Do I need to report being unemployed to SSI? Lost job 4 months ago

YES! You absolutely need to report this change! SSI (Supplemental Security Income) requires you to report any changes in income within 10 days of the month after the change occurs. Since you're no longer receiving that $420/month, your SSI payment should increase. The good news is that they should adjust your payment going forward, and you might even get some back pay for the months you weren't working but were still receiving the reduced SSI amount. Call them ASAP to report this change - don't wait any longer.

Same thing happened to me last year - lost my job and forgot to tell SSA for almost 6 months! Trying to get through to a real person at Social Security was IMPOSSIBLE. I kept calling and calling - busy signals, disconnects, 4+ hour wait times. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual SSA agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - totally worth it to avoid the frustration. When I finally talked to SSA, they updated my record and my monthly SSI payment went up by almost the exact amount I had been earning. They even gave me some back payments!

I lost a job last year and had the SAME EXACT WORRY! The SSA rep I talked to said they don't consider it fraud if you didn't intentionally try to hide it. BUT YES YOU NEED TO REPORT THIS!!! You're actually missing out on HIGHER PAYMENTS by not reporting it! SSI is reduced based on your income - so when income goes down, benefits should go UP! I ended up getting about $200 more per month after reporting I lost my job. CALL THEM TODAY!!!

Yep you need to report job loss to SSI. When my sister lost her job she got an extra $250/month after reporting. Think about it - they were reducing ur check bc of that work income, so now u should get more.

There seems to be some confusion in the responses here. Let me clarify the SSI reporting requirements: 1. You must report changes (including stopping work) by the 10th of the month AFTER the change occurs 2. The penalty for late reporting can be $25-$100 reduction in benefits 3. However, SSA often waives this penalty for first-time violations if there was no intent to defraud 4. Your SSI will likely increase by approximately $1 for every $2 you were earning (so potentially up to $210 more per month) 5. They may provide back payments for the months you weren't working Call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 to report this change. Be honest about when you stopped working and why you didn't report it earlier. Request that any retroactive increase be processed as well.

I JUST REMEMBERED SOMETHING ELSE IMPORTANT!!! If your car was your only significant asset, make sure they know you still have it even though it's not working. SSI has that $2000 resource limit ($3000 for couples) and they count cars that aren't being used for transportation to work differently! You're allowed one vehicle regardless of value if you use it for transportation, but if you have a broken-down car AND another vehicle, they might count one against your resource limit. Just something to keep in mind!

Just wanted to update - I called using that Claimyr service I mentioned, and they were able to process my back payments pretty quickly once I got through. The important thing is documenting exactly when you stopped working. Do you have any final paystubs or anything from your employer showing when your last day was? That will help them calculate exactly how much they owe you for the months you weren't working but were still receiving the reduced SSI amount.

my brother didnt report losing his job for like 6 months and when he finally told them they gave him all the extra money he shouldve been getting the whole time. they backdated it. he didnt get in any trouble at all they just fixed it going forward. dont stress to much

To follow up on my earlier comment - one more thing to remember is that unemployment benefits DO count as income for SSI purposes, so if you're receiving unemployment, you still need to report that. But it sounds like you aren't getting unemployment since you mentioned just living on your SSI payment. Just wanted to clarify that point since it comes up often in these situations.

The good news is that your SSI should increase now that you don't have that income. The general calculation is that SSI reduces about $1 for every $2 you earn (after some exclusions). So if you were making $420/month, your SSI was probably reduced by around $167.50 or so each month. That means you should see your monthly payment increase by that amount going forward. As for back payments, yes, they should give you the difference for each month since you stopped working. When you call, just be honest about why you didn't report it earlier. Saying you didn't realize you needed to report it (especially if this is your first time making this kind of error) usually results in them just fixing it without penalties.

Hey there! I'm new to this community but wanted to share what happened when I was in a similar situation. I delayed reporting a job loss for about 3 months and was terrified they'd think I was trying to hide something. When I finally called, the representative was actually really understanding. She explained that as long as you're being honest and it wasn't intentional fraud, they usually just fix it going forward. One tip that really helped me: when you call, have your last pay stub ready and be prepared to explain exactly when your last day of work was. They'll need that date to calculate your back payments correctly. Also, don't be surprised if the phone wait times are brutal - I called early morning (like 8 AM) and had better luck getting through. The increase in your monthly payment will probably be noticeable since you were earning $420/month. That should translate to roughly $200+ more per month in SSI once they remove that income from their calculations. Good luck with the call!

Welcome to the community! I'm relatively new here too but wanted to add something that might help ease your worries. I was in almost the exact same boat - lost my job due to transportation issues (my car died) and didn't report it to SSA for about 5 months because I honestly didn't know I was supposed to. When I finally called, I was prepared for the worst, but the SSA representative was actually really patient and helpful. She said something that stuck with me: "We'd rather you call late than not call at all." They're used to people not understanding all the reporting requirements, especially if you're newer to receiving benefits. A few practical tips for when you call: - Have your Social Security number and a pen/paper ready - Write down the date you stopped working and why (car breakdown/transportation issues) - If you have your last pay stub, keep it handy for reference - Ask specifically about retroactive payments - they should calculate how much extra you should have been getting each month The math should work out to roughly $200+ more per month going forward, plus back payments for January through now. That could be a nice chunk of money to help with your car repairs! Don't let the anxiety stop you from making that call - you've got this!

As a newcomer here, I wanted to share something that might help - I just went through this exact situation last month! I lost my job in December due to health issues and completely forgot about reporting it to SSA until February. I was terrified they'd think I was trying to scam the system. When I finally worked up the courage to call, the representative was surprisingly understanding. She said late reporting happens more often than you'd think, especially with people who are new to SSI or dealing with health/transportation challenges. The key is being honest about why you didn't report it sooner. Here's what actually happened: They calculated my back payments from December through February and I got an extra $180 per month going forward (I was earning about $350/month before). The lump sum back payment was around $540, which was a lifesaver for catching up on bills. My advice: Call the 1-800-772-1213 number first thing in the morning (around 8 AM seems to have shorter wait times), have your last pay stub ready, and just explain exactly what happened with your transportation situation. They deal with job losses due to transportation issues pretty regularly, so they'll understand your situation. You're not trying to hide anything - you just didn't know the rules, and that makes a big difference to them.

Hi there! I'm new to this community and wanted to share some encouragement since I've been in a very similar situation. I lost my part-time job about 6 months ago due to chronic pain flare-ups making it impossible to maintain my work schedule, and I also forgot to report it to SSA right away. Like you, I was absolutely terrified about calling - I kept imagining worst-case scenarios where they'd accuse me of fraud or cut off my benefits entirely. But when I finally called (took me almost 2 months to work up the courage!), the SSA representative was actually really kind and professional about it. A few things that helped me prepare for the call: - I wrote down exactly when my last day of work was and why I stopped working - Had my final pay stub ready (though they didn't end up needing it) - Practiced explaining my situation beforehand so I wouldn't get too flustered The representative explained that they see delayed reporting fairly often, especially from people dealing with health or transportation challenges. She said the important thing is that I was being honest now and not trying to hide anything. My SSI payment increased by about $165/month going forward, and they gave me back payments for the months I should have been getting the higher amount. It was such a relief both financially and emotionally. You absolutely should call them - you're missing out on money you're entitled to, and from everything I've read here and experienced myself, they're generally understanding about these situations when there's no intent to defraud. You've got this!

Hey everyone! I'm new to this community but wanted to jump in because I literally just went through this exact same thing last week. I lost my job back in October due to similar transportation issues (my car died and I couldn't afford repairs) and I completely spaced on reporting it to SSA. I was making about $380/month at my part-time job. I finally called last Wednesday after reading through forums like this one, and I'm so glad I did! The representative was actually really patient with me. I explained that I didn't realize I needed to report stopping work (I thought I only had to report when I STARTED working), and she said that's a super common misunderstanding, especially for people newer to SSI. Here's what happened: My monthly SSI payment is going up by $190 starting next month, and they're sending me back payments totaling about $950 for the months I should have been getting the higher amount. She said because I was honest about when I stopped working and why I didn't report it, they waived any penalties. My advice: Don't wait any longer! You're literally losing money every month by not calling. Have your last pay stub ready if you still have it, and just be completely honest about your situation. The transportation issue is totally legitimate and they understand that. Good luck - you've got this! 🙂