The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced it will resume sending out mismatch letters to employers in 2019, advising them that there are an employee or employees whose names don’t match the social security number (SSN) they supplied when being hired. The letters are officially called “Employer Correction Requests.”
The letters don’t necessarily indicate fraud or stolen social security numbers, the administration explains, because mismatches can be caused by typographical errors, unreported name changes, incomplete records or SSN misuse.
However, the employer must act promptly and document the steps taken in resolving the mismatch within 60 days. This is to be done using the Business Services Online (“BSO”) database, which contains the Employer Report Status where employers can learn the names and SSNs that are mismatched.
If the employer finds that the mismatch did not originate with a typographical or other recordkeeping error, he should inform the employee in writing of the discrepancy. The SSA website even supplies a letter for this purpose.