Use this process when your Social Security earnings history is missing earnings, shows the wrong amount, or includes earnings that are not yours. It is not the process for correcting a Social Security card, changing your legal name, or appealing a benefit decision.
Who should use this process
Review your earnings record if wages or self-employment income for a past year appear missing or incorrect. A correction may also be needed if an employer reported earnings under the wrong name or Social Security number, or if earnings belonging to another person appear on your record.
Recent earnings can take time to appear. SSA advises reviewing the prior year’s amount in August before treating a recent omission as an error.
Time limit for corrections
Ordinarily, an earnings record cannot be corrected after 3 years, 3 months, and 15 days from the end of the taxable year in question. Federal rules include exceptions, including certain corrections supported by tax returns, employer reporting omissions, errors apparent in SSA records, and earnings entered for the wrong person or period. If the year is older than the ordinary limit, contact SSA rather than assuming the record cannot be corrected.
Prepare evidence before contacting SSA
- Form W-2 or W-2c for the year in question, if available.
- Pay stubs or other employment records showing the earnings.
- Filed tax returns and relevant schedules for self-employment income.
- Your employer’s name and location, the dates you worked, and the amount you earned.
- The name and Social Security number you used when the earnings were reported.
SSA may ask for additional evidence or contact an employer as part of its investigation.
Ways to request a correction
- Review the complete earnings record: sign in to your personal my Social Security account and identify the exact year or entry that is wrong.
- Use the online correction option if SSA offers it to you: some people can select “Request a correction online” from their earnings record. Not everyone is eligible for the online process.
- Contact SSA if the online option is unavailable: call 1-800-772-1213 or contact a local Social Security office. SSA can tell you what evidence it needs for your case.
- Complete Form SSA-7008 if SSA directs you to use it: the current form is Request for Correction of Earnings Record, edition 09-2023. SSA’s current form says prior editions are discontinued.
- Keep copies: retain the evidence you provide and any confirmation or correspondence from SSA.
If the earnings are not yours
SSA can correct earnings that were posted to the wrong person. If you also believe identity theft occurred, handle that issue separately through the Federal Trade Commission; SSA’s role is to correct its own records.
What happens after you ask for a correction
SSA reviews the evidence and may need additional information from you or an employer. A corrected earnings record can change benefit estimates and, in some cases, benefit eligibility or payment calculations. SSA does not publish a single guaranteed processing time for earnings-record corrections.
Official links
- SSA — How do I correct my earnings record?
- SSA — Remove earnings that are not mine
- SSA — Form SSA-7008, Request for Correction of Earnings Record
- SSA — 20 CFR § 404.820, filing a correction request
- SSA — 20 CFR § 404.822, corrections after the time limit