7. Audit Your Earnings Record for Bureaucratic Errors

The entire SSA calculation rests on the assumption that your earnings history is accurate. Unfortunately, bureaucratic mistakes happen. An employer might misreport your income, a name change might decouple your W-2 from your record, or digits might be transposed during data entry. If a high-earning year is mistakenly recorded as a zero, your lifetime benefit takes an unwarranted hit.

Do not wait until you file to discover these discrepancies. Create a free account at SSA.gov to review your earnings record statement annually. Compare the posted amounts against your personal tax returns. If you spot a missing or incorrect year, you can submit an SSA-7008 form along with proof of income—such as a W-2 or a self-employment tax return—to correct the error and restore your rightful benefit amount.