What Happens to Social Security in a Government Shutdown?

The U.S. House of Representatives approved spending legislation Feb. 3 to fund most federal agencies and programs, including the Social Security Administration (SSA), through Sept. 30. The measure was signed by President Donald Trump, ending a short-lived government shutdown.

But even during a prolonged lapse in federal funding, such as the record 43-day shutdown in October and November 2025, Social Security recipients continue to receive their monthly payments.

That’s because Social Security benefits are, in federal parlance, “mandatory spending.” They have a dedicated, permanent funding source (primarily, the payroll taxes most of us pay on our work income) and are unaffected by the federal appropriations process.

However, the SSA is affected by shutdowns. Its administrative budget is discretionary, meaning it is subject to congressional approval. Lawmakers determine how much of Social Security’s revenue can be allocated to operating expenses, such as processing benefit applications, renting space for local offices, and paying employees’ salaries.

As a result, some customer services are limited or suspended during a shutdown, particularly at local Social Security offices.

Between the new budget bill, which won Senate approval four days before the House vote, and prior spending legislation enacted in November, all but one federal agency is funded through Sept. 30, the end of the 2026 fiscal year. The exception is the Department of Homeland Security, which will receive short-term funding while lawmakers consider new policies on immigration enforcement.

Shutdown plan

The SSA's most recent shutdown blueprint, updated in September 2025, directs the agency to “continue activities critical to our direct-service operations and those needed to ensure accurate and timely payment of benefits.” That means beneficiaries “continue receiving their Social Security, Social Security Disability Insurance [SSDI] and SSI payments,” an agency spokesperson says.

SSI is Supplemental Security Income, a safety-net benefit administered by the Social Security Administration for people with very low incomes who are 65 or older or have a disability or severe visual impairment. Unlike Social Security retirement, survivor and family benefits and SSDI, SSI is funded out of general government revenues, not the dedicated payroll tax.

During a shutdown, the payroll tax revenue that largely funds Social Security continues to be collected and goes into the program’s trust funds. The SSA has legal authority to process payments even when congressional appropriations lapse.

Most SSA employees remain on the job without pay to maintain essential functions and services, including paying benefits, staffing field offices, processing benefit applications and appeals, holding disability hearings, and issuing new and replacement Social Security cards. During recent shutdowns, about 6,200 employees, or 12 percent of the agency’s workforce, have been furloughed.