Check Your Social Security Earnings Statement

Mistakes in your earnings record can lower your future Social Security benefits. Review your earnings statement annually, especially after tax season, to identify and fix any issues. Errors like missing income or partial reporting are common but only you can catch them. ✕ Check Your Social Security Earnings Statement Before It Costs You Your Retirement Quick answer: Review your Social Security earnings statement at least once a year at SSA.gov. Your earnings record determines your future retirement benefits, and mistakes—like a missing year of income or partial reporting—can shortchange you if you don't catch them early. On a recent Money Matters Monday segment on 105.3 RNB, host Olympia D sat down with financial planner, educator, and FIRE expert Jackie Cummings Koski for a simple public service announcement: check your Social Security earnings statement. It's a small task that can have a big effect on your retirement. Why does your earnings statement matter? Your Social Security retirement benefits aren't pulled out of thin air. They're calculated from the earnings recorded under your name, year by year. 'This is how your retirement benefits at the end is calculated,' Koski explained. 'So if there was something wrong on your statement, it's going to flow into what your benefits look like.' In other words, an error today can follow you all the way into retirement. And the only person who's going to notice? You. 'No one cares about those mistakes except you,' Koski said. 'It's always better to discover the problem early on than years down the road.' What kind of mistakes should you look for? Errors happen more often than you'd think, and they're not always obvious. Koski pointed to two common ones: A missing year of earnings that never showed up on your record at all. that never showed up on your record at all. Partial reporting, which can happen when a company changes hands and only part of your income gets reported. Either mistake can quietly lower the benefits you've spent a lifetime earning. Catching it now is far easier than untangling it decades later. How often should you check? Once a year is enough, and there's an easy way to remember. 'I would say once a year, maybe after you get your taxes done,' Koski advised. Tax season already has you thinking about income and paperwork, so it's a natural time to log in and confirm everything lines up. Where to check your statement Everything you need is at SSA.gov. Create or sign in to your free my Social Security account to view your earnings record and make sure each year was reported correctly. If you're getting closer to retirement, the site also lets you view an estimate of your future benefits—another good reason to take a look while you're there. Where to find more money tips from Jackie Cummings Koski Jackie Cummings Koski is a Certified Financial Planner and author of F.I.R.E. for Dummies. You can find her at JackieCummingsKoski.com, on social media by the same name, and on her podcast Catching Up to FI, where she shares practical money guidance for late starters of any age. Protect the Benefits You've Earned Your retirement benefits reflect a lifetime of hard work, so make sure the record reflects it too. Set aside a few minutes this year—right after tax season is perfect—to log in to SSA.gov and confirm your earnings are correct. It's a small habit that helps safeguard the future you're building. Frequently Asked Questions How often should I check my Social Security earnings statement? At least once a year, according to financial planner Jackie Cummings Koski. Checking right after you finish your taxes makes it easy to stay consistent. Where can I find my Social Security earnings statement? Visit SSA.gov and sign in to or create a free my Social Security account to view your earnings record and benefit estimates. Why does my earnings statement matter for retirement? Your retirement benefits are calculated from your recorded earnings. Errors in that record can lower the benefits you receive later. What are the most common earnings statement errors? Two frequent ones are a full year of earnings that never appears on your record, and partial reporting that can happen when a company changes ownership. Can I see my estimated retirement benefits on SSA.gov? Yes. If you're getting closer to retirement age, SSA.gov lets you view an estimate of the benefits you'll receive when you retire.