When the number holder (NH) notifies the Social Security Administration (SSA), that there is a discrepancy on his or her earnings record, the Division of Earnings and Business Services, Earnings Adjustment Branch (DEBS, EAB) investigates the earnings discrepancy. A discrepancy can:

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  be missing wages for NH,

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  an incorrect Employer Identification Number (EIN), or

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  two different EINs with duplicate wages, etc.

These discrepancies may result from:

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  employer errors,

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  SSA keying, or

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  processing errors.

When investigating the discrepancy, if DEBS, EAB determines that other employees for the same employer have possible inaccuracies posted to their earnings’ record and:

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  the wage report involves five employees or less, DEBS, EAB will correct each individual’s earnings record via Item Correction (ICOR); or

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  the wage report involves more than five employees, DEBS, EAB will only make an adjustment per current procedure to the earnings record of the NH of the inquiry received and then refer the case to the Division of Earnings and Business Services,

DEBS, EAB prepares a Potential Blanket Adjustment (PBA) to notify DEBS that the wage report requires a blanket adjustment.

The Center for Automation, Security & Integrity established a referral process in the Earnings Control Workload System (ECWS) for the blanket adjustment referrals.