Applying for SS benefits, found some years where my taxable earnings are 0 or very low compared to other years. How do I correct this?

[alabamapastor]

Same employer (pastor at a church).  SS says it was coded wrong and I need to correct it with IRS. All FICA and SS taxes were paid and up to date.

[Anonymous_]

@Mike9241 

[Mike9241]

I do not understand the response you got from the SSA. contact them again. they're the ones who have your SS records, not the IRS. They get the original w-2's and it is they who then forward the info to the IRS to compare certain items against your return. social security wages and medicare wages are probably not checked. so corrected forms would need to be filed with them not the IRS.

[dmertz]

If you filed Schedule SE with your tax return, which a minister generally must do, the IRS forwards the information to the SSA from the Schedule SE.  For the years in question, check your Schedules SE for accuracy.  Compare them to the Schedules SE from which the SSA has accurate information.

[Critter-3]

Hopefully you kept copies of your returns to support your income claimes with the SSA since the IRS only keeps them for 7 years.   The SSA used to send you an annual report in the mail so you would check it often and make any corrections needed timely.  So if the years you need fixed are too old you may not be able to correct them now.   Of course,  the SSA averages the highest 30 years of wages for your benefit calculation so if you work from 18 to 68 you have 50 years for them to choose from for the average and those zero years will be dropped.