Social Security missing earnings from 1983 - need advice before FRA in May

Go ahead and file now!!!! I waited for an appointment like yours and ended up MISSING A MONTH of benefits because they count the filing date not the appointment date. Then I spent 6 MONTHS trying to get it fixed afterward. The SSA is a NIGHTMARE to deal with and they'll just tell you to file another form and wait another 30-60 days. My earnings record had problems too and it's still not fixed after nearly 2 years!! If I could do it over, I'd file the day I turned 66 and 4 months and fought the earnings battle separately.

To answer your questions: 1. Your 2025 earnings will be processed in 2026 after your W-2 is processed. SSA automatically recalculates benefits annually around October, so you'll likely see an adjustment in October 2026. 2. I recommend filing now. You can file and still pursue the earnings correction. The protective filing date is important for getting your benefits started on time. 3. A rough calculation: $6,750 from 1983 might increase your monthly benefit by $10-15 at most. Over 20 years, that's maybe $3,000-$3,600 total. 4. Yes, if you wait until April 7 and file then, any corrections to your record should result in proper payment, possibly with some retroactive adjustment if needed. 5. Yes, you can absolutely correct your earnings record after filing. Check the box, get your benefits started, and continue pursuing the correction.

wait i'm confused... are u trying to get regular social security or SSI? they're totally different things. SSI is for people with no income/assets but regular SS retirement is based on work credits. maybe that's why u got that weird letter?

Based on my experience helping clients with Social Security matters, here's my advice: 1. File your retirement application immediately to protect your filing date. This ensures you don't lose any benefits. 2. For the earnings record question, you can either: - Check that it's correct and file Form SSA-7008 separately to correct the 1983 earnings - Or note in the remarks section that you're in the process of correcting 1983 earnings 3. Still keep your April 7 appointment as they can help with the earnings correction process. 4. The missing 1983 earnings probably impact your benefit by less than $20/month, but it's still worth correcting. 5. For the strange SSI letter, that appears to be an administrative error. Bring it up during your April 7 call, but it shouldn't affect your retirement application. Regarding your 2025 earnings, they'll be automatically evaluated in 2026 after your W-2 is processed, and any benefit increase would be retroactive to January 2026.

No, noting the 1983 issue in the remarks section shouldn't delay your application. The SSA processes the application based on the information they currently have in their system. The earnings correction becomes a separate administrative process that happens alongside or after your benefit calculation. I recommend being very specific in your remarks - something like: "I've identified missing earnings of approximately $6,750 from September-December 1983 from [School Name]. I have documentation and am working with SSA to correct this record. I have an appointment scheduled on April 7, 2025 to address this issue.

If you're struggling with reaching the SSA about this issue, I had great luck using Claimyr recently when I needed to talk to someone about my own earnings record problems. I was getting disconnected constantly for weeks, but Claimyr got me through to a representative in under 30 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. Made dealing with my missing earnings record so much less frustrating than sitting on hold for hours.

just wondering but did u ever file taxes for that 1983 job? cuz if u did the irs should have record of it even if the school messed up

One other thing to keep in mind - when you file online, there's a section where you can upload supporting documents. If you have that December 1983 pay stub showing your YTD earnings, I'd upload it along with a brief explanation. This creates a record of the issue from the beginning and might help expedite the correction process.

I had a similar situation when I filed last year - found out my 1987 earnings were missing about $5,200. What worked for me was filing Form SSA-7008 (Request for Correction of Earnings Record) along with my retirement application. I attached my evidence (old pay stubs and tax transcript) and noted the issue in the remarks section of my retirement application. The cool part was that they processed my retirement claim right away based on the existing record, and then about 3 months later, they made the correction and adjusted my payments going forward. They also sent me a small retroactive payment for the difference between what I had been receiving and what I should have received with the corrected record. Don't wait until April 7 to file - you're right on the cusp of your FRA and you want that protective filing date in place.

btw my mom had that weird SSI letter thing happen too! turned out they had her confused w/ someone with similar name and SS#. might wanna mention that on ur april call just to make sure they don't have ur records mixed up

I went through something very similar when I filed for benefits at my FRA. Here's what I learned from my experience: Definitely file your retirement application now rather than waiting until April 7th. The filing date is what matters for when your benefits start, not when you resolve earnings record issues. I made the mistake of delaying my filing to "clean up" my record first and it cost me benefits. For the earnings record issue, you can handle this in two ways: either check that your record is correct and file a separate SSA-7008 form to correct the 1983 earnings, or mention the discrepancy in the remarks section when you file online. I did the latter and it worked fine - my application processed normally while they worked on the correction separately. That SSI letter sounds like a case mix-up. Definitely mention it during your April 7th call, but don't let it delay your retirement filing. These administrative errors happen more often than they should. One tip: when you get your IRS transcript, that will be your strongest evidence for the missing earnings. Pay stubs are good, but the IRS record showing you filed taxes on that income is usually what gets SSA to make the correction quickly. The financial impact of $6,750 from 1983 is probably around $15-20 per month in today's benefits, but over your lifetime that adds up. Still worth pursuing, but not worth delaying your application over.

As someone who just went through this process myself, I strongly recommend filing your retirement application immediately - don't wait until April 7th! The protective filing date is crucial and waiting could cost you benefits. Here's what I'd suggest based on my experience: 1. File online this weekend and in the remarks section, note something like: "Missing earnings from Sept-Dec 1983 (~$6,750) from [school name]. Have documentation and scheduled SSA appointment 4/7/25 to resolve." 2. Keep your April 7th appointment to work on the earnings correction - they can help you file Form SSA-7008 if needed. 3. That strange SSI letter is definitely an error - probably a case mix-up. Mention it during your call but don't let it delay your retirement filing. 4. Your 2025 teaching earnings will automatically be evaluated in 2026 after your W-2 is processed, with any benefit increase retroactive to January 2026. The missing 1983 earnings will probably only impact your monthly benefit by $15-25, but it's still worth correcting. The key is getting your retirement benefits started on time while pursuing the correction separately. I've seen too many people delay filing to "fix everything first" and lose money as a result. Once you get that IRS transcript, you'll have solid evidence to support your claim. The SSA typically accepts tax transcripts as proof of unreported earnings.