5. Employment Records
When you’re ready to retire, you’re not done with employment. How so? Because the Social Security Administration needs a copy of your W-2 forms from the prior year when applying for your hard-earned benefits.
Wondering what happens if you’re self-employed? Well… you’ll have to provide a copy of your self-employment tax return from the previous year. And no, you don’t need the originals.
6. Spousal records
The Social Security Administration will also request proof of marriage. Brannon Lambert, owner of Canvasback Wealth Management in Raleigh, North Carolina says that those documents will most likely be a photo ID, along with your birth certificate and your marriage license.
Have you lost your marriage license? (I don’t think your spouse will be happy about it…) And don’t tell your spouse, because you can easily request a replacement from the register of deeds in the country where you got married.
On the other hand, those who want spousal benefits on a former spouse’s record will have to provide divorce papers. They can request a replacement of divorce papers at county offices where the divorce took place.
And lastly, some will want to apply for Social Security survivor benefits. If they do so, the SSA will demand a copy of their spouse’s death certificate together with their Social Security number.
