The short answer
Social Security works out your retirement, disability and survivor benefits from the earnings it has on file for you, so a missing or wrong year can lower your benefit every month for the rest of your life. Your retirement benefit uses your highest 35 years of earnings, with zeros for any missing years. You can review your record year by year in a my Social Security account at ssa.gov, which you sign in to with Login.gov or ID.me. Compare it with your W-2s and tax returns, looking for missing years, low totals and years credited under an old name. Social Security can generally correct an error within 3 years, 3 months and 15 days after the end of the year the earnings were paid, with exceptions, such as matching a tax return or fixing an employer's omission. To ask for a correction, contact Social Security with proof such as W-2s, pay stubs or an IRS transcript.
Why your earnings record matters
Your earnings record is the only input to your Social Security benefit that you cannot see on a calculator screen. Every benefit on your work record, including your retirement benefit, a disability benefit and what your spouse or children may receive, is worked out from it. Errors are not common, but when they happen they are easiest to fix while you still have your pay records, which is why checking every few years matters far more than checking once at 62. For how the record turns into a benefit, see our guide to how much Social Security you will get.
How the record feeds your benefit
- Social Security indexes your earnings for wage growth up to the year you turn 60, picks your highest 35 years, and averages them.
- A missing year counts as zero. If you worked fewer than 35 years, or a year was never credited, a zero pulls the average down.
- Only earnings taxed for Social Security count, up to the taxable maximum for each year, $184,500 in 2026.
- The same record decides your work credits: one credit for each $1,890 of earnings in 2026, up to four a year. You need 40 for retirement benefits, and recent credits for disability.
Want to see what this could mean for your situation? Estimate your Social Security benefit with our free calculator, then compare the result with the estimate in your account.
How do you see your record?
Sign in to a my Social Security account at ssa.gov. Social Security uses two sign-in services, Login.gov and ID.me; if you are unsure, it suggests Login.gov. Setting one up takes a few minutes and requires verifying your identity. Your account shows your earnings for every year, your credits, and estimated benefits at 62, at full retirement age and at 70.
If you cannot use the online service, Social Security can help by phone at 1-800-772-1213 or at a local office, and it mails a paper statement to many workers 60 and older who do not have an account and are not yet receiving benefits.
What to look for
Compare each year with your W-2s, tax returns or pay records. Look for:
- A year with no earnings in which you worked.
- A year with less than you earned, below the taxable maximum for that year.
- Gaps after a change of name, such as after marriage or divorce, when an employer reported wages under a name that did not match Social Security's records.
- Self-employment years with no earnings, which happen when no tax return with self-employment tax was filed.
- Several jobs in one year where one employer's wages are missing.
The most recent year may not appear yet, because employers report wages after the year ends and self-employment income is credited only after your tax return is processed. Earnings from jobs not covered by Social Security, such as some state and local government positions, never appear.
What a missing year can cost
Example (hypothetical): wages lost after a name change
Ana married in 2019 and changed her name with her employer but not with Social Security. Her 2019 wages, about $40,000, were reported under a name that did not match, so the year shows zero. Adding it back raises her average indexed monthly earnings by roughly $95. At the 32 percent rate in the benefit formula, that is about $30 more a month, roughly $7,300 over 20 years of retirement.
Fixing the underlying problem usually means updating your name with Social Security first, then asking for the missing year to be credited.
Special situations
Self-employed and gig workers
Self-employment income is credited only if you report it on a tax return with Schedule SE, which applies once your net earnings reach $400 in a year. If you drove for a ride-share service or did freelance work and never filed, those years show zero, and filing a late return is often the only way to get them credited.
Household and cash work
Employers of household workers, such as nannies and home health aides, must report wages above a yearly threshold and pay Social Security tax on them. If you were paid in cash and your employer did not report it, your record will not show it; ask for a W-2 while you can.
If you may apply for disability
Recent years matter most for a disability claim, because at most ages you need 20 credits earned in the 10 years before you became disabled. A missing recent year can decide whether you are insured at all; see our guide to how SSDI decides you are disabled.
Military service
Social Security adds special earnings credits for active duty before 2002, which may not appear in your yearly totals but are used when your benefit is figured.
How long do you have to fix an error?
Social Security can generally correct an earnings record within 3 years, 3 months and 15 days after the end of the year in which the earnings were paid. The clock runs from the year the earnings were paid, not from the day you notice the problem.
There are important exceptions after that time limit. Records can still be corrected to match a tax return filed with the IRS within the limit, to add wages an employer reported to the IRS but not credited, to fix clerical errors, and to correct fraud or earnings credited to the wrong person or year. Even an older error is worth reporting with whatever proof you have.
How to ask for a correction
Contact Social Security by phone or at a local office, or use Form SSA-7008, Request for Correction of Earnings Record. Send proof of the earnings: W-2 forms, pay stubs, tax returns with W-2s attached, or business records for self-employment. If you no longer have them, ask the IRS for a wage and income transcript, which lists what employers reported, or ask the employer for a statement.
Keep copies of everything you send, and note the date and the name of anyone you speak to. Social Security may contact the employer to confirm the wages, and it will tell you when the record has been changed. Then check your account again to see that the year now shows correctly.
Common mistakes
- Checking only once, at 62, when old pay records are hard to find.
- Assuming the latest year is missing when it simply has not been posted yet.
- Not updating your name with Social Security after marriage or divorce.
- Skipping a tax return for self-employment income because no income tax was due.
Common questions
How many years of earnings does Social Security use?
Your highest 35 years of earnings, indexed for wage growth. If you have fewer than 35 years, the missing years count as zero.
How do I sign in to my Social Security?
Use a Login.gov or ID.me account. If you are unsure which, Social Security suggests Login.gov. Either gives access to the same account.
How long can Social Security correct my earnings record?
Generally within 3 years, 3 months and 15 days after the end of the year the earnings were paid, with exceptions for tax-return matches, employer omissions and clerical errors.
Should I check my record if I am already receiving benefits?
Yes, if you have worked since claiming. New earnings can raise your benefit, and Social Security recalculates automatically each year once your earnings are credited.
What this does not tell you
The record shows earnings covered by Social Security, not your full income. Wages from jobs that do not pay Social Security tax, such as some state and local government work, do not appear.
Correcting the record changes the figures Social Security uses. It does not promise a particular benefit, which also depends on your claiming age and other rules.
Official sources
What you can do next
Sign in to your my Social Security account this month and compare each year with your own records, starting with the most recent ones you can still prove. Then estimate your benefit at different claiming ages, and read about working while collecting if you plan to keep earning.
