Social Security is making an important payment card change that will affect around 3.6 million beneficiaries who receive their monthly benefits through the Direct Express program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The update comes as the Social Security Administration<\/a> changes the financial provider behind the prepaid debit card service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The program is moving from Comerica Bank to Fifth Third Bank, which means affected beneficiaries will receive new Direct Express debit cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the change may sound significant, officials say most people will not see any change in the amount or timing of their Social Security or Supplemental Security Income payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Direct Express program is a payment option for people who receive federal benefits but do not use traditional direct deposit into a bank account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of receiving a paper check or using a personal bank account, beneficiaries can have their Social Security or SSI payments loaded onto a prepaid debit card. The card can then be used to make purchases, withdraw cash, and manage benefit payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This program is especially useful for beneficiaries who do not have a bank account or who prefer a prepaid card system for receiving government payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New cards are being issued because the financial provider for the Direct Express program is changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Previously, Comerica Bank backed the prepaid debit cards used by beneficiaries. Under the new arrangement, Fifth Third Bank will become the financial provider connected to the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of this transition, beneficiaries affected by the change will receive new debit cards connected to Fifth Third Bank. The change began earlier in May and will continue as the program moves accounts to the new provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For most beneficiaries, payments will not change. Social Security has said the update is mainly administrative, meaning it affects the card provider rather than the actual benefit payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monthly Social Security and SSI payments are expected to continue as scheduled. Beneficiaries should not expect a reduction in benefits because of the card change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The agency has also said that most people do not need to take action right away. Beneficiaries will receive advance notice about the transition and instructions about when and how to use their new card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beneficiaries should carefully read any official notices they receive about the Direct Express transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Social Security has advised cardholders to continue using their Comerica-issued cards after the transition until those cards expire or until they are told otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This means beneficiaries should not immediately throw away or stop using their current card unless they receive clear instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People should also watch for official mail or communication about the new Fifth Third Bank card. Beneficiaries should avoid sharing personal information with anyone claiming to help with the transition unless the communication is confirmed as official.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Direct Express program serves millions of people, so even an administrative change can cause confusion if beneficiaries are not informed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For older adults, people with disabilities, and SSI recipients who depend on these monthly payments, uninterrupted access to benefits is essential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A smooth transition is important to ensure people can continue paying for food, rent, medicine, transportation, and other basic needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The key message is that payments are expected to continue normally, but beneficiaries should stay alert for official updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Social Security Direct Express card change will affect about 3.6 million beneficiaries as the program moves from Comerica Bank to Fifth Third Bank. While new debit cards will be issued, most recipients should not see changes to payment amounts or schedules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Beneficiaries should monitor official notices, continue using current cards as instructed, and stay cautious of scams during the transition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Social Security is making an important payment card change that will affect around 3.6 million beneficiaries who receive their monthly benefits through the Direct Express program. The update comes as the Social Security Administration changes the financial provider behind the prepaid debit card service. The program is moving from Comerica Bank to Fifth Third Bank, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[449,217,159,743,450,742,140,149,84,453,168,162],"class_list":["post-708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","tag-comerica-bank","tag-direct-express","tag-disability-benefits","tag-federal-benefits","tag-fifth-third-bank","tag-payment-card-change","tag-retirement-benefits","tag-social-security","tag-social-security-benefits","tag-social-security-debit-card","tag-ssa-update","tag-ssi-payments"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa-federal-forms.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa-federal-forms.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa-federal-forms.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa-federal-forms.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa-federal-forms.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=708"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/usa-federal-forms.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":720,"href":"https:\/\/usa-federal-forms.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708\/revisions\/720"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa-federal-forms.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa-federal-forms.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa-federal-forms.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa-federal-forms.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What Is The Direct Express Program?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why Are New Cards Being Issued?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Will Social Security Payments Change?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Should Beneficiaries Do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why This Change Matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n