Does anyone know how your earnings number is obtained by the government?
I usually don’t track this stuff closely but happened to look at it now and for 2021 my earnings is listed as zero despite having one job with the federal government and another job with a large contractor. I was a full time employee with both and clearly social security and FICA, etc. was withheld.
Any suggestions?
Does anyone know how your earnings number is obtained by the government?
I usually don’t track this stuff closely but happened to look at it now and for 2021 my earnings is listed as zero despite having one job with the federal government and another job with a large contractor. I was a full time employee with both and clearly social security and FICA, etc. was withheld.
I believe they get it off your taxes, so 2021 will show 0 because you haven’t filed your taxes yet. Once you do that, the number will eventually show up.
anyone know how your earnings number is obtained by the government?
I usually don’t track this stuff closely but happened to look at it now and for 2021 my earnings is listed as zero despite having one job with the federal government and another job with a large contractor. I was a full time employee with both and clearly social security and FICA, etc. was withheld.
You don’t say how you know that the government thinks your 2021 earnings are $0. If you’ve pulled a Wage and Income transcript from the IRS, they won’t post your 2021 tax documents (W-2, 1099 series, etc.) until early May. The other major source of the IRS’s knowledge of your 2021 income is your tax return when filed.
Obviously, since neither of these events has occurred, your 2021 income is currently $0.
Ira
The SS thread had me logging on to check my projected SS amounts. On there was a perky confirmation, You earned X in 2021. Is this correct? So at least for me, the SS administration knows.
Anitra
<<<I was a full time employee with both and clearly social security and FICA, etc. was withheld.>>>
Lot’s of people get caught in these payroll scams where the “job creator” absconds with the Federal income tax and FICA withholding and heads to Belize.
If the Gov’t doesn’t catch up with the scoundrel, you’re out of luck.
intercst
The SS thread had me logging on to check my projected SS amounts. On there was a perky confirmation, You earned X in 2021. Is this correct? So at least for me, the SS administration knows.
This might depend on whether you have claimed Social Security benefits. I retired in 2013, Social Security has a note on my 2021 earnings that they haven’t received any information. It will be recorded as $0.00 after they obtain the earnings information from the IRS.
Does anyone know how your earnings number is obtained by the government?
I usually don’t track this stuff closely but happened to look at it now and for 2021 my earnings is listed as zero despite having one job with the federal government and another job with a large contractor. I was a full time employee with both and clearly social security and FICA, etc. was withheld.
Any suggestions? - richinaz
There is an inherent time lag. In Dec 2021 I received a letter from the SSA that my earning record for 2020 had been updated. When I logged on to look, the 2020 number was there and there also was a placeholder for 2021 that showed $0.
I’ll check again after I file my taxes although I would have thought the number would have shown income based on the social security withheld during the year.
And no, I don’t think anyone ran off with my payments considering one of the companies was the federal government itself.
There is an inherent time lag. In Dec 2021 I received a letter from the SSA that my earning record for 2020 had been updated. When I logged on to look, the 2020 number was there and there also was a placeholder for 2021 that showed $0.
Just to be clear, your W-2 goes to Social Security before it goes to the IRS. Social Security should post your 2021 earnings fairly quickly once it receives them from your employer(s).
The IRS posts Wage and Income documents in batches throughout the year. In the past, this usually began in early spring, but in recent years they’ve started earlier as part of their anti-fraud efforts.
Ira
I’ll check again after I file my taxes although I would have thought the number would have shown income based on the social security withheld during the year.
And no, I don’t think anyone ran off with my payments considering one of the companies was the federal government itself.
During the year, the SSA only gets the total amounts of Social Security and Medicare taxes deposited with the government (both employer and employee), not the specifics of how much to credit to each employee. Until they receive the W-2s from the employer they don’t have any idea who gets what.
Ira
Ira,
Thanks. I’ve received W-2s from both employers recently. Hopefully this will fix itself.
Rich