What's that 3-letter employer ID number Social Security needs for my disabled adult child's earnings reporting?
I had a meeting with Social Security last month about my son (27) who receives disabled adult child benefits. They told me they needed to add his new part-time job to his SS file so we can report his earnings online instead of going into the office every month. The rep mentioned a specific ID number for his employer - I think it had 3 letters like "IE" something? I wrote it down but lost the paper, and now I can't remember exactly what it's called. I've tried calling SS back three times but keep getting stuck on hold for over an hour before having to hang up. Has anyone gone through this process? What's that employer ID number called that they need for the online reporting system? Thanks for any help!
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Ahooker-Equator
It's an EIN - Employer Identification Number. Every employer has one. It's a 9-digit number that looks like XX-XXXXXXX. Your son's employer should have it on his paystub, W-2, or any tax forms they gave him. SS needs this to properly track his earnings against his benefits limit.
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Abigail bergen
•Thank you! EIN was exactly what I was trying to remember. I'll check his last paystub right now. So frustrating that I couldn't get through on the phone for something this simple.
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Anderson Prospero
might be an EIN? my daughter is on SSDI and we had to provide that when she started her therapy job. its the tax ID for the company. should be on any paperwork he got when hired
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Abigail bergen
•Yes, that's it! Thanks so much. Does your daughter report her earnings online now? Has it been working smoothly? My son is only working 10 hours a week, but I'm worried about messing up his benefits.
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Anderson Prospero
•yeah we do it online now. WAY better than going to the office!! still have to be super careful with the hours though. they audit everything and if you mess up they send those scary overpayment letters lol. my daughter can only work 15 hrs max or she loses medical
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Tyrone Hill
The SSA system is specifically looking for the Federal EIN (Employer Identification Number). It's a nine-digit number formatted as XX-XXXXXXX that the IRS assigns to businesses for tax purposes. The online wage reporting system requires this number to link your son's earnings with the correct employer in their database. One thing to note - once you set up the online reporting, you'll need to report his wages monthly by the 6th of the following month. It's much more convenient than in-person reporting, but missing deadlines can still create problems with benefits.
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Abigail bergen
•Thank you for that detailed explanation! The 6th of each month deadline is really good to know - the person I talked to didn't mention that specific date. I'll set reminders in my phone so we don't miss it.
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Toot-n-Mighty
When my brother started working part time at walmart we had to do the same thing. God i hate calling social security its IMPOSSIBLE to get anyone on the phone!!!!!!
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Lena Kowalski
•I had the same frustration trying to resolve an issue with my mom's survivor benefits last month. After multiple failed attempts calling SSA directly, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual SSA agent in under 10 minutes. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Completely changed my experience with getting through to Social Security.
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DeShawn Washington
its DEFINTELy the EIN. I work in payroll and its on every paystub our company gives out. if your sons employer is even remotely legit they have to have provided it somewhere. might be listed as "Federal Employer ID" or "Tax ID" but its always 9 digits with a dash after the first two.
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Abigail bergen
•Thanks for confirming! I found it on his paperwork - it was right there on his last paystub. Now I just need to figure out this online reporting system. Have you heard if it's user-friendly or complicated?
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DeShawn Washington
•its not terrible but not great either. very typical government website lol. but WAY better than sitting in the SS office for hours every month. make sure your son keeps ALL paystubs tho, they sometimes audit and you need proof of what you reported.
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Mei-Ling Chen
MY SON WENT THRU SAME THING. social security is THE WORST!!! we gave them his work info 3 TIMES and they still kept sending letters saying we didnt report!! make sure you get RECEIPTS for EVERYTHING!
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Tyrone Hill
•This is a really important point. When you report wages online, always take screenshots or print the confirmation pages. The SSA systems don't always communicate properly with each other, and having documentation of your reporting can save you from headaches if they later claim you didn't report properly. I also recommend keeping a simple spreadsheet with dates of reporting and the amounts reported.
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Ahooker-Equator
Just to add some clarification since there's been some confusion in the responses - the SSA wage reporting system specifically needs the Federal EIN, not a state tax ID or other business identifier. Also, once you have the online reporting set up, you'll need to be aware of your son's Trial Work Period (TWP) months and Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) threshold if he's receiving SSDI-based benefits. The 2025 SGA amount is $1,550 for non-blind disabled individuals, and staying below that is crucial for maintaining benefits.
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Abigail bergen
•Thank you for mentioning the SGA amount. The case worker did talk about that, but I wasn't sure of the exact number for 2025. My son is only working about 10 hours a week at $15/hour, so he should stay well below that threshold. Does the TWP apply to disabled adult child benefits too? I thought that was just for regular SSDI.
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Ahooker-Equator
•Yes, the Trial Work Period does apply to Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits since they're administered under the same rules as SSDI. Your son gets 9 TWP months (not necessarily consecutive) where he can earn any amount without affecting benefits. A TWP month in 2025 is any month he earns over $1,110. After using all 9 TWP months, the SGA limit kicks in. At his current hours, he's likely staying under the TWP threshold too, which is good!
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