{"id":14000,"date":"2019-08-20T14:19:27","date_gmt":"2019-08-21T00:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sfwpartnersllc.com\/?p=14000"},"modified":"2019-08-20T14:19:27","modified_gmt":"2019-08-21T00:19:27","slug":"what-to-do-if-your-business-receives-a-no-match-letter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/what-to-do-if-your-business-receives-a-no-match-letter\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do if your business receives a \u201cno-match\u201d letter"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In the past few months, many businesses and employers nationwide have received \u201cno-match\u201d letters from the Social Security Administration (SSA). The purpose of these letters is to alert employers if there\u2019s a discrepancy between the agency\u2019s files and data reported on W-2 forms, which are given to employees and filed with the IRS. Specifically, they point out that an employee\u2019s name and Social Security number (SSN) don\u2019t match the government\u2019s records.<\/p>\n

According to the SSA, the purpose of the letters is to \u201cadvise employers that corrections are needed in order for us to properly post\u201d employees\u2019 earnings to the correct records. If a person\u2019s earnings are missing, the worker may not qualify for all of the Social Security benefits he or she is entitled to, or the benefit received may be incorrect. The no-match letters began going out in the spring of 2019.<\/p>\n

Why discrepancies occur<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are a number of reasons why names and SSNs don\u2019t match. They include typographical errors when inputting numbers and name changes due to marriage or divorce. And, of course, employees could intentionally give the wrong information to employers, as is sometimes the case with undocumented workers.<\/p>\n

Some lawmakers, including Democrats on the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, have expressed opposition to no-match letters. In a letter to the SSA Commissioner, they wrote that, under \u201cthe current immigration enforcement climate,\u201d employers might \u201cmistakenly believe that the no-match letter indicates that workers lack immigration status and will fire these workers \u2014 even those who can legally work in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to proceed<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you receive a no-match letter telling you that an employee\u2019s name and SSN don\u2019t match IRS records, the SSA gives the following advice:<\/p>\n