Pamela Kweller RSSA Staff
On June 24, 2021 a bipartisan bill, regarding Social Security, was proposed in Congress.
The bill, ‘Know Your Social Security Act’ would mandate the Social Security Administration (SSA) to mail annual statements to workers ages 25 and over who have contributed to the system, but are not yet collecting benefits.
This bill was proposed by Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore) and Representatives John Larson (D-Conn) and Vern Buchanan (R-Fla).
Since 1990, the Social Security Administration has been required to mail annual Social Security statements to workers ages 25 and over, however since 2011 the SSA has not been fulfilling this requirement. Currently, the SSA only mails statements to workers ages 60 and over, who are not yet collecting benefits.
Social Security statements provide valuable information including a worker’s earnings history, estimated future benefits, and instructions on how to fix any inaccuracies. Mailing paper statements to workers gives them an opportunity to understand their contributions into the Social Security and Medicare system, to recognize errors in their earnings record, and to begin retirement planning.
Social Security statements are accessible online via an individual’s personal mySocialSecurity account on the SSA website. However, the SSA Inspector General found that “about two out of five individuals with a mySocialSecurity account (17 million out of 39 million individuals) accessed their Statement online in Fiscal Year 2018.” Mailing out paper statements will increase the number of workers who view their statement. You can learn more about Social Security statements and view examples of statements here.
The ‘Know Your Social Security Act’ will ensure that the SSA meets the requirement of providing annual Social Security statements to workers ages 25 and older, who are paying into the system, but not yet collecting benefits. The SSA will not need to mail a statement if an individual has viewed their statement online. The SSA will also give workers the option to request a statement at any time and this statement will be mailed, unless indicated otherwise.
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