Prior to 1997, SSA required beneficiaries to file an annual report of earnings for any year they received benefits and had earnings that exceeded the amount allowed under the annual earnings test (AET). Currently, we consider earnings posted to the master earnings file (MEF) to be the annual report of earnings required by law.

The Earnings Enforcement Operation (EEO) compares wages and self-employment income (SEI) posted to the MEF with earnings estimates posted to the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR) to determine if the beneficiary has been overpaid or underpaid. The presence of non-service months (NSM) may affect whether or not we pay the beneficiary correctly.

In 2008, we began sending out Form SSA-L9790 (Nonwork Months Form) to Title II beneficiaries selected during the EEO to obtain information on NSMs.

The beneficiary completes the SSA-L9790 to provide the months they earned less than the monthly exempt amount, the number of hours they were engaged in self-employment, and whether they stopped working during the year(s) in question. The beneficiary signs, dates, and enters a telephone number. The beneficiary then mails the completed form to the Wilkes-Barre Direct Operations Center (WBDOC) in the envelope provided with the form.

If a beneficiary visits the field office (FO) or contacts the National 800 Number Network with questions regarding the form, answer the beneficiary’s questions but do not fill out the form for the beneficiary.

Provide any assistance necessary to complete the SSA-L9790 and mail the completed form to the Wilkes-Barre Direct Operations Center (WBDOC) at the following address:

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  RS 02510.026 Enforcement of AET

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  RS 02501.025 Determining Annual and Monthly Exempt Amounts

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  RS 02501.030 Applying the Monthly Earnings Test