SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR FORM SSA-112
NOTIFICATION OF A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (SSN)
TO AN EMPLOYER FOR WAGE REPORTING
OMB No. 0960-NEW
A. Justification
Introduction/Authoring Laws and Regulations - Section 205(c)(2)(B)(i)(I)) of the Social Security Act (the Act) and Section 20 CFR 422.103(a) of the Code of Federal Regulations provide the legal authority for collecting the information on Form SSA-112. These regulations also explain how an individual’s name and Social Security number (SSN) identify the record that the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses to record wages or self-employment income reported by individuals or their employer.
SSA designed the proposed form, Notification of a Social Security Number (SSN) to an Employer for Wage Reporting, for original SSN applicants who would like SSA to send the SSN directly to their employer upon assignment of their SSN. The respondents are newly employed, or soon to be employed, individuals who are applying for an original SSN card.
This is an existing collection in use without an OMB number.
Description of the Collection – When an individual applies for an initial SSN, there is a delay between the assignment of the number and the delivery of the SSN card. Individuals applying for employment must provide an SSN or indicate they have applied for one. The information collected on this form will allow SSA to send, at the individual’s request, the individual’s SSN to his or her employer. Mailing this information to the employer ensures the employer has the correct SSN for the individual, allows SSA to receive correct earnings information for wage reporting purposes, and reduces the delay in the initial SSN assignment and delivery of the SSN information directly by SSA to the employer.
This is especially important to foreign exchange visitors who are in the United States to work during the summer. Often, the SSN card is returned to SSA either because the exchange visitor is no longer in the service area or because they have returned to their country of origin when the card arrives in the mail. When SSA receives earnings information from an employer and those earnings do not have an SSN associated with the wage earner, SSA cannot post the earnings information to that wage earner’s record. SSA places the resulting incomplete earnings history in an earnings suspense file.
Individuals applying for an original SSN who would like SSA to release the SSN directly to their employer will be able to sign the form and have the SSA field office (FO) send the SSN directly to their employer. The majority of individuals who would take advantage of the form are in the United States with exchange visitor and student visas.
There are two scenarios for use of Form SSA-112:
Scenario 1: Individuals applying for an SSN bring Form SSA-112 to an SSA FO at the time of their SSN application. The individual has provided all of the employer information on the form. The FO verifies the employer information against SSA employer files. Applicants sign their name and date the form. The FO completes the form with the applicant’s assigned SSN and mails the form to the applicant’s employer.
Scenario 2: An applicant comes to the FO to apply for an original SSN without Form SSA-112. The applicant advises SSA that their employer needs the SSN immediately. The FO obtains employer information from the applicant and compares it to SSA employer files to ensure we mail the SSN to the correct employer address. The applicant signs and dates the form. The FO completes the form with the applicant’s assigned SSN and mails the form to the applicant’s employer.
We collect the employer information in order to check it against SSA’s files. SSA needs this information to ensure that the FO sends the applicant’s name and SSN to a verified employer. The collection and verification of this information is a safeguard for the applicant’s personally identifiable information. It also ensures SSA receives the SSN needed to report wages for that individual.
Use of Information Technology to Collect the Information - There is no electronic option for this form. Because this process involves applications for original SSNs and the SSN applicants are unknown to SSA, there is no way to electronically authenticate them by comparing the identification information they provide to SSA’s existing records. In addition, many of the SSN applicants who will be using this form are citizens of countries outside the United States, are here temporarily and will return to their countries of origin. Further, SSA does not provide one-way transmission of SSNs to employers or other third parties at the initial assignment of the SSN. Therefore, SSA will not be implementing an electronic version of the form under the agency’s Government Paperwork Elimination Act plan.
Why We Cannot Use Duplicate Information - The nature of the information SSA is collecting and the manner in which we are collecting it preclude duplication. There is no other collection instrument SSA uses to collect similar data.
Minimizing Burden on Small Respondents – This collection does not affect small businesses or other small entities.
Consequence of Not Collecting Information or Collecting it Less Frequently - If SSA did not collect this information, a greater number of employers would report earnings information without an SSN for individuals (e.g., exchange visitors holding a visa who obtain temporary employment during the summer). When employers do not report the employee’s SSN, SSA is unable to credit that individual’s earnings record. SSA places the earnings in a suspense file. This ultimately could cause errors of incorrect benefit payment amounts to potential future beneficiaries.
There are no technical or legal obstacles that prevent burden reduction.
Special Circumstances - There are no special circumstances that would cause SSA to collect this information in a manner inconsistent with 5 CFR 1320.5.
Solicitation of Public Comment and Other Consultations with the Public - SSA published the 60-day advance Federal Register Notice on November 17, 2009 at 74 FR 59336, and we received no public comments. We published the 30-day Federal Register Notice on January 22, 2010 at 75 FR 3778. If we receive any comments in response to the 30-day Notice, we will forward them to OMB. SSA has had no outside consultations with members of the public.
Payment of Gifts to Respondents – SSA provides no payment or gifts to the respondents.
Assurances of Confidentiality – SSA protects and holds confidential the information from this collection in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 1306, 20 CFR 401 and 402, 5 U.S.C. 552 (Freedom of Information Act), 5 U.S.C. 552a (Privacy Act of 1974), and OMB Circular No. A-130.
Justification for Sensitive Questions – The information collection does not contain any questions of a sensitive nature.
Estimates of Public Reporting Burden - Approximately 375,000 respondents will use Form SSA-112 annually. The estimated average response time is 2 minutes, for a total of 12,500 burden hours. The total burden reflects burden hours, and we did not calculate a separate cost burden. All respondents will be individuals/households.
Annual Cost to the Respondents - There is no known cost burden to the respondents.
Annual Cost to the Federal Government - The annual cost to the Federal Government is $131,000. This estimate is for printing and distributing the collection instrument and for processing the information.
Change in Reporting Burden - This is an existing collection in use without OMB approval that will increase the public reporting burden.
Publishing the Results of the Information Collection - SSA will not publish the results of the information collection.
Displaying the OMB Approval Expiration Date – OMB granted SSA an exemption from the requirements to print the OMB expiration date on its program forms. SSA produces millions of public-use forms with life cycles exceeding those of an OMB approval. Since SSA does not periodically revise and reprint its public-use forms (e.g., on an annual basis), OMB granted this exemption so SSA would not have to destroy stocks of otherwise useable forms with expired OMB approval dates, avoiding Government waste.
Exception to Certification Statement - SSA is not requesting an exception to the certification requirements at 5 CFR 1320.9 and related provisions at 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods
SSA does not use statistical methods for this information collection.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR FORM SSA-____ |
| Author | Leah Ann McCormick |
| Last Modified By | 013319 |
| File Modified | 2010-02-23 |
| File Created | 2010-01-20 |