Under certain conditions, the amount of a monthly insurance benefit (see Secs. 404.380 through 404.384 of this part for provisions concerning special payments at age 72) or the lump-sum death payment as calculated under the pertinent provisions of sections 202 and 203 of the Act (including reduction for age under section 202(q) of a monthly benefit) must be increased or decreased to determine the amount to be actually paid to a beneficiary. Increases in the amount of a monthly benefit or lump-sum death payment are based upon recomputation and recalculations of the primary insurance amount (see subpart C of this part). A decrease in the amount of a monthly benefit or lump-sum death payment is required in the following instances:
(a) Reductions. A reduction of a person's monthly benefit is required where:
(1) The total amount of the monthly benefits payable on an earnings record exceeds the maximum that may be paid (see Sec. 404.403);
(2) An application for monthly benefits is effective for a month during a retroactive period, and the maximum has already been paid for that month or would be exceeded if such benefit were paid for that month (see Sec. 404.406);
(3) An individual is entitled to old-age or disability insurance benefits in addition to any other monthly benefit (see Sec. 404.407);
(4) An individual under age 65 is concurrently entitled to disability insurance benefits and to certain public disability benefits (see Sec. 404.408);
(5) An individual is entitled in a month to a widow's or widower's insurance benefit that is reduced under section 202 (e)(4) or (f)(5) of the Act and to any other monthly insurance benefit other than an old-age insurance benefit (see Sec. 404.407(b)); or
(6) An individual is entitled in a month to old-age, disability, wife's, husband's, widow's, or widower's insurance benefit and reduction is required under section 202(q) of the Act (see Sec. 404.410).
(b) Deductions. A deduction from a monthly benefit or a lump-sum death payment may be required because of:
(1) An individual's earnings or work (see Secs. 404.415 and 404.417);
(2) Failure of certain beneficiaries receiving wife's or mother's insurance benefits to have a child in her care (see Sec. 404.421);
(3) The earnings or work of an old-age insurance beneficiary where a wife, husband, or child is also entitled to benefits (see Secs. 404.415 and 404.417);
(4) Failure to report within the prescribed period either certain work outside the United States or not having the care of a child (see Sec. 404.451);
(5) Failure to report within the prescribed period earnings from work in employment or self-employment (see Sec. 404.453); or
(6) Certain taxes which were neither deducted from the wages of maritime employees nor paid to the Federal Government (see Sec. 404.457).
(c) Adjustments. We may adjust your benefits to correct errors in payments under title II of the Act. We may also adjust your benefits if you received more than the correct amount due under titles VIII or XVI of the Act. For the title II rules on adjustment to your benefits, see subpart F of this part. For the rules on adjusting your benefits to recover title VIII overpayments, see Sec. 408.930 of this chapter. For the rules on adjusting your benefits to recover title XVI overpayments, see Sec. 416.572 of this chapter.
(d) Nonpayments. Nonpayment of monthly benefits may be required because:
(1) The individual is an alien who has been outside the United States for more than 6 months (see Sec. 404.460);
(2) The individual on whose earnings record entitlement is based has been deported (see Sec. 404.464);
(3) The individual is engaged in substantial gainful activity while entitled to disability insurance benefits based on ``statutory blindness'' (see Sec. 404.467); or
(4) The individual has not provided satisfactory proof that he or she has a Social Security number or has not properly applied for a Social Security number (see Sec. 404.469).
(e) Recalculation. A reduction by recalculation of a benefit amount may be prescribed because an individual has been convicted of certain offenses (see Sec. 404.465) or because the primary insurance amount is recalculated (see subpart C of this part).
(f) Suspensions. Suspension of monthly benefits may be required pursuant to section 203(h)(3) of the Act (the Social Security Administration has information indicating that work deductions may reasonably be expected for the year), or pursuant to section 225 of the Act (the Social Security Administration has information indicating a beneficiary is no longer disabled). [40 FR 30813, July 23, 1975, as amended at 48 FR 37016, Aug. 16, 1983; 56 FR 41789, Aug. 23, 1991; 65 FR 16813, Mar. 30, 2000; 66 FR 38906, July 26, 2001; 68 FR 40122, July 7, 2003; 69 FR 25955, May 10, 2004] Sec. 404.401a When we do not pay benefits because of a disability beneficiary's work activity.
If you are receiving benefits because you are disabled or blind as defined in title II of the Social Security Act, we will stop your monthly benefits even though you have a disabling impairment (Sec. 404.1511), if you engage in substantial gainful activity during the reentitlement period (Sec. 404.1592a) following completion of the trial work period (Sec. 404.1592). You will, however, be paid benefits for the first month after the trial work period in which you do substantial gainful activity and the two succeeding months, whether or not you do substantial gainful activity in those two months. If anyone else is receiving monthly benefits based on your earnings record, that individual will not be paid benefits for any month for which you cannot be paid benefits during the reentitlement period. Except as provided in Sec. 404.471, earnings from work activity during a trial work period will not stop your benefits. [49 FR 22271, May 29, 1984, as amended at 58 FR 64883, Dec. 10, 1993; 71 FR 66865, Nov. 17, 2006]