People often ask, “Do I have to pay taxes on Social Security benefits?”

Here is the answer directly from Social Security:

Some people who get Social Security will have to pay taxes on their benefits. Less than one-third of our current beneficiaries pay taxes on their benefits.

You will have to pay federal taxes on your benefits if you file a federal tax return as an “individual” and your total income is more than $25,000. If you file a joint return, you will have to pay taxes if you and your spouse have a total income that is more than $32,000.

For more information, call the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) toll-free at 1-800-829-3676 and ask for IRS Publication Number 915, Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call the IRS toll-free number, 1-800-829-4059.

If you wish to have federal taxes withheld from your check, see  Can I have federal taxes withheld from my Social Security check?

The Social Security Administration has no authority to withhold state or local taxes from your benefit.  Many states and local authorities do not tax Social Security benefits.  You should contact your state or local taxing authority for more information.

Via Social Security’s FAQ page.

This is just pure gold.  I wish I could take credit for finding this, but Gordon Gates deserves major kudos for discovering this service.

…there is a number (not a person) to call to inquire about a Social Security disability claim. Call the automated file locator number: 1-410-965-8882. The number is available only during business hours. You will be asked for the first 5 digits of your client’s Social Security number.

The automated file locator will give you the telephone number of the office handling that claim. When you call that phone number, you get to talk with a person who can actually help you.

So, if you need to find out where your file is? Call (410) 965-8882.

via Social Security Disability Lawyer | Maine Social Security Attorney | New Hampshire: Social Security Automated File Locator.

Before you put yourself through the drudgery of going down to your local Social Security office, check the Social Security website to see if you can take care of your problem without going in.  

There are a lot of things you can take care of online.

Did you know you can do all of the following at the Social Security website?

• Apply for retirement benefits.
• Apply for disability benefits.
• Check your application status.
• Appeal a recent decision / denial.
• Find out what benefits you can apply for.
• Find out if you can get extra help with your Medicare prescription drug costs.
• Estimate your future retirement benefits.
• Find your full retirement age.
• Estimate your disability and survivors benefits.
• Request a Social Security Statement.
• Change your address or telephone number.
• Get a replacement Medicare card.
• Request a Proof of Income letter to verify Social Security benefit information.

Click for more information about what you can do online at Social Security.

Would you like to know what percentage of cases the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) assigned to your Social Security disability, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) case, approves and denies?

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Oregonian, the Social Security Administration released the production numbers and approval rates for all of its administrative law judges. The agency released complete reports for 2005, 2006 and 2007. The table for 2008 covers most — but not all — of the year.

Click below and enter the Judge’s name to see the statistics for that judge.

via Social Security database – The Oregonian.

Some words of warning:

As in the stock market, “prior results are no guarantee of future performance.” Just because a judge approves say, 65 percent of cases, does not mean you have a 65% chance of winning.

Your case is as good or as bad as the evidence in your file. These statistics will not tell you where the problems are in your case, or what you should do to resolve them.

To increase your chances of winning, the best advice I can give you is to work with an experienced attorney.

Do you want to know how much you would receive in Social Security benefits if you were disabled, retired, or if your spouse died?  

Social Security has online calculators, as well as calculators you can download (Mac versions too), to help you estimate what your Social Security benefits will be. 

If you have problems using these calculators, Social Security also estimates your retirement, disability, and family maximum benefits in the ”Social Security Statement” it mails to you every year before your birthday. Tip: the benefit estimates usually appears in the inner, left page.  

Have you tried Social Security’s benefit calculators?  Were they easy to use, or did you have problems?  Tell us in the comments!

If you wonder if you are eligible for Social Security benefits, Social Security has an interactive website to help you answer this question.

Visit Social Security’s BEST (Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool). 

BEST checks if you are eligible for the following benefits:

• Medicare
• Social Security Disability
• Social Security Retirement
• Social Security Survivors
• Special Veterans
• Supplemental Security Income

Have you tried BEST, share your experiences in the comments!

Whether you are applying for benefits or need to get a form, sometimes you just need to find the closest Social Security office.

The Social Security website has a great tool to help you find your local Social Security office.

Just enter your zip code and Social Security will tell you which office is closest to you and serves your area.

This will also give you a map, telephone numbers, and office hours.

There are several ways to start an application for Social Security benefits:

At your local Social Security office

While this make take the longest amount of time (depending on the wait times at your local office), applying in person has the advantage of having a live person to ask to if you have a question.  The downside of applying in person is that if you are missing a critical piece of information, you may not be able to complete the application.

If you need help finding your local Social Security office, click here.

Online

If you prefer to work at your own pace, you can apply online.  Start here and follow the three steps to get an application started.

If you are applying for a child, start at the children’s disability page.

By telephone

If you need help or if you cannot complete the application online, you can call Social Security toll-free at 1-800-772-1213. If you are deaf or have hearing problems, you can call the toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778.  Social Security representatives are available Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

When you are ready to apply:

Don’t forget to check out this article about the documents you need to apply for Social Security disability benefits.

Also, check out all the articles on applying for Social Security.

Paul Nidich has a warning about using the online services at Social Security’s website.

Tuesday I posted a message with information about the Social Security Administration’s new benefits’ estimator and other online services. Use these new tools, but use them with caution. Assume that the “bugs” haven’t yet been worked out of the system, and DO NOT make any critical decisions based upon these new tools.

I spoke with an old friend Tuesday night who used to work for Social Security. As we were discussing my message, he commented that it would probably take a good two years before all of the bugs got worked out of the online system. You can apply for benefits online, he said; but if you don’t talk to a live social security representative, you can wind up making binding decisions that are not in your best interest.

Update: unfortunately, Paul’s has discontinued his site and it is no longer on the web.

The National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR) has a great FAQ about Social Security disability claims.

Check it out!

ALISON (Automated Licensure Information System Online), is the online licensing database for the state of Colorado. I previously wrote about how this site is a great resource for finding an address for your doctor.

This site also has another use. If your doctor has been suspended, this will show up Alison.

When you apply for Social Security benefits, you will need to provide the name and address of each doctor you have seen for the last several years.

You may have this information for your current doctors, but finding the addresses for your older doctors may be trickier.

How do I find your doctor’s address if she has moved her office?

You can check old business cards, appointment cards, medical records or invoices for this information. You can also check the yellow pages, or check Google.

If all this fails, there is still one more way to track down a doctor.

If you are in Colorado and you have internet access, try ALISON (The Automated Licensure Information System Online). This is the online licensing database for the state of Colorado. If the doctor is licensed in Colorado, you should be able to find the doctor and the his/her current business address.

Just follow these simple steps:

1. In “Search Type,” select “Individuals.”
2. Click “Go to Search Form.”
3. When the next page loads, you can enter the doctor’s first and last name and the city where the doctor practices. If you do not know one or more of these, you can leave that field blank.
4. Click “Begin Search” to see the results.

If the doctor does not come up, check the spelling of the doctor’s name. Also try leaving the “city” field blank. I was trying to find a doctor whom I knew was practicing in Colorado Springs, but nothing came up under the doctors name in “Colorado Springs.” I left the “city” field blank and found the doctor right away. What happened? The license listed the city as “Colo. Springs” instead of “Colorado Springs.”

Keep Alison in mind if you cannot find the current address for one of your prior doctors.

My wife feels disabled. She used to teach junior high school Spanish full time for over $60,000 per year. She can no longer work as a full-time teacher, because the stress triggers mania. Believe me, she tried several times to return to teaching, and each time she experienced a serious breakdown.

She did receive some disability payments from the Social Security Administration for several months when she was completely unable to work. Now she’s working as a teaching assistant earning about $15,000 per year.

She can’t do the job she wants to do and was trained to do. She no longer has the same earning potential. That makes her feel disabled, but that’s not how the Social Security Administration sees it.

The article goes through the Social Security disability analysis and is a great review of how disability cases are evaluated.

photo credit: s-t-r-a-n-g-e

Social Security has a great website that describes the hearing process including how to file an appeal, what happens at a hearing, and how to file a complaint if you feel you have been mistreated by an Administrative Law Judge.

There are even several examples of how monthly benefits are calculated. 

 photo credit: Incase Designs

The Cornell Legal Information Institute Social Security Library is a great top level clearing house for information about the Social Security system, regulations, rulings and court decisions.

However, this is a professional level resource and does not ease you into the Social Security system. But if you want to find a particular law, regulation, or ruling, this is a great site to track it down.

If you are looking for a more friendly resource, try the Online Social Security Handbook.

Do you think you do not need private disability insurance?  See financial planner Paul Ferraresi’s take on this:

You have an eight times greater chance of becoming disabled than dying before age 65, yet, you purchase privately a life insurance policy but not disability insurance. Disability is known as “living death”. Income drops and you cannot function fully. Remember, disability does not mean a wheel chair! Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the largest causes of disability.

Read the rest of Paul’s post here.

Supplemental Security Income, SSI for short, pays up to the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR).

For 2009, the Federal Benefit Rate is $674 for individuals and $1,011 for couples. For most people, this means the maximum SSI benefits you can get in 2009 is $637 per month.

In 2008, the FBR was $637 per month.

In 2007, the FBR was $623 per month.

This page lists the Federal Benefit Rates back to 1998.

Updated 03/16/09.

If you are looking for a clear, simple, and understandable explanation of the ins and outs of the Social Security system, the go-to guide is the Online Social Security Handbook.

This online resource boils down the regulations into plain English and keeps the legalese to a minimum.

Here are some sample topics:

• What are the categories of eligibility under SSI (Supplemental Security Income)?
• How is disability defined for disabled widow(er)s?
• Are Social Security benefits subject to taxes?
• When is a widow entitled to widow(er)’s insurance benefits?
• When is a surviving child entitled to child’s insurance benefits?

The downside of the Social Security Handbook is that it is not always current with the regulations, so some of the information may be out of date.

Also, it is not a primary source. That means you cannot cite the handbook as legal authority. You still need to know the regulations (which the handbook does not give you) if you want to make a citation.

However, when you just want to get an overview of how Social Security addresses a particular topic, the Handbook is a terrific resource.

Are you looking for a specific Social Security form? Social Security has a page where you can find it.

You can search for a form or browse by category:

• Prepare for Your Interview
• Benefits Claims Supporting Forms
• Medicare Prescription Drug Help Forms
• Other Forms
• Forms for Other Agencies
• Forms You Can Complete and Submit Online

Listed below are the most frequently used appeal forms:

• SSA-61 Request for Review By a Federal Reviewing Official
• SSA-561-U2 Request for Reconsideration
• HA-501-U5 Request for Hearing by Administrative Law Judge
• HA-520 Request for Review of Decision/Order of ALJ

Please note that certain appeals require more than just the correct form. For example: an initial denial on a claim for disability benefits normally requires a Request for Hearing, Disability Report-Appeal, and an Authorization to Disclose Information. Check your Social Security notice, contact your local Social Security office or speak to an attorney to determine the appeal requirements in your case.

Here are some more useful forms:

• SSA-1696 Appointment of Representative
• SSA-11 Request to be Selected as Payee
• SS-5665-BK Teacher Questionnaire
• SSA-3441-BK Disability Report-Appeal
• SSA-827 Authorization to Disclose Information to the Social Security Administration