The SSA-7050 form is the Social Security Administration’s paper request for a detailed or certified record of the earnings reported under your Social Security number, listing employers, wages, and self-employment income. You file it when you need employer-level detail or a court-admissible certified document that the free online earnings summary can’t provide. It costs between $35 and $96 depending on what you order, and SSA asks you to allow 120 days for processing.
Do You Actually Need This Form?
Before paying anything, check whether the free option covers you. Anyone can create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount and view non-certified yearly earnings totals at no charge.1Social Security Administration. Review Record of Earnings That report shows how much you earned each year, but it doesn’t list employer names or addresses, and it isn’t certified for court use.
File the SSA-7050 when you need one of these things instead:
- An itemized statement showing the names and addresses of each employer who reported wages for you.
- A certified record authenticated under the SSA Commissioner’s seal, which is admissible as evidence without further authentication.2Social Security Administration. Certification of Copies of Documents and Extracts from Records
- Earnings information for someone else: a minor, an incapacitated adult, or a deceased person.
Record Types and Fees
The form offers three products.3Social Security Administration. Request for Social Security Earnings Information
- Non-certified itemized statement, $61. Lists employer names, addresses, and wages for the years you specify. Useful for pension calculations, personal verification, or informal disputes.
- Certified itemized statement, $96. The same employer-level detail, authenticated with the Commissioner’s seal, ribbon, and a signed certification statement. Courts accept it as evidence without an SSA employee testifying to its authenticity.
- Certified yearly totals, $35. Shows total earnings per year in certified form, but doesn’t break out individual employers.
Filling Out the Form
Download the current version from ssa.gov/forms/ssa-7050.pdf. It’s roughly one page of fields, but a mistake in any section can delay the request or send it back.
Identifying Information
Enter the full legal name, Social Security number, and date of birth of the person whose records you want, using the name exactly as it appears on their most recent Social Security card.3Social Security Administration. Request for Social Security Earnings Information If the person worked under any other names, a maiden name, a prior married name, or a legal name change, list every one in the “Other Name(s) Used” field. SSA matches requests against the names employers actually reported, so a missing former name can cause records from those years to come back blank.
One Social Security number per form. Records for two people means two forms and two fees.
Years and Record Type
Specify the year range you want covered. The fee is the same whether you request five years or thirty, so err on the wide side. Then check whether you want an itemized statement, certified yearly totals, or a certified itemized statement.
Date of Death
Fill this in only if the person is deceased. Leave it blank otherwise.
Signature
Sign and date by hand, print your name, and note your relationship to the subject if the records aren’t yours. SSA must receive the completed form within 120 days of the date you sign it. Requests arriving after that window are returned.3Social Security Administration. Request for Social Security Earnings Information
Requesting Someone Else’s Records
SSA restricts access to earnings information to prevent identity theft. If the records aren’t yours, you have to show you’re authorized and include supporting documents.
Living Adults
The person whose records you want must complete the Certification of Consent section on the form, giving SSA permission to release their information to you. A legal guardian of a person declared legally incompetent may sign instead, but must attach proof of the guardianship, typically a court order or other legally binding document.3Social Security Administration. Request for Social Security Earnings Information
Minor Children
A natural or adoptive parent, or a legal guardian, can request a minor’s earnings when acting in the child’s best interest. Include proof of the relationship: a birth certificate, adoption decree, or court order establishing guardianship.3Social Security Administration. Request for Social Security Earnings Information
Deceased Individuals
You can request a deceased person’s earnings if you fall into one of three categories:3Social Security Administration. Request for Social Security Earnings Information
- Legal representative of the estate, meaning the executor or administrator named in probate documents.
- Survivor: a spouse, parent, child, or divorced spouse of the deceased.
- Person with a material interest, such as an heir at law, next of kin, beneficiary under a will, or someone who received property from the deceased.
In any of these cases, include proof of death (a death certificate or SSA’s own death record) and proof of your relationship to the deceased.
How to Pay
SSA accepts a personal or business check, a money order, or a credit card. Checks and money orders must be made payable to the Social Security Administration. Cash is never accepted and will cause the whole package to be returned.
To pay by credit card, complete Form SSA-714 and include it with your SSA-7050. It accepts Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and Diners Club.4Social Security Administration. You Can Make Your Payment by Credit Card – SSA-714 Download it from ssa.gov/forms/ssa-714.pdf. You’ll need the cardholder’s name, address, card number, expiration date, and CVV.
Where to Send It
There is no online submission for Form SSA-7050. Mail the completed form, supporting documents, and payment together to:3Social Security Administration. Request for Social Security Earnings Information
Social Security Administration
P.O. Box 33011
Baltimore, Maryland 21290-3011
Use a mailing method with delivery tracking. The envelope contains a Social Security number, payment information, and potentially identity documents for another person, so a lost package is more than an inconvenience. Keep a full photocopy of the packet before sealing it.
After You Submit
Allow 120 days for processing.3Social Security Administration. Request for Social Security Earnings Information If your check or money order has cleared but nothing has arrived after that, call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) to check the status. If SSA finds a problem with your form or payment, the package comes back for correction rather than being processed.
The earnings record is mailed to the address you provided on the form. Certified records arrive with the Commissioner’s seal and a signed certification statement.
If the Earnings Shown Are Wrong
If the record you receive shows wages that are too low, missing, or credited to the wrong year, that’s a separate process. You request a correction using Form SSA-7008, “Request for Correction of Earnings Record,” with supporting evidence such as W-2s or copies of the tax returns you filed for self-employment income.5Social Security Administration. Request for Correction of Earnings Record Your Social Security retirement and disability benefits are calculated directly from reported earnings, so missing wages can permanently reduce your monthly payment.