Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a needs-based program for people who are disabled, blind or aged. The amount an eligible person can receive is based, in part, on other income. Some people who receive SSI have a representative payee to help them with their payments. Payees can help us make timely and accurate payments by participating in monthly wage reporting.
What is monthly wage reporting?
When you mail or take pay stubs to Social Security at the beginning of each month, we call it monthly wage reporting. The law requires representative payees to report any income received on behalf of a person getting SSI. These wages may or may not affect the SSI payment. We need to see the pay stubs to tell. We also will consider certain expenses you pay that make it possible for the SSI recipient to work.
Generally, the more income available to the SSI recipient, the less the SSI payment will be. Reporting wages each month helps us pay the correct amount of SSI and may prevent the SSI recipient from owing us money, or allow us to pay a higher amount.
Do I need to provide other pay stubs?
Sometimes you must report someone else’s earnings to us. Here are a few examples:
- The SSI recipient's spouse, if the spouse lives with the recipient;
- The SSI recipient's parent(s), if the recipient lives with parent(s) and is younger than 18; and
- The SSI recipient’s sponsors, if the recipient is not a citizen, even if the sponsors do not live in the same household.
You also must report to us if the SSI recipient or any of the people listed previously (spouse, parents or sponsors) start or stop working.
NOTE: If you are the spouse, parent or sponsor of a person receiving SSI, you we need to report see your wages monthly to receive make accurate and timely payments.
How do I report monthly wages?
Each month, take or mail all pay stubs to your local Social Security office. Be sure to include pay stubs for overtime, vacation pay and bonuses. If the person receiving SSI has receipts for disability-related items or services necessary for work, turn those in as well.
Most people with telephone access can report wages using our automated phone system. Reporting monthly wages by phone saves you paper, postage and time by eliminating the need to copy, fax or mail wage evidence to the local office. Contact Social Security to learn more.
Send or bring us the pay stubs as soon as you have received the last pay stub each month, but no later than the 10th day of the next month. For example, we must receive all of the pay stubs for January no later than February 10. Any change in the amount of wages also must be reported no later than the 10th day of the next month.
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.
