Reporting wages to Social Security in a timely manner is SO IMPORTANT for recipients of Supplemental Security Income or SSI benefits! Timely reporting is the best way to help prevent frustrating and costly benefit overpayments from occurring. Did you know there are three ways for an SSI recipient to report wages earned from work; which method is best for you may depend on your situation. Below is a list of the 3 methods for reporting wages to Social Security if you receive SSI benefits…
1) Automated SSI Telephone Wage Reporting System (instructions here);
2) SSI Smartphone Wage Reporting Mobile Application (instructions here); and
3) Submitting pay stubs to local SSA offices (in-person, by mail, or by fax).
Reporting using the SSI Mobile App or SSI Telephone System are preferred methods because they enable the wages to be reported directly into Social Security’s system which will cause the SSI benefit amount to be changed appropriately and in a timely manner (when reported by the 6th day of each month). Submitting copies of pay stubs to your local SSA office requires an actual person at SSA to review them and input them into the system and this may not be done in enough time to change the SSI benefit amount – leading to an overpayment. If you have wages from employment and DO NOT have Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs), it is recommended that you report using either the SSI Mobile App or SSI Telephone System every month. If you have wages and DO have IRWEs, you should report by submitting copies of your payments and copies of your IRWE receipts to your local SSA office every month.
A few things to remember…
- Wages and IRWEs should be reported to SSA by the 6th day of each month no matter which method of reporting you use!
- You will need to visit your local SSA office and provide information about your employer, hourly wage, and average hours worked and may be asked to provide SSA with one pay stub to enable reporting via phone or mobile app.
- Remember to keep copies of all of your pay stubs regardless of which reporting method you use.
- Remember to always keep a copy of anything you submit to SSA.
- If you report wages by phone or mobile app, make note of the date and wage amount you report or print or save copy of the screen as proof that the information was successfully reported.