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
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Sally
I would like to know how an inheritance affects SSI payments – are SSI payments stopped, reduced, etc?
Is there a formula that is applied and/or a calculator that can be used to find out if payments will be affected?
Thank you
V.V.
Hi Sally, thank you for using our blog. An inheritance will not affect Social Security disability benefits. However, an inheritance will affect Supplemental Security Income (SSI). For SSI, we consider inherited money income for the month it’s received. It could make the SSI recipient ineligible for that month, depending on the amount. If the SSI recipient keeps the money into the following month, we consider it part of their resources. For additional details, check out our Understanding Supplemental Security Income guide. We hope this helps!
Robert T.
I need to give ssd my Bank of America direct deposit to ssd? I no longer want to us woodforest National Bank! But the office says it’s closed
V.V.
Hi Robert, thanks for your question. Check out our Frequently Asked Questions web page for details on how to add or change direct deposit. We hope this helps!
Natalie
I am enrolling my daughter college and filled out the FAFSA; however, her legal hyphenated name is too long so it cuts it off on the FAFSA which has been accepted after revising it. The Financial Aid office is now telling me that the name on the FAFSA doesn’t match the SSA records. What else do i need to do? She didn’t legally change, it’s just the field for the last name doesn’t support the length of it. Can someone give me some information on this please.
V.V.
Hi Natalie, thanks for using our blog. If the name is correct on the Social Security card, and the name was not legally changed, there is no action that is needed with Social Security. If she does need to change or correct her name on her Social Security card, check out our Frequently Asked Questions web page for details. We hope this helps.
Billy E.
Do I report income from rental mobile home
V.V.
Hi Billy, thank you for your question. If you’re receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, you need to report all of your income, including rental income. Please note that we will not consider economic impact payments as income for SSI recipients, and the payments are excluded from resources for 12 months.
For more about reporting income, check out the online booklet, Understanding Supplemental Security Income. To report your income, you can call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or your local Social Security office. Please look for the general inquiry telephone number at the Social Security Office Locator. The number may appear under Show Additional Office Information. Please be aware that our call wait times are longer than normal. We hope this information helps.
Ana C.
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Dorothy D.
I am on Social Security disability and I am getting custody of two minor grandchildren. Will my benefits change? How do I apply on line for replacement cards for them?
V.V.
Hi Dorothy, thank you for using our blog. Under current law, Social Security can only pay benefits to grandchildren if certain conditions are met. In addition to providing for more than 50% of their support as you are doing now, the biological parents of the children must be deceased or disabled, or you must have legally adopted them. See “Benefits For Grandchildren” for more information.
Check out our Frequently Asked Questions web page for information on how to replace a Social Security card for a child. To learn more on the process and what documents you and your child will need to get a card, please visit our Learn what documents you will need to get a Social Security Card web page. If you do not want to mail in the documents, which will be returned, you may need to wait for the offices to reopen. Use our Social Security Office Locator to find your local office address. We hope this helps.
Ray W.
I am a 61 year old SSI beneficiary, and I work part time from time to time, and recently I wa slaid of from my last job 04/24/2019 and I drawed unemployment for 26 week, ending October 29, 2019. I have been looking for another part time job ever since that time, then came the Shelter in place order from our Governor on March 15, 2020 because of the Pandemic. It was determined through Mississippi Department Employment Security, I was eligible for 13 additional weeks of unemplyment insurance (PEUC), of 23 dollars per week and 600 dollars per week. So I repeorted that on May 6, 2020. NNOw my SSI Check had been stopped, no check on JUne 1, 2020 amd my medicad will be stopped on JUne 1, 2020 as well. I Need the health insurance for health reasons and what I need ot know is, can I just stop the weekly emergency unemployment payments, so my SSI can start up again for JUne, 1, 2020? What can I do. Will my SSi start up again after the 13 weeks of drawing unemployment, and so I need to spend down all the extra money I get from MDES? DO I Need to keep receipts, I mean I Have been drawing SSI Disability for 33 years. The amount of unemployment I get is not coming in all at one time, it will be done on a weekly basis, so how does that work and what can I do? I would much rather want to discontinue the weekly MDES payments and just have the SSI as it was before so I can keep the health insurance?
NICHOLAS T.
Reporting my earning on May 10, 2020.
i received $1,744.06 (net amount) on 5/10/2020.
Total 48.5 hrs.(3/16-3/20/20).
V.V.
Nicholas, thank you for using our blog. You can report wages by calling or writing your local Social Security Office. The reporting options are to use the automated toll-free SSI Telephone Wage Reporting Service, the free SSI Mobile Wage Reporting Smartphone app, or the my Social Security online wage reporting tool. We hope this helps.
Dennis C.
my brother passed away in the Philipines in 2007. we believe his younger children is still receiving benefits. we have lost contact with our nephews. If our nephews are still receiving benefits is there any way to obtain their address so we can reunite with our family
Lesha C.
My father Otis Wendell Coles, Sr passed away on Monday, May 4, 2020. I would like to stop his automatic payment of Social Security Benefits. My name is Lesha Coles Williams – 88 Meadows Lane – Heathsville, VA 22473. Phone numbers 804.580.4802 (H) and 410.935.5519 (Cell).
V.V.
Hi Lesha, we are very sorry for your loss. Typically, the funeral director notifies us of an individual’s passing by contacting the local Social Security office. To verify this information was reported, you can call us at 1-800-772-1213 for assistance or you can contact your local Social Security office. Please look for the general inquiry telephone number at the Social Security Office Locator. The number may appear under Show Additional Office Information. Please be aware that our call wait times are longer than normal. We hope this information helps.
See our Factsheet on How Social Security Can Help When a Family Member Dies.