Disability, General, Retirement, SSI, Survivors

Reporting Changes is Your Responsibility

December 10, 2015 • By

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Last Updated: November 6, 2023

a picture of a hand on a laptop keyboard.If you receive benefits from Social Security, you have a legal obligation to report changes, which could affect your eligibility for disability, retirement, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. You must report any changes that may affect your benefits immediately, and no later than 10 days after the end of the month in which the change occurred.

Changes you need to report range from a change of address to traveling outside the United States for 30 consecutive days. To get a list of reporting responsibilities under disability, please read our publication, What You Need to Know When You get Social Security Disability Benefits, and for SSI, read What You Need to Know When You Get Supplemental Security Income. If you’re receiving retirement benefits, What You Need to Know When You Get Retirement or Survivors Benefits is also helpful.

Life changes can affect your benefits. You may be due additional payments, or you may be overpaid and have to pay us back because you didn’t report the overpayment in a timely manner. The SSI program may apply a penalty that will reduce your benefits if you fail to report a change, or if you reported the change later than 10 days after the end of the month in which the change occurred. If you fail to report changes in a timely way, or if you intentionally make a false statement, we may stop your SSI, disability, and retirement benefits. We may also impose a sanction against your payments. The first sanction is a loss of payments for six months. Subsequent sanctions are for 12 and 24 months.

You can report your change online, or by calling toll free at 1-800-772-1213. If you’re deaf or hearing-impaired call TTY 1-800-325-0778. Mail the information to your local Social Security office or in person if you prefer. If you receive SSI, you should ask about our options to use the automated toll-free SSI Telephone Wage Reporting Service or the free SSA Mobile Wage Reporting app.

If you receive benefits and need to change your address or direct deposit, you can conveniently do so by creating a personal my Social Security account.

Get the right check, in the right amount, at the right time, by reporting changes right away!

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About the Author

Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications

Deputy Commissioner, Office of Communications

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Comments

  1. cindyc

    i am on ssdi- i only make 600.00 a month, my husband is on ssi with some type of survivor benefit, he makes 1027 a month 300 of that is the survivor benefit from his father who died a few years ago, hes been on ssi all of his life, how is this going to affect us getting married? we are so worried we are going to end up homeless and lose our apartment our incomes basically cover our living expenses

    • R.F.

      Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions web page for complete information about how marriage can affect Social Security benefits. If you have specific questions, call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213 and speak to one of our agents. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Thanks.

  2. Sara

    I am disabled and have SSI and the nature of my disability makes it hard to keep up with the paperwork and phone calls neccesary to keep SSI and I am always terrified, shaking, and breaking into tears whenever I move and have to update things, or when I need to report different pieces of information out of fear that I will have my benefits removed because I couldn’t do it or made a mistake. I do not have people to help me. I have asked multiple people from social security offices how to get help but they never have any sympathy or answers and it’s to the point of actually making my disability worse from the fear. It feels like I am being punished by the government for being disabled. I do not want to live like this any longer, it is making life no longer worth living. Is there any way to get any sort of case manager or other person to help with this? I’m at risk of losing my SSI because of my disability making it too hard to reliably do the nessecary things to keep SSI.

    • cindyc

      maybe a payee would help you?

  3. Chris

    My 5 year old son with Autism receives SSI. My wife and I are hoping to pay our house off in a couple of months. Will this have any impact on his SSI? Also, could you explain how much in assets our family is allowed to have? Can our son’s resources amount to $2,000 while my wife and I have $3,000 in assets for a family total of $5,000? Or is our entire limit only $2,000?

    • A.C.

      The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program pays benefits to disabled adults and children who have limited income and resources. If a child under the age of 18 receives SSI benefits, we count his or her parent’s income and resources. Sometimes we “deem” a portion of the resources of a spouse, parent, parent’s spouse, sponsor of an alien or sponsor’s spouse as belonging to the person who applies for SSI. We call this process the deeming of resources. If a child under age 18 lives with one parent, $2,000 of the parent’s total countable resources does not count. If the child lives with 2 parents, $3,000 does not count. We count amounts over the parents’ limits as part of the child’s $2,000 resource limit. Please contact your local office or call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213 and speak to one of our representatives for further assistance. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Thanks.

      • Chris

        Thanks so much for the timely reply. It is my understanding that the value of the home that our family lives in does not count as an asset whether it is paid off or not. Is this correct?

  4. m j.

    How do I report income for previous months?

  5. Jane

    So right now I have to send in wages each month due to being on disability after I reach age 62 will I have to continue doing so cause I know people who have retired at 62 and do not send any wages each month??

  6. Jane

    Well my dilemma is this so I know that my Social security amount will never change each month due to me being on disability, however my question is when I turn 62 do I need to keep sending in my wages each month? After reaching age 62 as we both know you can retire at age 62 and of course it is not as much if a person would have waited. And was wondering do I have the right to collect money off my X husbands social security when I reach 62? As he is collecting his social security we were married 27yrs.

    • R.F.

      Hi Jane, you will have to contact us 3 months before your 62 birthday to see if you qualify for a higher benefit amount on your ex-spouse’s record. See our Retirement Planner: If You’re Divorced for more information on that matter. Also, keep in mind that disability payments are established at the highest rate possible. No reductions factors are applied, meaning you get the highest monthly benefit amount allowed. Social Security disability benefits automatically change to retirement benefits when disability beneficiaries attain their full retirement age (Currently age 66). The benefit amount will generally remain the same. Please continue to report your wages and work activity to Social Security while you work. We hope this information helps.

  7. Ronald B.

    I am 88 years old. My wife is 61 and is not working but does receive an Air Force pension for her 20 years of service. If I die can she receive a widows benefit? I am receiving $20,000 a year in SS.

    • R.F.

      Thank you for your question Ronald. A widow can receive reduced benefits as early as age 60 (50 if disabled). Generally, widow’s benefits will be affected if the widow receives a pension from a government job in which she did not pay Social Security taxes. Visit our Survivors Planner for more information.

  8. Kay

    Hello. My child receives SS disability and just got an increase, i was told by her doctors that she shouldve been getting that much the whole time.
    How do i know if she is owed that money or if she will receive back pay?

    • R.F.

      We wish we could help you Kay, but for security reasons we do not have access to personal records in this blog. Please contact your local Social Security office directly, or call our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213 for assistance. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Generally, you will have a shorter wait time if you call later in the day or later in the week. Thanks.

  9. alyssa

    I need to do a change of address for my grandma who receives social security benefits. It won’t let me set up an online account for her. Will they let me change her address on the phone? She is not mobile and does not speak English so she cannot go to the local office or do the calling herself. What can I do? How do I change her address so her check is sent to the right place?

    • R.F.

      Thank you for trying to help Alyssa. For security reasons, you cannot create or use an account on behalf of another person. You can only create a my Social Security account using your own personal information and for your own exclusive use. You can call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213 and speak to one of our agents. We will first have to speak with your grandmother and then you can assist with providing the new information. We hope you understand our role in protecting everyone’s personal information. If you think your grandmother may need help managing her Social Security benefits, ask our agents about the Representative Payee program. Representatives at our toll free number are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. You will experience shorter waiting time if you call later in the day or later in the week. We hope this helps!

  10. Dudley H.

    Apparently because he moved to the nursing home.

Comments are closed.