CHECK YOUR EARNINGS TO PROTECT YOUR FUTURE
SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY PAYMENTS AND RETIREMENT
The monthly amount of your Social Security Disability payments and your future retirement benefits is based upon your earnings. You are responsible to check your earnings statement every year. Therefore, you must check your earnings to make sure they are properly reported to the SSA and IRS.
When you file your income taxes you are reporting your income to the IRS. Your employer also does this when they file taxes. The IRS reports your yearly earnings to the Social Security Administration. If your employer makes a mistake reporting your wages or you make a mistake on your taxes, then the mistake occurs in your records.
For example, if your employer fails to report some of your earnings, then you won’t get the quarters of coverage you need for disability benefits. Similarly, if you work as a 1099 employee and fail to report your income, then you won’t receive credit for that work either.
The IRS will share the incorrect wage information with the SSA. If your employer doesn’t fully report your income, then your monthly SSDI payment and your future retirement payments will be less money. You have to fix the mistake. Don’t trust the government or your employer to fix it. Trust yourself.
RETIREMENT BENEFITS
Your SSDI benefit is the same amount of money as your full retirement benefit. Your full retirement age depends on the year you were born. However, for most people, full retirement age is now 66 or 67 years old. Early retirement occurs at 62 years old. You can take out early retirement at any point after you reach the age of 62. If you take early retirement, then you get a lower amount of monthly retirement benefits for the rest of your life. Learn about retirement.
If you are eligible for SSDI benefits, then you also obtain additional benefits for your family. For example, your current spouse may qualify for benefits. Additionally, if you have young children below the age of 18, then they will qualify for benefits too. If you have a child with a disability, then they will qualify. Even your ex-spouse may be eligible for benefits based on your work record.
SURVIVOR BENEFITS
Moreover, when you die, your work record continues to provide benefits to your family. For example, your spouse could receive survivor benefits. If you pass away, then survivor benefits are available after the age of 60. Even your ex, depending on certain factors, can receive benefits.
The spouse of a deceased worker can typically begin receiving survivor’s benefits as early as age 60 (or age 50 if disabled). Widows or widowers who are caring for a child under 16 or a disabled child may qualify at any age. Children can usually receive benefits until age 18 (or 19 if still in high school).
These benefits exist to provide financial support after the loss of a household earner. A spouse can work while receiving survivor’s benefits. However, if they are below full retirement age, then their benefit may be reduced if their earnings exceed certain annual limits.
Remarriage is also a factor in receiving survivor benefits. The remarriage rules depend on timing. If the surviving spouse remarries before age 60 (or 50 if disabled), then they generally cannot receive survivor’s benefits based on their late spouse’s record. But, if they remarry after that age, then they can typically continue to receive benefits.
Additionally, you also qualify to receive spousal benefits, just like your spouse can. You can also get divorcee spousal benefits. By working, you qualify for these benefits just like the rest of your family. The amount of money you receive is based on the work records of your current or former spouse. Therefore, make sure your work record is accurate. Likewise, make sure your spouse’s earning record is correct.
CREATE AN ONLINE ACCOUNT – MY SSA – AT SOCIAL SECURITY WEBSITE
There is a simple way to make sure that the Social Security Administration has documented your earnings correctly. You can go online and create a personal account at Social Security’s website. The account is a My SSA Account. It does not take much time to create a personal account. Your account information is private. Only you can access it. Once you obtain your earning’s record, review it for accuracy.
If it seems that your earnings have not been reported properly, you can have the SSA amend your earnings record. But you can only change it if you have proof of your earnings. You can also amend your taxes with the IRS. However, there is a time limit on your ability to go back into the past and amend taxes.
You should review your earning’s record at least once a year to make sure that it is correct. If you do so, you will ensure that your yearly earnings are being properly credited to you. Therefore, you will receive the correct amount of monthly payments if you ever receive disability benefits or when you retire. Learn about the solvency of the SSA’s retirement and disability programs.
CONTACT US FOR HELP WITH SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY PAYMENTS
If you need help with creating an online account, then call our SSD law firm. We can help you file your application for SSDI and SSI benefits. Also, we can help you appeal any denial of benefits you receive. There are also many forms that will need to be filled out. Don’t worry. If you have questions about these forms, then we will answer them. Call us today. We want to be your legal team.
It doesn’t cost anything to call us. We offer a free review of your case. It also doesn’t cost you any money to hire us. Why? Because you only pay us an attorney fee if we win your case. This means if we win, then you pay out of your back benefits. If you do not win, then there is no attorney fee to pay. Our fee is capped at $9200 or 25% of your back benefit, whatever is less.
If there are costs in your case, then you pay those. But the costs in most cases are less than $100. Since we are only paid if we win, we work hard to win. Once we win, we are paid from your back benefit. But, to hire most lawyers, you have to pay upfront. We don’t work like that. You don’t have a job. So, the only way to pay us, is for us to win your case. That is our goal. Call today. See what we can do for you.
OUR LAW FIRM WINS SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY PAYMENTS
At our SSD law firm we can help you apply for disability benefits. Also, we can help you appeal a denial from the SSA. Likewise, we can represent you in court. If necessary, we can also appeal your case to the Appeals Council. Additionally, we can file an appeal in Federal Court. We can represent you not matter where you live. Our main office is in Salt Lake City, Utah. But we have clients in Nevada, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, and California.
Also, we bring over 60 years of legal experience to your case. For instance, Dianna Cannon has been helping people win benefits for over thirty years. Brett Bunkall and Andria Summers also have many years of legal experience. Together, we have won over 20,000 SSD hearings. Find out additional information on our About Us page. You can trust that we will do everything we can to win your SSDI and SSI benefits.
There is evidence that hiring an attorney with experience triples your chance of winning benefits. Obviously, hiring a law firm that practices Social Security law on a daily basis will help. For the past 30 years, our Social Security Law firm has won over 20,000 cases. We offer a free review of your case. Also, there is no attorney fee to pay unless you win benefits. Give us a call. See if we can help you win your Social Security Disability payments.
