The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced they would be sending letters, beginning March 2019, to employers that filed 2018 Forms W-2 containing Names and Social Security Numbers (SSNs) that did not match the SSA’s records.
ADP TotalSource® is the employer of record for the Forms W-2 annual tax filing, and as such, we are now receiving these letters. In an effort to reduce the administrative burden on you, we will be contacting your employees directly if we receive a letter advising that a discrepancy was identified. You will also be notified. Your employees will be provided with instructions on how to verify their personal information in our systems, as well as how to contact the SSA to resolve the issue.
In our supplemental communications, you will receive a copy of the employee letter along with tips to help you and your employees reduce the potential for mismatches in the future.
There are many reasons why Names and SSNs may not match SSA records, such as data input errors (transpositions, typos, etc.), and unreported name changes arising from marriage or divorce. Because of this, the SSA notification includes a prominent warning message to prevent employers from taking any adverse action as a result of this outreach.
“IMPORTANT: This letter does not imply that you or your employee intentionally gave the government wrong information about the employee's name or SSN. This letter does not address your employee’s work authorization or immigration status.
You should not use this letter to take any adverse action against an employee, such as laying off, suspending, firing, or discriminating against that individual, just because his or her SSN or name does not match our records. Any of those actions could, in fact, violate State or Federal law and subject you to legal consequences.”
Please be on the lookout for any future communications you may receive from us on this matter.