Retention Date: October 4, 2025
A. Purpose
This Emergency Message is to inform users that the Social Security Electronic Remittance System (SERS) will be unavailable due to accounting setups and processes necessary to open the new fiscal year (FY26) in the Agency’s accounting system. The outage will be from 8:00PM (ET) on Tuesday, September 30, 2025 through approximately 9:00AM (ET) on Friday, October 3, 2025. During this time all remittances which are eligible to be processed through SERS are to be held in a secure location.
B. Background
The Social Security Online Accounting and Reporting System (SSOARS), which contains the SERS application, requires mandatory accounting setups for FY26 which will be performed during the timeframe noted above. SERS will not be available for use during this time.
C. Instructions for SERS Eligible Remittances
All SERS eligible programmatic and non-programmatic remittances received on October 1, 2025 and October 2, 2025 are to be held in a secure location in the field office (FO) or processing center (PC).
NOTE: FOs and PCs will continue processing all non-SERS eligible remittances and mail them to their designated locations as applicable.
Beginning October 3, 2025, FOs and PCs will resume processing SERS eligible remittances, including any that were held due to this maintenance.
Direct all program and technical related questions to your management.
Reference:
GN 02403.161 Social Security Electronic Remittance System (SERS) for Programmatic Debts
GN 02403.014 Processing Non-Programmatic Fees Received in the Field Office Using the Social Security Electronic Remittance System
GN 02403.001 Overview of Field Office Remittance Process