Social Security

• How Social Security can help you and your family;
• The importance of your Social Security number;
• How your boss reports your earnings; and
• How to make sure your earnings are reported correctly.

There is room in the back of this booklet for you to write down where and when you work and how much you get paid. You may need this information later. Since this is your record booklet, fill in the blanks below.

Social Security helps people of all ages, including children. It can pay monthly benefits to you and your family in case of:

• Disability—If you get sick or hurt and cannot work for a year or more.
• Death—When you die.
• Retirement—When you retire.

Medicare will help pay your medical bills when you are 65 or have been getting disability payments for two years.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is another program run by Social Security. It makes payments to people who do not have much money if they are 65 or older or if they are any age and are disabled or blind

Your Social Security card is very important. You will keep the same number all your life. Here are a few reminders:

• Make sure the name and number you use at work are the same as the name and number shown on your card.
• Keep your card in a safe place. Do not carry it in your wallet or purse.
• Never give your card to anyone else to use, and never use anyone else’s card.
• Each family member who works has to have his or her own Social Security number and card.
• Children also must have a Social Security number if you claim them as dependents on your tax return. They also need a number for certain types of medical help and public assistance.

If you need a card for yourself or your child, or if you lost a card, you can apply for a new one free at any Social Security office. You also can call the toll-free telephone number, 1-800-772-1213.

You earn Social Security benefits by working and paying taxes. Then, when you retire or if you become disabled, you and your family can receive Social Security benefits. Also, your family can sometimes receive benefits when you die.

A disability can be any medical condition that prevents you from working for one year or is expected to end in your death, including kidney failure.

You never need more than 10 years of work to get Social Security benefits. If you become disabled or die when you are young, you may only need to have worked for one and one-half years.

You must be a citizen or legal resident of the United States to receive Social Security benefits, and in some cases, your family members must be, too.

Your boss must report to Social Security how much he or she paid you so you can get credit for your work. You do not have to report your own earnings Social Security and your boss cannot tell you to do this. Your “boss” could be either the crew leader or the farmer. In most cases, your boss is the person who pays you.

Your boss must make a separate report for every person in your family who works for him or her. Your boss cannot combine your earnings with those of someone else in your family.

To get credit for your work, your boss must also:

• Take Social Security taxes from your pay and send them to the Internal Revenue Service; and
• Take the same amount of Social Security taxes from his or her own money and send the taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.
• Social Security keeps a record of all your earnings. The more money you make and the more taxes you and your boss pay, the more you and your family will receive in Social Security benefits.

Your boss must report your earnings after the year ends if:

• He or she pays you $150 or more in the year; or
• You make less than $150, but your boss pays a total of $2,500 or more for the year to farm workers.

Each time your boss pays you, he or she must give you a written statement showing when you worked and how much you were paid. The written statement usually will be a pay stub. It is a good idea to keep these pay stubs in a safe place. They can serve as proof of what you earned in case of any question later.

Your boss also must give you a W-2 form after the end of the year. A W-2 form is called a Wage and Tax Withholding Statement. It shows how much your boss paid you and how much your boss took out of your pay for Social Security and other taxes for the whole year. Your boss has to give you a W-2 form by January 31 each year showing how much you earned the year before.

Many bosses send you the W-2 form in the mail. Make sure your boss has your address.

If your job does not last all year, ask your boss for the W-2 form when the job ends instead of waiting until January 31 of the next year. This is important if you move often or have trouble getting your mail.

You can check the written statement your boss gives you every time you get paid. It should show how much was deducted from your pay for Social Security. Sometimes the Social Security deduction is listed as “FICA.� The amount deducted should be equal to 6.2 percent of your earnings. Another 1.45 percent of your pay is deducted for Medicare.

When you get your W-2 form, it should show the amounts deducted for Social Security and Medicare in the boxes that say, “Social Security tax� and “Medicare tax.�

The best way to make sure that your boss is reporting your earnings correctly and you are getting your credits is by checking your Social Security Statement. If you are a worker at least 25 years old and are not yet receiving Social Security benefits, you will get this Statement in the mail every year.

The Statement shows how much you have earned each year. It tells you how much money you and your family may get in your Social Security benefits. If you get a Statement in English and prefer one in Spanish, call Social Security and ask for a Spanish Statement.

You should receive your Statement every year about three months before your birthday. If your birthday passes and you have not received your Statement, call Social Security and ask for one.

If you are younger than 25 years of age, you will not receive a Statement automatically. However, you can ask for one each year by calling Social Security. Be sure to tell us if you want a Statement in Spanish or in English.

When you receive your Statement, check it carefully. It is up to you to make sure that Social Security’s records and your boss’ records are correct. The amounts shown on your Statement should be the same as the amounts on your W-2 forms. If the amounts are not correct, give your boss the accurate information. In addition, if you find a difference in the amounts, call Social Security at our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213. When you call, have your W-2 forms or any other proof of how much you made handy. This could be anything your boss has given you showing how much you earned. It also could be the notes you have in the back of this booklet. If your Social Security record is wrong, it will be corrected.

Get a printable version of the Work Record.

Our website is a valuable resource for information about all of Social Security’s programs. There are a number of things you can do online.

In addition to using our website, you can call us toll-free at 1-800-772-1213. We treat all calls confidentially. We can answer specific questions from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Generally, you’ll have a shorter wait time if you call during the week after Tuesday. We can provide information by automated phone service 24 hours a day. (You can use our automated response system to tell us a new address or request a replacement Medicare card.) If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call our TTY number, 1-800-325-0778.

We also want to make sure you receive accurate and courteous service. That is why we have a second Social Security representative monitor some telephone calls.