taxable income.

Here are the thresholds for when taxes on benefits kick in:

• Single tax filers: You're taxed on up to 50% of your benefits with provisional income above $25,000 and on up to 85% of your benefits with provisional income above $34,000.
• Married joint filers: You're taxed on up to 50% of benefits with provisional income above $32,000 and up to 85% with provisional income above $44,000.

In some cases, the increase to your income as a result of the 2.8% COLA could push you above the threshold where tax on benefits kicks in, or your tax bill may go up due to the higher income resulting from the COLA. Since many people have taxes withheld from Social Security checks, a change in your tax situation can change your monthly benefit amount.

The Social Security Administration is deducting for overpayments in 2026

Finally, if Social Security made a mistake and overpaid you, you may get an overpayment letter requesting that you send back the extra money. If you don't, then the Administration may start taking money out of your benefits until you've repaid all you owe.

The Biden Administration limited the amount they'd take out of your checks to 10%, but the Trump Administration raised the amount to 50% of retirement payments (it's still 10% for SSI recipients). This means that up to half your benefits could disappear until you've paid back what you owe.

If this is happening to you, you may be able to file an appeal if you don't think you overpaid, or request a waiver if it's causing you hardship.

What to do if your check is smaller

Getting less Social Security income than you expect is undoubtedly disappointing. That's especially true if it happens because the COLA, which was supposed to increase your benefits, pushed you into the territory where benefits are taxable or into a higher bracket for IRMAA.

Still, as you can see, there are valid reasons for your May check to be smaller than you anticipated. If you aren't sure exactly why your payment is lower, you can log into your my Social Security account to try to uncover the cause, or you can contact the Social Security Administration directly, as some changes to benefits aren't always well communicated in advance.

Bottom line

It's also worth remembering that trying to live on Social Security alone is difficult, even if you do get the amount of benefits you expect. If you want a stress-free retirement, aim to save money in a 401(k) or other retirement plan to supplement your Social Security so a smaller-than-expected check is an annoyance rather than a financial disaster.

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