State Agencies Bulletin No. 500

Subject
Verification of Social Security Numbers and Names
Date Issued
September 30, 2004

Purpose

To continue the partnership and collaborative efforts between OSC and Agency Personnel/Payroll Offices in reconciling Social Security numbers and names in the State Payroll System with Social Security Administration (SSA) files.

Affected Employees

Employees who appear on the NPAY752 Control-D Report SSA Verification.

Effective Date

Immediately.

Background

Verifying and maintaining up-to-date Social Security information in the State Payroll System is essential for accurate posting of Social Security earnings, thereby decreasing the likelihood that employees encounter difficulties collecting Social Security benefits in the future.

OSC Actions

OSC issued the 2004 employee data file for comparison with SSA database records using the SSA’s Enumeration Verification System (EVS).

Report NPAY752 (SSA Verification) is now available in Control-D.

Agency Actions

  1. Agencies must review the NPAY752 Control-D Report.
  2. Agencies must send a notification letter to affected employees. The draft letter attached to Payroll Bulletin No. 357 may be used as a guide.  The agency Payroll Office must retain a copy of each letter (and any responses from the employee) for four (4) calendar years.
  3. If the Social Security information reported in the State Payroll System is inaccurate, agencies must enter the correct information into the Personal Data page as soon as possible.
  4. To ensure the accuracy of the 2004 W-2s, agencies must update Social Security information by December 31, 2004.
  5. If the employee believes that the Social Security information reported in the State Payroll System is correct, agencies must instruct the employee to contact the SSA to verify and correct SSA’s records.  Agencies should document this and retain this information for four (4) calendar years.
  6. Copies of letters and other documentation must be available from the agency in the event of an OSC review and/or IRS audit.

Questions

Questions regarding this bulletin may be directed to the Payroll Deductions mailbox.