Reporting Changes is Your Responsibility
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: November 6, 2023
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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Tags: retirement benefits, SSI, supplemental security income, survivors benefits
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Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications
Deputy Commissioner, Office of Communications
Comments
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Rita M.
I have checked many sites and cannot find a place to put in the effective date of my address change.
Rita A. Mustaine New address effective May 14, 2019
Yvonne L.
How do I report you made a mistake sending money for my dead husband? I went in person to stop his payments after he dies.
Genevieve T.
The IRS is saying that there records show that my birthday and my Social Security Card do not match.
can I check online what information you have?
Or what’s the fastest way for me to get that information?
Patricia C.
When I retired I went on social security. I had not planned to retire until age 71. unfortunately I had two seizures within a month of each other. The first hospital visit was diagnosed as a stroke. The second one It became known that I had an area of my brain that caused my seizures. I wasn’t able to continue in my job as a bookkeeper because my memory kept failing. I didn’t feel that my employer was getting what they paid me to do. I am wondering if I could have applied for disability instead of ss? Can you be of help to me in this matter, my employer and doctors know why I left my employment.
Linda C.
I am the DPOA for my Uncle who has died. How do I let someone know? I live in Canada and cannot phone the 760-772-1213.
Karen a.
I would like to change our physical address
Omie L.
I have been receiving phone calls stating that my SSN is being used fraudulently. They ask me to press “1” to correct this problem. I always hang up.
I am a elderly person over 95 years old so I thought I should report this.
Please contact my email address for further info or to give me any instructions.
V.V.
Hi Omie, thank you for checking in with us. Unfortunately there are some Social Security impersonation schemes that we are warning citizens about. See our most recent blog post:
Inspector General Warns Public About Caller ID “Spoofing” of Social Security Fraud Hotline Phone Number
If you ever have questions about any communication — email, letter, text or phone call — that claims to be from SSA, please contact your local Social Security office, or call Social Security’s toll-free customer service number at 1-800-772-1213, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, to verify its legitimacy (TTY number at 1-800-325-0778). You may also report the information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report.
Julia W.
I want to have state taxes withdrawnfrom my monthly benefit, do I submit a W4 for this transaction?
V.V.
Julia, thank you for your question. To have federal taxes withheld from your benefits, you can download form W-4V or call the IRS toll-free at 1-800-829-3676 and ask for it. When you complete the form, you can choose to have 7, 10, 12, or 22 percent of your monthly benefit withheld for taxes. You cannot have state taxes withheld from your Social Security benefits.
Visit our Benefits Planner: Withholding Income Tax From Your Social Security Benefits web page for more information.
Jae H.
My wife, Young Hyun Nam Lee (SSN/ClAIM NO. *** – ** – ***) of 100-1205 Kyungnam Anusbil 1-Cha, Yonginsi, Suji Ku Sungbok 1Ro, Kyungido, 16854, South Korea, did not receive direct deposited SS benefit monthly paments for Feb. Mar. and Apr. 2019.
She filled questionaire Form SSA-7162-OCR-SM and sent it to SSA office in Manila, Philipines on March 21, but had no responses yet.
A.C.
Hi, Jae. We are sorry to hear about your wife’s experience. For her security, we do not have access to private information in this venue. For assistance outside of the United States, please contact your local Federal Benefits Unit. You may also find our Office of Earnings & International Operations web page useful. Just a reminder – please be cautious about posting personal information on social media. We hope this is resolved soon.
Christina R.
My husband receives social security now he was diagnosed with cancer can he apply for disability
A.C.
Hi, Christina. We are sorry to hear about your husband’s condition. Disability Benefits are paid to people who are unable to work because of a medical condition that is expected to last one year or more or to end in death. We pay disability benefits through two programs: the Social Security Disability Insurance program (SSDI), and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI is a needs-based disability program that pays benefits to people with limited income and resources who are disabled, blind, or age 65 or older. The SSDI program provides benefits to insured disabled or blind adults covered by workers’ contributions to the Social Security trust funds. If you feel that your husband meets our definition of disability, he can contact us to apply. He can call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for assistance. Generally, he will have a shorter wait if he calls later in the day. He can also contact his local Social Security office. We hope this helps.