Someone Is Working Under Your SSN
If wages or employment verification appear under your SSN, correct the Social Security and tax records and use myE-Verify controls where they fit.
If another person works under your Social Security number, the problem can show up as unfamiliar wages in your Social Security earnings record, an IRS notice about income you did not earn, or E-Verify activity you do not recognize. Start by reviewing your personal my Social Security account and the tax document that triggered the concern. SSA can correct earnings that are not yours; the IRS handles tax consequences; IdentityTheft.gov provides the identity-theft recovery record; and myE-Verify offers Self Lock to prevent unauthorized use of your SSN in E-Verify and Self Check. These are separate systems, so a fix in one does not automatically repair the others.
Check the SSA earnings record before assuming an employer typo
Sign in to your personal my Social Security account and review the full earnings history. Compare each employer and wage amount with your W-2s and tax returns. SSA updated its guidance in August 2026 to say some people can request a correction online from the earnings-record view. If online correction is not available, SSA directs people to a local office, where identity verification and additional documentation may be required; Form SSA-7008 can be used in some cases.
Bring or retain filed tax returns for the affected years because they help show what income you actually reported. Correcting the SSA record matters for future Social Security benefit calculations as well as identity cleanup. A fraudulent wage that remains attached to your record can distort earnings history even after an IRS tax issue is resolved.
IRS notices about unknown wages need a tax response
If the IRS says you failed to report income from an employer you never worked for, do not add that income to your return just to make the notice balance disappear. Respond through the notice’s official process and explain the identity-theft issue. The 2026 Form 14039 includes an option for someone working under your SSN in certain circumstances, but IRS instructions are case-specific. If you received a notice, follow the notice first and use Form 14039 only as the IRS directs.
Keep the W-2, 1099, or notice showing the unfamiliar employer. If possible, note the employer name and EIN without contacting a suspected worker or trying to investigate them yourself. The government agencies need to correct your records; your job is to show which wages are not yours and which tax filings are legitimate.
| Record | What it can show | Owner of the correction |
|---|---|---|
| my Social Security earnings history | Wages credited to your SSN by year | Social Security Administration |
| IRS notice or wage transcript | Tax reporting associated with your SSN | Internal Revenue Service |
| myE-Verify case history | E-Verify cases associated with your identity | DHS/USCIS myE-Verify |
| Credit report | Possible new-credit fraud occurring alongside employment misuse | Equifax, Experian, TransUnion and furnishers |
| IdentityTheft.gov report | Your consolidated identity-theft statement and recovery plan | FTC recovery workflow |
Self Lock is a preventive E-Verify control, not an all-employment lock
myE-Verify currently includes Self Lock, a free feature that prevents a locked SSN from being used in E-Verify and Self Check. The lock can help when your SSN is being used for employment verification, but it does not stop every employer from hiring someone under a stolen SSN because not every employment situation uses E-Verify. Before you start a legitimate job with an E-Verify employer, remember that you may need to remove the Self Lock so your own case can proceed.
Use the official myE-Verify site and secure that account with strong credentials. Review the My Cases history for activity you do not recognize. A Self Lock is a prevention layer; it does not remove false wages already posted to SSA or correct an IRS notice.
Protect the tax-filing side with an IP PIN
Employment identity theft often creates tax friction because the IRS sees wage reporting tied to your SSN. An IRS IP PIN can help prevent a separate fraudulent federal income-tax return from being filed under your identity. The IP PIN is six digits, changes each calendar year, and is available to taxpayers who can verify identity. It is not a wage lock and does not tell SSA which employer was false, so keep the function of each control clear.
- □ Save the unfamiliar W-2, IRS notice, or SSA earnings entry that first showed employment misuse.
- □ Compare SSA earnings with your own tax returns and legitimate employer records year by year.
- □ Request the SSA correction online if eligible or follow the local-office process and provide the requested documentation.
- □ Respond to IRS notices using the exact instructions and preserve all correspondence.
- □ Review myE-Verify case history and consider Self Lock when unauthorized E-Verify use is a risk.
- □ Obtain an IP PIN for future federal tax filings and secure the email account used for tax and government services.
Do not ask SSA to solve the whole identity-theft case
SSA’s 2026 guidance is explicit that Social Security does not handle identity-theft issues broadly, although it can correct Social Security records. Report the identity theft to the FTC and use the agencies responsible for tax, credit, or employment verification as appropriate. This division of responsibility can feel repetitive, but it prevents a wrong earnings record from being treated as if it were only a credit problem.
If your SSN was used to open bank accounts or credit lines as well, freeze the nationwide credit files and correct those accounts separately. Employment misuse is sometimes one branch of a wider identity-theft incident.
Keep tax years and earnings years aligned in your evidence
Create a table with calendar year, legitimate employer, legitimate wages, unfamiliar employer, SSA correction status, IRS notice status, and documents sent. A mismatch discovered in 2026 may relate to wages reported for 2024 or 2025. Without a year-by-year table, it is easy to send the wrong tax return to the wrong inquiry or assume a corrected IRS notice automatically fixed SSA.
Recovery ends when the government records agree with your real work history
Recheck the SSA earnings record after the correction is processed and retain the confirmation. Resolve the IRS notice or tax-account issue and save the final letter or transcript. Keep Self Lock or other preventive controls according to your employment plans. The clean finish line is concrete: the wages attached to your SSN belong to you, the tax record reflects your actual return, and future employment verification has the controls you intentionally chose.
Questions specific to Someone Is Working Under Your SSN
Can SSA remove wages that are not mine?
Yes. SSA says it can help correct earnings that do not belong to you. Some users may be able to request a correction online; others need to work with a local Social Security office and provide supporting documentation.
Does myE-Verify Self Lock stop all employment identity theft?
No. It blocks use of your SSN in E-Verify and Self Check while active, but not every employment situation uses E-Verify. It is one preventive control, not a universal employment lock.
Should I pay tax on wages earned by the person using my SSN?
Do not simply add unfamiliar wages to your return to make a notice disappear. Follow the IRS notice or identity-theft process and document which income is not yours.
Can an IP PIN correct my Social Security earnings record?
No. An IP PIN helps verify federal tax returns. SSA owns the earnings record, so false wages need a separate SSA correction.