29 Jul Social Security refuses to count these earnings. Help!

Q. I visited my local Social Security office after I found one year of wages that my wife earned in 1987 were not listed on her earnings history. The earnings report shows ” 0″ for that year. The wages were $3,292.28. Social Security said they can do nothing without the original W-2, but I mailed that to the IRS when we filed our taxes. They won’t take a copy. What can I do?
— Husband

A. That’s frustrating.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) calculates your benefit based on your average earnings for your highest 35 earning years.

If you get the proof needed, Social Security will adjust your actual earnings to account for changes in average wages since the year the earnings were received, said Michael Green, a certified financial planner with Wechter Feldman Wealth Management in Parsippany.

He said after a formula is applied to the 35 years of earnings, SSA arrives at your basic benefit, or “primary insurance amount.” This is the amount you would receive at your full retirement age—65 to 67—depending on your date of birth, he said.

It is understandable that you want to find a way to include your wife’s earnings from 1987 in her benefit calculation.

“Assuming that she has been continuously employed since the early 1980s, it is possible that this specific year need not be taken into account if she has had 35 years of earnings that exceed $3,292.28,” Green said. “If this is not the case, it will be difficult to satisfy the SSA’s requirement to produce an original W-2.”

But not all is lost, he said. Although it would be a stretch, you should consider contacting your wife’s employer from that year—if they still exist—and see if they can reproduce the document.

Good luck.

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This story was originally published on July 29, 2019.

NJMoneyHelp.com presents certain general financial planning principles and advice, but should never be viewed as a substitute for obtaining advice from a personal professional advisor who understands your unique individual circumstances.