Will Social Security contact my employer BEFORE benefits start? Privacy concerns

SS doesnt contact your employer when you apply for retirement benefits. They only verify your income through tax records they already have. Your boss wont know unless you tell them.

The previous response is mostly correct, but with one clarification: Social Security only contacts employers when processing disability (SSDI) claims, not retirement benefits. For retirement, they use earnings records already in their system from your W-2 forms and tax filings. The application process is completely confidential. Since you mentioned you're turning 66 in 2025, you'll be at your Full Retirement Age (FRA), so there's no earnings limit to worry about either. If you were claiming early retirement benefits before FRA, you'd need to report your expected earnings for the year, but even then, SSA wouldn't contact your employer directly.

When I applied for SS last year, they never contacted my company at all. The whole process was pretty quick - did it online and had my first deposit about 6 weeks later. Nobody at work knew until I gave my notice!

There's actually a bit of misinformation here that I want to clear up. While it's true that SSA doesn't typically contact employers for retirement benefit applications, there's one exception: if you're applying for Medicare and are still covered by an employer health plan, they MAY contact your employer's benefits department to verify your coverage status. This is for the Medicare Secondary Payer questionnaire. If you're concerned about privacy, when you apply, you can specifically request that they not contact your employer and explain your situation. In most cases, you can provide the necessary information about your employer coverage yourself without them reaching out directly.

Trying to get through to SSA on the phone is a NIGHTMARE right now. I spent 3 weeks trying to reach someone about my Medicare application - kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Definitely worth it when you have specific questions like yours that you need answered before submitting your application. The agent I spoke with was able to note my account that I didn't want my employer contacted and explained exactly how to handle the Medicare Secondary Payer questions.

DONT WORRY AT ALL!!! I was so stressed about this same thing last year. My boss is TERRIBLE and I was afraid he would make my life hell if he found out I was applying for SS before I was ready to announce my retirement. NO ONE contacted my work about ANYTHING!!! The whole process was between me and SSA only!!!

Yes I did both SS and Medicare together! They asked about my current insurance but never contacted my HR department. Just make sure when you fill out the Medicare Secondary Payer questionnaire you provide all the info they need about your current insurance (group number, plan ID, etc) so they dont need to verify anything with your employer.

Just my two cents but i think its silly to be so secretive about retirement. your employer will find out eventually anyway and they might appreciate more notice. but its your choice obv

Just to summarize the accurate information shared so far: 1. For standard retirement benefits: SSA does NOT contact employers. They use their existing earnings records. 2. For Medicare: They MAY contact employers to verify current health insurance coverage for the Medicare Secondary Payer determination, but you can: - Provide complete insurance information yourself to minimize this chance - Specifically request no employer contact when you apply - Speak with an SSA representative to note this preference on your account before applying 3. For disability claims (SSDI): They DO typically contact employers (not relevant to your situation) Hope this helps clarify everything!