Missing self-employment income in Social Security records from 2019-2023 - submitted proof but SSA has no record

Unfortunately this happens more often than the SSA likes to admit, especially with self-employment income. Here's what you need to do: 1. Request a formal earnings record review. This is different than just bringing in documents. Ask specifically for Form SSA-7008 (Request for Correction of Earnings Record). 2. Submit EVERYTHING again, but this time with a cover letter listing exactly what you're providing. Include tax returns, Schedule C, Schedule SE, Form 1040, and proof of tax payments for each missing year. 3. Get a receipt! Don't leave without written confirmation they received your documents. 4. If the local office keeps losing documents, bypass them and send everything certified mail to the regional processing center (addresses are on SSA.gov). Self-employment earnings can take longer to verify since they don't have W-2 forms with automatic reporting. Also know there's a 3-year, 3-month, 15-day time limit for corrections, but there are exceptions for "good cause" which your case should qualify for.

This happend to me too!! My records were missing 2017-2020 and I'm also self employeed. The SS office kept giving me the runaround for almost 8 months. Every time I went in they told me something different. One lady said it was IRS's fault, then another guy said I didnt file my Schedule SE right (but I DID). so frustrating!!!!

I had this EXACT SAME ISSUE last year. Wasted 6 months trying to get through to SSA on the phone and visiting the office three times with no results. Finally used a service called Claimyr to get through to an actual SSA agent who could help (https://claimyr.com). You can see their video demo here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I got through to a knowledgeable agent, they explained there's a special unit that handles self-employment earnings corrections. The local offices often don't process these correctly. The phone agent created a specific case file and tracked it for me. Much better than dealing with the local office losing everything! My record was fixed within about 6 weeks after that call.

As a retired SSA employee, I can provide some insight. Self-employment income reconciliation is handled by a specialized unit and requires specific documentation. Here's the correct process: 1. You need Form SSA-7008 (Request for Correction of Earnings Record) as mentioned above. 2. Critical documentation includes: - Form 1040 (full tax return) - Schedule C (Profit or Loss from Business) - Schedule SE (Self-Employment Tax) - Proof of tax payments (canceled checks or bank statements) - IRS tax account transcript (request from IRS.gov) 3. Most importantly, ask for a "protective filing date" to be entered in the system. This documents when you first reported the issue and protects your right to retroactive correction even if there are further delays. 4. Request a written receipt confirming all documents received. 5. Get the name and direct extension of the Claims Specialist handling your case. Self-employment earnings corrections take approximately 90-120 days when properly submitted. The challenge is often that field offices send these requests to different processing centers without proper tracking.

To address the time limit question: Yes, the general rule is 3 years, 3 months, and 15 days from the end of the tax year for corrections. However, there are important exceptions: 1. The time limit applies to initial filing, not corrections when tax returns were properly filed but SSA failed to record them. 2. Self-employment income has additional protections when timely tax filings can be proven. 3. SSA can apply "administrative finality exceptions" for good cause, which includes agency error (like losing submitted documents). 4. The protective filing date I mentioned is crucial - it establishes you reported the issue within the timeframe. If your husband filed his tax returns on time and paid self-employment taxes, SSA should correct all years 2019-2023 with proper documentation.

just a tip make sure ur husband bringing ORIGINAL tax returns not copies. when i had this problem they wouldnt accept my copies saying they could be altered. also the irs transcript thing helped alot. the ssa lady told me thats the best proof.

You need to file a formal complaint through SSA's Office of the Inspector General. My husband went through something similar (had income gaps for 2016-2018). The local office kept giving us the runaround until we filed a complaint. Suddenly they "found" all our documents and fixed his record within 2 weeks. Also, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Get names of who you speak with, dates, times. Ask for everything in writing. The system is designed to frustrate you into giving up. Don't let them win. If you're going back in person, bring a witness or record the conversation (if legal in your state). Sometimes just mentioning you're documenting everything makes them take you more seriously.

Has ur husband checked his IRS wage and income transcripts? If the problem is just with SSA not showing the income but IRS has record of it then its easier to fix. You can download them free from IRS.gov with an account. My tax person told me this saved him weeks of hassle.

To answer your question about local office versus national number: I'd recommend both approaches simultaneously. 1. Call the national number (or use a service to help get through) to create a formal case for earnings review. This puts it into the national tracking system. 2. Also schedule an appointment (don't just walk in) at your local office specifically for an "earnings record review" and request Form SSA-7008. 3. When you go in person, bring a complete organized package with: - Cover letter listing all contents - Original tax returns and copies (they'll return originals) - IRS tax account transcripts - Payment proof - Previous visit information 4. Most importantly, request both: - A receipt with all documents listed - A "protective filing date" notation - Case number for the earnings investigation Using both channels creates redundancy so if one fails, the other may succeed.

My dad had something similar happen and it was becaus he filed taxes but didnt actually PAY the self employment tax!!! Just filing schedule SE isnt enough, you have to actually pay the tax. Is your husband sure he paid the actual SE tax and not just income tax? They're different things.

One more important thing I learned from my experience - the earnings review process has actually been centralized in recent years. Most local SSA offices don't handle the actual processing anymore - they just collect documents and forward them to processing centers. That's why so many documents get lost in transit. When I finally got through on the phone, the agent told me I could actually fax or mail my documentation directly to the processing center with my case number. This bypassed the local office entirely. If you can get a case started through the national number, ask specifically if you can submit documents directly to the processing center handling your case. Might save you another frustrating visit to the local office.