Social Security Column Make sure your records match ours By Karyl Richson Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in Milwaukee, WI
It is important to regularly check your records to make sure that the name and number on your Social Security card match up with the name and number you're using elsewhere. If you don't, it could cost you time, money and effort to resolve. Your Social Security number and the name on your Social Security card are often used by companies and government agencies as a way to check your identity. If anything is amiss, you could have a problem. That's why you should regularly check to make sure your records match. This is especially true for people who have recently changed their names, such as new brides or adopted children. Here are a few examples of situations where mismatches can cause trouble. * Timely tax refunds. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) checks your return against your Social Security records. If your name and number don't match up, it could mean a delay in your tax refund or trouble with the IRS. * Your vote counts. But not if your voter registration records don't match up. Don't go to the polls only to discover that you don't have permission to vote because of a mismatch. * Leave the driving to us. You'll have to if you can't renew your drivers license due to a name and Social Security number mismatch with your state's Department or Bureau of Motor Vehicles. * Payroll problems. Make sure your employer and human resources department are using the correct name and Social Security number. Not only could it be a red flag to your employer when your identity doesn't match, it could also affect your future Social Security benefits. * Credit where credit is due. If your earnings are not reported to Social Security under your correct name and number, you may not get the earnings credits you're due -- and that could translate to lower benefit payments in your future. Such earnings discrepancies can be corrected, but it can cause an inconvenient delay when you file for benefits. There are many reasons why your identity records should match ours. So make sure that any time you deal with a company or government agency, they have your correct name and Social Security number as it appears on your Social Security card. To learn more about your Social Security card and number, visit our website at www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnumber/. You can also call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or visit your local Social Security office. ******************** Two Social Security provisions all government employees should know about (May 7-13 is Public Service Recognition Week, a time to honor the men and women who serve America as federal, state, and local government employees.) When it comes to Social Security, many government employees have questions about two provisions of the law that may affect them. These provisions are the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). Yes, these names sound like gobbledygook, but here are some simple questions and answers that should help readers understand what the two provisions are all about. Who is affected by GPO and WEP? Government employees. The Government Pension Offset (GPO) reduces the potential Social Security spouse's/widow's/widower's benefit amount someone could receive if he or she also receives a pension from a federal, state or local government for work on which no Social Security taxes were paid. The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) can reduce a worker's monthly Social Security benefit amount, if he or she also receives a pension from work not covered by Social Security. What is the purpose of these provisions? GPO and WEP are designed to ensure that all American workers are treated equally under the Social Security system. GPO stipulates that any Social Security spouse's or widow's benefit that a worker might be entitled to must be reduced by two-thirds of that worker's government pension. Why? Well, GPO removes an advantage that some government workers once had. Before GPO, a person who worked in a government job that was not covered under Social Security could receive, in addition to a government pension based on his or her own earnings, a full Social Security spouse's or surviving spouse's benefit. No other workers had this option because Social Security benefits payable to a person as a spouse or surviving spouse must be offset, dollar for dollar, by the amount of that person's own Social Security benefit. Similarly, WEP takes away an advantage that the regular Social Security benefit 'formula' would give people who have substantial pensions from non-Social Security covered jobs. Without WEP, a worker who spent most of his or her career in employment not covered by Social Security and who worked for a short time to get Social Security coverage would end up with much higher benefits than if all of his or her work were done under Social Security. How many retirees actually see an effect in their benefit payments?/Last year, out of more than 49 million Social Security beneficiaries, only about 440,000 were affected by GPO. Also, last year there were more than 880,000 retired and disabled workers who had their Social Security benefit partially reduced by WEP. The above information provides just a brief overview of these two provisions. For more information, including examples of just how the two provisions work in real-life situations, visit our website at www.socialsecurity.gov/gpo-wep or call toll-free, 1-800-772-1213 (for the deaf or hard of hearing, call our TTY number, 1-800-325-0778) and ask for Social Security publications on the Government Pension Offset or the Windfall Elimination Provision.