There are many changes in the lives of all Americans on an ongoing basis. Some of these changes can cause you to lose much of your Social Security, but others can cause your retirement benefit to increase a little each month. Just as not notifying the Social Security Administration that you’ve gotten married can be detrimental to your finances, not notifying the Social Security Administration of any of the changes we’ll discuss below can cause you to miss out on a larger amount of money.
If there have been any changes in your life, you must report them to the SSA. Not all of these changes mean a higher retirement benefit amount. But some of these changes can mean you get more money each month, so keep an eye on these possible increases from Social Security. They can be of great benefit to you in living comfortably and with a little more money each month.
Changes to report to Social Security
In most cases when your life changes, there will be an increase in Social Security. This is not always the case, but it can be important for you to receive a financial improvement. The most important changes you should be aware of are:
- If your physical situation worsens: if you are collecting SSI from Social Security your financial situation may improve if your physical situation prevents you from increasing your income.
- Deceased adult child: Social Security has a benefit program for beneficiaries who lose an adult child.
- Death of a spouse (or former spouse): This happens even if you already received a benefit increase because of the death of a former spouse. It will increase your monthly benefit slightly based on your deceased spouse’s benefit.
- Earning records: You have to be very careful with this section. If you are receiving a Social Security spousal benefit, you should be aware that it may increase if you previously worked. Each credit earned as a worker will increase the monthly benefit a little.
- Because of your parents: It is normal to receive the benefit based on your parents’ work history. In this case, your monthly payments may increase if you have credits as a worker. It is also possible that if you have a disability, Social Security may increase slightly.
How do I report changes in my benefit?
There are several different ways to report changes in your benefit. The first, which is the fastest and most common, is through the Internet. Through My Social Security Account you can view all the details and send notices to the SSA. Most procedures can be completed from this web portal. But it is not the only way. Even if you move to a different State it is a good idea to give that information to SSA.
If you have trouble completing the forms online, you can go to a local office. At the local Social Security office they will be able to help you continue with the whole process. In this sense, we can find the same situation via telephone. Remember that in order to modify our benefit we will need legal documents proving the changes made in our life.