On September 23rd, 2017 the Social Security Administration announced a new option to report wages for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries. To date, individuals who receive SSDI benefits and their Representative Payees could only report wages by submitting copies of paystubs to their local Social Security offices either in person or by mail or fax. SSDI beneficiaries may now report wages online using their “my Social Security” account.
As a first step to reporting this way, individuals or their Rep Payees will need to contact or visit Social Security to provide information about the employer – including the employer’s Employer Identification Number (EIN). The EIN can often be found on paystubs or a W-2. An individual can also ask their employer for the EIN. Once this information is made available, Social Security will enable the online reporting feature. If an individual has more than one job, they will need to provide employer and EIN information for each employer.
- Individuals must have or create a my Social Security account to report online.
- Reporting earning via the my Social Security account will be accessible via desktop, laptop, and mobile devices.
- When logging into their my Social Security account, a list of employers will appear. The individual should choose select the appropriate employer for which there are wages to report for that month. (If an employer does not appear, the person will need to contact SSA).
- The individual should have copies of paystubs available for reporting. Required information will include pay period start date, pay period end date, pay frequency (weekly, biweekly, etc.), pay date, and the gross pay amount.
- Once wages are reported, the individual will be given the option to save or print a copy of their reporting receipt.
Please NOTE…individuals who need to report self-employment income CANNOT currently use the my Social Security account feature. Individuals who have work incentives – including a subsidy/special condition and/or Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWEs) – are UNABLE to report these work incentives using this feature and should continue to report wages to SSA by providing copies of paystubs and through completion of a Work Activity Report (SSA-821). Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries CANNOT report wages using a my Social Security account and should continue to report using the SSI Telephone Wage Reporting System or Mobile App. Social Security does hope to expand online reporting to these groups of individuals in the future.
To see Social Security’s official announcement of this new option, click here.