How to report wages on SSI
Updated September 30, 2026 · General information, not legal advice
If you get SSI and you work, Social Security needs to know what you were paid every month. Reporting on time is the best protection against being asked to pay money back.
When to report
Report the pay you received in a month by the 6th day of the next month. For example, report all your September paychecks by October 6.
SSI looks at the month you were paid, not the month you worked. A paycheck you got on October 2 is October pay, even if the work was in September.
What to report
- Your gross pay (before taxes and deductions) for each paycheck. Not your take-home pay.
- The date of each paycheck.
- Changes like starting or stopping a job, or a new employer.
Keep your pay stubs. Social Security may ask for them.
Ways to report
| How | Details |
|---|---|
| Online | With a my Social Security account. |
| Phone app | Social Security's free SSA Mobile Wage Reporting app (App Store and Google Play). |
| Automated phone line | 1-866-772-0953, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. |
| Call Social Security | 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time |
| In person | At your local Social Security office. |
If Social Security gets your pay from your employer (PIE)
Since April 2025, Social Security's Payroll Information Exchange (PIE) can get your wages each month straight from employers that use The Work Number (by Equifax), if you agree to it. You can agree when you apply, during a review, or anytime with form SSA-8240.
- Once Social Security sends you a notice saying it gets your wages through PIE, you don't need to report pay from those employers. Until then, keep reporting.
- You always report: starting or stopping a job, a new employer, self-employment, pay from employers that don't use it, a better medical condition, and changes in other income, savings or where you live.
- If a letter shows different pay than your stubs, contact Social Security right away.
Keep proof, every time
Write down the confirmation or receipt number, the date, and how you reported. Take a screenshot if you can. If Social Security ever says you were overpaid, proof that you reported on time matters.
Why it matters
Social Security's Inspector General found that 85% of SSI overpayments were linked to information that wasn't reported on time. When pay goes up, the SSI check goes down about 2 months later. Reporting on time keeps that change small and expected, instead of a big bill later.
See what a month's pay does to your SSI check
- Social Security, Reporting wages for SSI
- Social Security, Spotlight on the Payroll Information Exchange
- SSA Office of the Inspector General, Untimely self-reporting and overpayments, February 2025