Mystery $6,000 deposits are showing up in the bank accounts of Social Security beneficiaries — and about 3 million US seniors can expect the money. Here’s why and how to tell if it’s legit

Eligibility and potential scams

Although many former government employees are set to benefit from this new rule, not everyone in the public sector is covered. The SSA clarified that “only people who receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security may see benefit increases.”

According to the SSA, 72% of the state and local public sector workforce is ineligible because their payments were not covered by the two statutes that were repealed — the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).

To check your eligibility and see if you have a retroactive payment due, you could reach out to the SSA directly on its national 1-800 number. You can likely expect a long wait time as the agency plans to cut roughly 7,000 jobs in the months ahead.

You could also reach out to your accountant or financial adviser to learn more about how this new rule impacts you. However, do not seek assistance from anyone who calls and claims to be from the SSA. The agency has warned about “bad actors” who could take advantage of the rule change.

“SSA will never ask or require a person to pay either for assistance or to have their benefits started, increased, or paid retroactively,” says the SSA website. “Hang up and do not click or respond to anyone offering to increase or expedite benefits.”

Even if you’re ineligible for this payout or not yet retired, monitoring changes to this program is crucial for your financial planning and security.

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Monitoring changes with Social Security

The national welfare system is facing significant challenges in the years ahead. According to a recent report by the SSA Board of Trustees, the trust fund from which benefits are paid is expected to be depleted by 2035.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Bloomberg News, Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek threatened to cease operations if Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) wasn’t given access to sensitive data at the agency. The commissioner walked back his threat after a federal judge offered clarifications on a recent ruling.

Put simply, these are interesting times for the SSA. Taxpayers who expect some benefits in the future should set up a my Social Security account to track their personal information, monitor reputable sites such as AARP or The National Institute on Retirement Security for the latest updates, and speak to a financial adviser to plan for any changes to the system in the years ahead.