Author: Emily Guy Birken / Source: Wise Bread
Every month, 61 million Americans collect some sort of Social Security benefit. So the process to file for and receive benefits must run like a well-oiled machine, right?
Not necessarily. While the majority of Social Security beneficiaries enjoy a relatively simple and painless process when they apply for benefits, not everyone is quite so lucky.
For some beneficiaries, the path to receiving monthly benefits may be littered with unexpected hurdles, pitfalls, and snags.Here’s what you need to know about the potential hiccups you might encounter when applying for your Social Security benefits, and how you can avoid them.
The hurdle: You don’t have all of your vital paperwork
As a government benefit, Social Security does require a relatively long list of vital paperwork for signing up. Specifically, you will need the following documentation to apply for benefits:
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Your Social Security number.
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Your original birth certificate or other proof of birth.
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Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status if you were not born in the United States.
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Your military discharge papers, if you served.
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A copy of either your W-2 forms or your self-employment tax return for the previous year.
For most beneficiaries, gathering these documents is simply a matter of gathering papers from a file cabinet or safe.
However, some beneficiaries may either have no copy of their vital paperwork, or they may have some sort of problem with a piece of paperwork. For instance, my stepfather discovered as an adult that his original birth certificate had spelled his name differently than he had spelled it his entire life, which meant that he had to get a new birth certificate issued in order to make sure his legal name matched his birth name.
Otherwise, he may have been considered ineligible for Social Security benefits when he was ready to retire. (See also: 5 Questions to Ask Before You Start Claiming Your Social Security Benefits)The fix: Ask staffers to help you get started
Not having all the necessary paperwork is a relatively common problem facing beneficiaries, and it is something that the staffers at your local Social Security office are used to dealing with. If you are simply missing the necessary paperwork, Social Security can help you to obtain any information you might be having trouble finding.
If you have a more complex problem like my stepfather’s, Social Security may also be able to let you know what legal steps you must take — although it’s always wise to get a second opinion on such matters.
In either case, it is ultimately better to get the ball rolling on time for your Social Security benefits application and enlist the help of the Social Security Administration in getting your paperwork in order.
The hurdle: Your claiming situation is unusual
Most of the millions of beneficiaries who are processed…
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