Social Security earnings record not showing 2024 work income - how long for wages to update?
I just logged into my MySocialSecurity account to check my earnings history and noticed that it shows $0 income for 2024, which is definitely wrong. I worked full-time January through April (made about $23,500) before switching jobs in May. Is this normal? How long does it typically take for recent earnings to show up in the SSA system? I'm worried because I need to make sure all my earnings are counted correctly for my future retirement benefits. Anyone know the typical timeline for when this year's earnings would appear in my record?
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Sean Matthews
Don't worry about it. The SSA is always behind on posting earnings records. It can take up to a year for the wages to show up. Your employer reports your wages annually (W-2s) and the SSA has to process millions of these. As long as you're getting paystubs and W-2s, your earnings will be recorded eventually.
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Mikayla Brown
•Thanks, that's a relief! I was worried something was wrong with my employer's reporting. Do you know if there's any way to verify they received the information before it shows up on my record?
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Ali Anderson
The previous poster is correct. There's a lag time between when you earn wages and when they appear on your Social Security earnings record. Employers typically report wages to SSA once a year, after the calendar year ends. Your 2024 earnings may not show up until mid-to-late 2025. If you want to verify, keep your W-2s and paystubs for at least 3-4 years. If the earnings don't show up correctly after that timeframe, you can request a correction with that documentation. But this is completely normal and not something to worry about right now.
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Zadie Patel
•my sister had this EXACT same worry last month lol. SSA is soooooo slow with everything!!
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A Man D Mortal
I was panicking about this same issue earlier this year! Called SSA multiple times but couldn't get through to anyone. The MySocialSecurity site doesn't explain this clearly AT ALL. Would have saved me weeks of stress if they just put a notice explaining the delay right on the earnings page!!! Also, make SURE you save your W-2s and paystubs. My husband had missing earnings from 2018 and it was a NIGHTMARE trying to get it fixed without documentation.
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Declan Ramirez
•I had a similar experience trying to reach someone at SSA about missing earnings. After waiting on hold for hours and getting disconnected multiple times, I found a service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person at SSA in under 30 minutes. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU or just go to claimyr.com. Saved me so much frustration, especially since I needed to verify some earnings from a previous employer that wasn't showing up correctly.
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Emma Morales
my records always take forever to update too. i think one time it took almost 18 months for some reason? the whole system is ancient
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Mikayla Brown
•18 months?! That's concerning. I'll definitely keep all my documentation just to be safe.
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Katherine Hunter
There's specific timing for wage reporting that explains the delay you're seeing: 1. Employers submit W-2s to SSA by January 31 of the following year 2. SSA then processes these reports (millions of them) 3. Records typically update 6-9 months after submission So for 2024 earnings: - Reported by employers by January 31, 2025 - Processing begins February 2025 - Your record likely updates summer/fall 2025 Self-employment earnings take even longer because they're based on tax returns. The system isn't real-time by design - it's based on annual tax reporting cycles, not paycheck cycles. This is normal and your earnings will be credited properly as long as your employer is following proper reporting procedures.
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Sean Matthews
•This. The only way to see current year earnings would be directly from your employer's payroll system, not SSA.
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Zadie Patel
What happens if your employer goes out of business before submitting the W-2? My company is struggling and I'm worried about this exact situation...
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Katherine Hunter
•Even if your employer goes out of business, they're still legally required to provide W-2s. If they fail to do so, you can contact the IRS for help. You can also file Form 4852 (Substitute for W-2) with your tax return using your final paystub information. The SSA will still receive this information through the IRS. Keep all your paystubs as documentation.
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A Man D Mortal
Another thing nobody mentioned - if you create a new MySocialSecurity account, it might not show your latest earnings right away even if they're in the system. Sometimes it takes a few days for all the data to appear in a new account. When did you create your account?
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Mikayla Brown
•I've had my account for about 3 years, so that's probably not the issue in my case. Good point though!
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Ali Anderson
Just to follow up on this thread - it's also worth noting that your Annual Social Security Statement (which you can view or download from your MySocialSecurity account) will specifically state that your most recent earnings may not be shown. This is completely normal and affects everyone. The important thing is ensuring accuracy over the long term. I recommend checking your earnings record annually to make sure previous years are correct. If you find discrepancies after the normal processing time (9-12 months after year-end), that's when you should contact SSA with your documentation.
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Mikayla Brown
•This is really helpful, thank you! I'll set a reminder to check back next year to make sure everything got recorded properly.
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