Has the Social Security Administration officially renamed the Social Security program in 2025?

1. No official rebrand found in SSA releases

Researchers and fact-checkers who searched SSA news releases did not find a formal announcement of a program name change; Snopes examined SSA communications and concluded there was no evidence of a new official title such as "Federal Benefit Payments" and rated the renaming claim false ^[1]. The SSA website and publications continue to refer to Social Security program materials and benefits in routine updates, such as benefit increases and program fact sheets ^[4].

2. The rumor has a long history and resurfaced in 2025–2026 reporting

The idea that Social Security payments were being relabeled "Federal Benefit Payments" has recurred online for years; Snopes traced the rumor back at least to 2012 and documented new waves of the claim in 2025 and 2026, noting the pattern of repeated social-media recirculation rather than any bureaucratic policy change ^{[1] [5]}.

3. What the SSA actually uses in its public materials

SSA materials routinely describe amounts as "benefits" and publish fact sheets about how many Americans receive a Social Security benefit each month; such existing usage has sometimes been conflated by rumor with an official rebranding, but reporting found the language was longstanding rather than newly adopted to rename the program ^{[1] [4]}.

4. Distinction between program name and payment descriptions

Sources indicate the SSA classifies disbursements as "benefits" in program documentation ^[1]. That administrative language is not the same as an agency-level change to the constitutional or statutory name "Social Security" that would require clear public notice and legislative or administrative procedures; fact-checking found no such procedural evidence in SSA announcements ^[1].

5. How individuals change names on their own Social Security records

Separately, SSA guidance and consumer-facing articles explain how individuals update their personal name on Social Security records (Form SS-5 and supporting documents); these instructions—about marriage, divorce, or court-ordered name changes—are unrelated to claims of renaming the entire program and are well-documented on SSA.gov and other guides ^{[2] [3] [6]}.

6. Why the rumor spreads: political framing and confusion over terminology

Fact-checkers note social posts often frame the alleged rename as a political or fiscal maneuver ("Ponzi" rhetoric or undermining a "moral contract"), which fuels virality even without documentary support; Snopes highlighted that the same language (calling payments "benefits" or "federal benefit payments") has existed in official documents for years, making it easy to mischaracterize ordinary terminology as a rebrand ^[1].

7. What is and isn’t documented in available sources

Available sources do not mention any formal SSA press release, administrative order, or law that changes the program’s name from "Social Security" to another official title in 2025 ^{[1] [4]}. Sources document individual name-change procedures and SSA wording about benefits, but they do not show a programwide renaming ^{[2] [3]}.

8. Bottom line and what to watch for next

Given persistent online cycles of this claim, the correct check is to look for an SSA press release or Federal Register notice announcing any name-change; fact-checkers and the SSA’s own public materials show no such notice for 2025 and therefore refute an official renaming ^{[1] [4]}. If a user sees a new claim, verify it against SSA.gov news releases or established fact-checkers before sharing ^{[4] [1]}.