Employer Report of Special Wage Payments

Forms and Documents

Forms and supporting documents for this ICR

Document	Type	Status	Availability
Form SSA-131 Employer Report of Special Wage Payments	Form	Modified	Available
Form SSA-131 Employer Report of Special Wage Payments	Form	Modified	Available
Addendum - 0565.docx	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2026-04-28	Available
Supporting Statement - 0565.docx	Supporting Statement A	Uploaded 2026-04-28	Available

IC Document Collections

Information collection document groups

IC ID	Collection	Type	Status	Form
9507	Employer Report of Special Wage Payments - Paper Version - No Response to Question #6	Form	Modified	Employer Report of Special Wage Payments
195194	BSO Special Wage Payments Submission - Electronic Version	Other-Internet Screens	Modified
183800	Employer Report of Special Wage Payments - Paper Version - #6 Only	Form	Modified	Employer Report of Special Wage Payments

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 0960-0565	ICR Reference No: 202603-0960-008
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 201912-0960-004
Agency/Subagency: SSA	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Employer Report of Special Wage Payments
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 04/28/2026

table that charts list comparision

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	36 Months From Approved	05/31/2026
Responses	117,148	106,076
Time Burden (Hours)	22,320	35,037
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

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Abstract: SSA collects information on the SSA-131 to prevent earnings-related overpayments, and to avoid erroneous withholding of benefits. SSA field offices and program service centers also use Form SSA-131 for awards and post-entitlement events requiring special wage payment verification from employers. While we need this information to ensure the correct payment of benefits, we do not require employers to respond. The respondents are large and small businesses that make special wage payments to retirees.

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Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 42 USC 403 Name of Law: The Social Security Act
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

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Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	91 FR 9671	02/26/2026
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	91 FR 22195	04/24/2026
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 3

table that charts list of burden

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
BSO Special Wage Payments Submission - Electronic Version
Employer Report of Special Wage Payments - Paper Version - No Response to Question #6	SSA-131	Employer Report of Special Wage Payments
Employer Report of Special Wage Payments - Paper Version - #6 Only	SSA-131	Employer Report of Special Wage Payments

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ICR Summary of Burden

table that charts list of burden

	Total Request	Previously Approved	Change Due to New Statute	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate	Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses	117,148	106,076	0	0	11,072	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	22,320	35,037	0	0	-12,717	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Increase Due to:

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: When we last cleared this IC in 2023, the burden was 35,037 hours. However, we are currently reporting a burden of 16,461 hours. While we are showing a minor increase in the number of respondents, this change stems an overall decrease in the burden as more respondents are submitting the electronic version of the SSA 131 through Business Services Online which takes significantly less time than it does for respondents to complete the paper version and mail it to SSA. There is no change to the burden time per response. Although the number of responses changed, SSA did not take any actions to cause this change. These figures represent current Management Information data. * Note: The total burden reflected in ROCIS is 22,320, while the burden cited in #12 of the Supporting Statement is 16,461. This discrepancy is because the ROCIS burden reflects learning costs in addition to the burden for completing the form. In contrast, the chart in #12 of the Supporting Statement reflects actual burden.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $11,344,877

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     Yes

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     Yes

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

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Common Form ICR:  No

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On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).

The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:

(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;

(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;

(c) It reduces burden on small entities;

(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;

(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;

(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;

(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:

(i) Why the information is being collected;

(ii) Use of information;

(iii) Burden estimate;

(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);

(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and

(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;

(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.

(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and

(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.

If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.

Certification Date: 04/28/2026

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