Missing years in Social Security earnings record - 90 days processing time normal?
I discovered 2 income years missing from my Social Security record when I filed for retirement benefits. Back in November (nearly 3 months ago!), I faxed both tax returns to SSA as requested, but haven't heard anything since. When I log into my account, it just says they can't provide information because my retirement application is being processed at my local office. Is a 90-day wait normal for adding missing earnings years? I'm confused about how this works - does SSA have direct access to IRS records to verify my income, or do they have to request this information through some other process? When I called, the agent seemed clueless and just said it's a "process" handled by another department they don't have access to. It took me from September to late October just to speak with a specialist. Is there any way to contact the specific person who's supposed to be working on my case without waiting weeks on the phone again? I have his name. Also, I'm starting to wonder if these two missing years are even worth all this waiting - I have no idea how much they might increase my monthly benefit.
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Kelsey Chin
The SSA and IRS do share information, but it's not instant or automatic. Your earnings corrections are processed by a specialized unit. 90 days isn't unusual, especially if you filed during peak season. If those years had higher earnings than your other years, they could increase your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) calculation significantly. It all depends on your highest 35 years of indexed earnings. Without knowing the specifics of your earnings record, it's hard to say if they'll make a big difference.
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Vincent Bimbach
•Thanks for explaining. Do you know if my benefits will be retroactive once they fix the earnings record? I'm concerned about losing money while waiting for this process to finish.
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Norah Quay
Same thing happened to me! Took over 4 months to get my missing years added. So frustrating! When they finally fixed it my benefit increased by $182/month which was worth the wait I guess.
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Vincent Bimbach
•4 months?! That's crazy. Did you do anything to speed up the process or just wait it out? $182 monthly increase would definitely make it worth waiting for me too.
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Leo McDonald
SSA employees cant just look up your IRS records!!!! PRIVACY LAWS protect us!!!!! They have to submit formal requests to IRS and wait for processing. I waited SIX MONTHS for them to fix my earnings record and they STILL got it wrong the first time!!!!! Had to start all over again. The system is BROKEN!!!!
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Jessica Nolan
•my brother works at ssa and says they do have irs access but only certain departments can use it
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Angelina Farar
I've helped many clients through this process as a former SSA employee. The earnings correction process is handled by the Earnings Modernization Department. Unfortunately, direct contact with them isn't possible for claimants. What you can do: 1. Request a status update through your local office 2. Ask for a "protective filing date" to ensure retroactive payments 3. If it's been over 90 days, consider filing a "critical case" request Regarding the impact: Each year of higher earnings can potentially replace a lower-earning year in your top 35, which determine your benefit amount. The difference could be substantial or minimal depending on your overall earnings history.
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Vincent Bimbach
•This is really helpful, thank you! I'll ask about the "protective filing date" and "critical case" request. Do I need to visit the office in person for this or can I do it by phone?
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Sebastián Stevens
After weeks of trying to reach SSA about a similar issue, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a representative without the endless wait. They connected me to SSA in about 15 minutes instead of the hours I was spending before. There's a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU if you're interested. It saved me so much frustration trying to reach someone who could actually help with my earnings record.
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Bethany Groves
•does this actually work? i'm on day 3 of trying to get through to someone about my husband's benefit application
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Sebastián Stevens
•It worked for me! I was skeptical too but after trying for over a week to get through myself, I gave it a shot. Got connected in about 20 minutes and the agent I spoke with was able to tell me exactly what was happening with my case.
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Jessica Nolan
my aunt had missing years too and they fixed it after like 4 months. she kept calling but i don't think it helped speed anything up. the computer systems at ssa are super old thats what causes alot of the delays
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Leo McDonald
•EXACTLY!!! Their systems are from the STONE AGE!!!! My neighbor works in IT and says the SSA computers are older than some of the EMPLOYEES!!!!!! Our tax dollars at work people!!!!!
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Bethany Groves
Did u work under a different name those years? Or different ssn? Sometimes that causes problems. I had issues because I was married then divorced then married again and they had to match all my earnings under my different last names.
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Vincent Bimbach
•No, same name and SSN for my whole working life. I think the issue might be that I was self-employed those two years and maybe the tax reporting was processed differently? Not sure.
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Kelsey Chin
To answer your question about contacting the specific person: unfortunately, SSA doesn't generally allow direct contact with specific employees. Your best bet is to call the main number (1-800-772-1213) and request a callback from your local office regarding your case. Mention it's been 90+ days, which should elevate the priority. Regarding retroactivity: Yes, once your earnings record is corrected, any increase in benefits would be paid retroactively to your entitlement date, so you won't lose money due to the delay.
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Vincent Bimbach
•That's a relief about the retroactive payments! I'll try calling the main number again tomorrow and specifically ask for a callback from the local office. Thanks for the advice.
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Norah Quay
i wonder if a congressperson could help? my sister had an ssdi issue that was taking forever and she contacted her congressman's office and suddenly everything got fixed in like 2 weeks!
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Angelina Farar
•This is actually excellent advice. Congressional inquiries do receive priority handling at SSA. If your case has been pending for 90+ days, a congressional inquiry can often expedite the process. You'd need to contact your representative's local office and complete a privacy release form allowing them to inquire about your case.
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