Social Security early retirement reporting requirements for eBay sellers - no official monthly form?

The SSA is notorious for making this confusing! I went through this exact situation last year. There's a form called SSA-795 "Statement of Claimant or Other Person" that you can use. It's basically a blank statement form where you can report your monthly earnings and hours. I downloaded it from the SSA website, filled one out each month with my eBay income and approximate hours, and either mailed it or dropped it off at my local office. Make sure you keep DETAILED records of your eBay sales, fees, shipping costs, etc. to calculate your net earnings. For hours worked, I tracked time spent listing items, packaging, going to post office, communicating with buyers - everything related to your eBay business. If you make $0 in a month, still report it! Better safe than sorry with the earnings test.

they dont care about ebay stuff unless ur making big $$$. i sell on ebay maybe $600-700 month and nver reported anythng when i started getting SS last yr. nobody ever said anything to me

I'm in the EXACT same boat! Started SS retirement 3 months ago (I'm 64) and sell vintage items on eBay part-time. The income reporting is confusing enough, but the HOURS part is what's killing me! Some weeks I spend 2 hours taking photos and listing items, then nothing for days, then maybe 30 minutes packing something that sold. How are we supposed to track that??? The lady at my local office told me to "estimate" my hours, but I'm worried about doing it wrong. Following this thread for advice!

This is something I've helped multiple clients with. Here's what you need to know: 1. If you're under Full Retirement Age (FRA) in 2025, the annual earnings limit is $22,750 ($1,895/month), but this is NET self-employment income, not gross sales. 2. For self-employment hours, SSA is primarily concerned with whether you're engaging in "substantial services" - generally more than 45 hours per month is problematic. 3. You don't need a special form. The SSA-795 "Statement of Claimant" form that someone mentioned works fine, or you can write a simple letter with your: - Name and SSN - Month you're reporting - Net earnings (after expenses) - Hours worked 4. You can mail this to your local office monthly, no need to appear in person. 5. Keep detailed records of sales, expenses, and time spent. Break down your hours by activity (listing, shipping, customer service). The key is consistency in your reporting approach. And remember, if your net earnings stay under the monthly limit, your benefits won't be affected.

SSA is a NIGHTMARE to deal with on the phone!!! I tried calling for weeks to get clarification on this exact issue and could never get through. I'd be on hold for HOURS and then get disconnected. So frustrating!!! I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at SSA in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent I spoke with confirmed what others here are saying - you can use the SSA-795 form or even just a letter with your info, and mail it in monthly. They also told me to keep all my eBay sales records for at least 3 years in case I'm ever audited.

I hate to say it but every SSA office seems to handle this differently. My brother-in-law sells antiques online and his local office told him to just report quarterly with estimated taxes. Meanwhile, my office insisted on monthly reporting! SSA's own Program Operations Manual System (POMS) states they should accept various formats for reporting, including signed statements. See POMS RS 02510.015 for official guidance. For hours tracking, my suggestion is create a simple spreadsheet or use a free time-tracking app to log all eBay activities. Include: - Time photographing items - Writing listings - Packaging/shipping - Customer service - Sourcing inventory - Bookkeeping For calculating earnings, take your eBay sales, subtract ALL expenses (fees, shipping, cost of goods, supplies, etc.) and that's your net profit to report. One last tip: If your net is under the monthly limit but you exceed hours one month, explain in your statement any unusual circumstances (like bulk listing items that might sell months later).

Wait I just remembered something - doesn't it depend on whether your eBay activity counts as a "hobby" vs a "business"? I thought I read somewhere that hobby income doesn't count against Social Security earnings test??

My friend got in BIG trouble cuz he didnt report his side gig when taking early SS. they made him pay back like $9000!! dont mess around with this stuff

One practical tip I forgot to mention: I set a calendar reminder for the 1st of each month to complete my earnings report for the previous month. I use a very simple template I created in Word that has my name, SSN, month being reported, net earnings, and hours worked. Under that I include a brief breakdown of my self-employment activities that month. I make three copies - one to mail to SSA, one for my personal records, and one that I ask the SSA office to date-stamp if I drop it off in person (or I use certified mail if mailing it). This system has worked well for me for over a year with no issues. Once you reach your Full Retirement Age, you can stop the monthly reporting completely - that was a happy day for me!