The Social Security Administration has reversed itself – again – on a key change that could have wiped out monthly benefits for some recipients.

The agency now said recipients who received overpayments will now have their monthly benefits cut by 50% until the debt is repaid. The change went into effect on April 25. The 50% rule is a reversal from a policy announced in March that would have kept 100% of a beneficiary’s check until an overpayment was settled.

Under the Biden administration, the cap for repayment was set to 10% of a beneficiary’s check.

The Social Security Agency is required by law to seek reimbursement when overpayments occur. Previously, the agency said the 100% withholding would save it some $7 billion over the next 10 years.

Critics said the drastic change from 10% to 100% would have financially devastated some beneficiaries, adding that issues with overpayments typically fall on the agency and not the individual.

The overpayment rate applies to Title II benefits, which include retirement, survivors and disability insurance. Withholding rates for Supplemental Security Income recipients, low-income seniors and people with disabilities, remain at 10%.

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What to know if you have an overpayment

Social Security will send a notice to anyone who has received an overpayment requesting a repayment. From that point, the beneficiary has 90 days to request a waiver or a lower rate. If no waiver is sought or it’s not approved, the agency will start withholding 50% of a person’s monthly check until the overpayment is recovered.

According to Marketwatch, about $71.8 billion, or less than 1%, of the total $8.6 trillion in benefits paid between 2015 and 2022 were improper payments, including overpayments.