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SSA logo: link to Social Security Online home 1726. Evidence of Wages

1726.1 When is evidence of wages needed?

You need to provide evidence of the amount of wages paid to you and the period they were paid if:

  1. The wages are not recorded in the earnings record maintained by us or the Railroad Retirement Board; or

  2. There is reason to believe that the amounts recorded are not correct.

1726.2 What constitutes evidence of your wages?

Evidence must be based directly on your employer's records, if available, and may consist of:

  1. Form W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement);

  2. Notice from us to you showing wages credited to your earnings record, e.g., Form SSA-L987 (Social Security Earnings Information);

  3. SSA-7011 (Statement of Employer) used in claims and earnings discrepancy cases as evidence of non-agricultural wages, if signed by employer or custodian of employer's records;

  4. SSA-1002 (Statement of Agricultural Employer) used in claims and earnings discrepancy cases as evidence of agricultural wages, if signed by employer or custodian of employer's records;

  5. Any other statement signed by an employer;

  6. Statement signed by custodian of employer's records;

  7. Certification by SSA of contents of employer's records;

  8. Certification by SSA of contents of employer tax returns in possession of IRS;

  9. Certification by SSA of report of IRS audit of employer's records; or

  10. SSA-4500-U6 (Federal Determination of Error in State's Wage Reports) when signed by an authorized State or local official.

Last Revised: Jul. 1, 2004

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Last reviewed or modified Wednesday Apr 01, 2009

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