The Department of Homeland Security has been operating without approved annual funding since February 14, making the current lapse one of the longest on record for a single federal agency.
The rest of the federal government — including the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Justice, and every other major agency — is fully funded through September 30, 2026.
For the more than 74 million Americans who receive Social Security retirement benefits, disability payments, or Supplemental Security Income, that distinction is everything.
What Is Shut Down and What Is Not: Is Social Security Affected?
The funding lapse is limited exclusively to the Department of Homeland Security. That agency oversees a wide range of operations — airport security, disaster response, border enforcement, cybersecurity, and maritime protection.
And the effects of going without appropriations for more than five weeks are now being felt in visible ways, particularly at the country’s airports.
The Social Security Administration is not part of this shutdown. It was funded through Congress’ broader appropriations package, which cleared before the DHS deadline expired. That means SSA field offices are open, SSA employees are being paid, and the agency is processing claims under normal operating conditions — with a few specific exceptions covered below.
SSA Payments Are Continuing Without Interruption
The SSA has been direct in its public communications: all Social Security, SSDI, and SSI payments are going out on their regular schedule. No payment dates have changed, and no deposits have been missed.
This protection comes from the structure of how Social Security is financed. Benefits under these programs are classified as mandatory spending, meaning they are funded through dedicated trust funds rather than the annual appropriations bills that Congress must pass each fiscal year.
When those appropriations fail or lapse, mandatory programs continue operating by law. Social Security payments have gone out without interruption through every government shutdown in the modern era, and the current situation is no different.
The standard payment calendar applies. Retirement and SSDI recipients receive deposits on the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of each month based on their date of birth. SSI recipients are paid on the first of the month. Both schedules remain unchanged.
Services That Are Currently Limited at SSA Offices
While the money is moving, the SSA has acknowledged that certain in-person services at local field offices are temporarily unavailable. Two specific functions have been suspended for the duration of the funding lapse: the issuance of proof-of-benefits letters at the counter and the processing of corrections to earnings records. Both will resume once the shutdown ends, but no resolution date has been announced.
Hearing offices remain open and are conducting scheduled proceedings before Administrative Law Judges. This matters for the millions of people with pending disability claims or active appeals, as those proceedings have not been paused.
New applications for all benefit types are still being accepted, though applicants waiting on disability determinations should be aware that processing timelines may be slower than usual during this period.
For most routine needs, the SSA’s online platform provides an alternative. Reviewing payment history, requesting benefit verification electronically, and updating direct deposit information can all be done through a personal my Social Security account without a field office visit.
