The Social Security Administration has reset the prices for records it hands out beyond its normal benefit work. Under a new notice, the agency charges $74 to manually verify a Social Security number for a third party and $54 for each W-2 or W-3 copy it provides. Both prices apply to requests that reach the agency on or after October 1, 2026.
The update appeared in the Federal Register on September 21, 2026, in a notice called Charging Standard Administrative Fees for Non-Program Information. SSA General Counsel Mark Steffensen signed it. The notice says the agency reviews and updates these standard fees at least every two years under a federal budget-office rule known as OMB Circular A-25.
What the price list covers
The fees apply to information requested for any purpose not directly related to running Social Security programs. That is the dividing line in the notice. Everyday program business, such as claiming a benefit or fixing an earnings record, is not what these fees are aimed at.
The $74 and $54 lines are the ones most households and small employers are likely to meet. A lender, landlord, employer or lawyer that needs SSA to confirm a number by hand is the third party in the $74 line. Someone who needs wage forms from the agency is in the $54 line, and the fee is charged per form requested, so several forms mean several charges.
Several groups are likely to feel this. Retirees who are asked by a bank, a pension office or a court for proof tied to their number should ask who is paying and which record is really needed. Family members handling an estate, and small business owners chasing old wage forms, face the same choice before any money is sent.
What changed this year: Social Security and Medicare change every year, and nobody sends you a memo. The Retirement Money Brief breaks down what changed and what to do.
Get the Retirement Money Brief →
We may earn a commission from links on this page.
The full list in the notice runs ten lines, plus one add-on.
- $74 for a third-party manual Social Security number verification.
- $54 for each W-2 or W-3 requested.
- $151 to copy a paper folder, and $75 to copy an electronic folder.
- $49 for Form SSA-7050, the request for Social Security earnings information, plus an additional $30 if SSA certifies the detailed earnings.
- $23 for a copy of an original Form SS-5, the application for a Social Security number, and $22 for a copy of the Numident record.
- $65 for a Field Operations Headquarters certification, $46 for a record extract and $30 for a central processing certification.
Records people can still reach on their own
People who only need to look at their own file have a starting point that is not in the fee notice. SSA’s online account page says the account lets people review their earnings for accuracy, print proof of benefits or tax forms, and request a replacement Social Security card. Signing up takes an email address, a government-issued photo ID and either a phone or a device with a camera.
The replacement card has its own page. SSA says on its replacement card page that a replacement is free, that it arrives by mail in 5 to 10 business days, and that a physical card is not needed in most cases. A person who already knows the number can often skip the card altogether.
None of that changes the new list. A fee line applies when the request is for non-program information, such as a certified earnings record or a third party’s verification. Anyone unsure whether a specific request falls under the notice can call the contact named in it, Stephen Hull, at (410) 966-1890.
Why a nonrefundable payment calls for a second look
The notice is blunt about payment. It says SSA requires a nonrefundable advance payment. That means a mistaken request, a wrong form or a duplicate order can cost real money with no way to get it back, and the cost stacks up quickly for a family that needs several W-2 copies or both an earnings statement and its certification.
The certified earnings route shows how the pieces add up. A Form SSA-7050 request costs $49, and the extra certification adds $30, so the paperwork lands at $79 before anything else is ordered. Anyone who needs the earnings history only to check it for mistakes may be able to do that in the online account instead of buying a certified copy.
Payment is also where scammers like to step in. SSA’s scam page warns that criminals impersonate the agency and that Social Security will never ask for sensitive information by social media, email or text message. It lists gift cards, prepaid debit cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, money transfers and cash as payment methods that signal a scam. A fee demand that arrives that way did not come from the fee notice.
What the notice leaves out
The notice sets prices and a start date. It does not change how much any retiree, disabled worker or survivor is paid each month, and it does not add a charge to routine benefit services. It also does not say what the old prices were, so there is no official before-and-after to quote.
SSA’s list of Federal Register documents shows the September 21 fee notice as the agency’s latest word on these charges, with no newer fee document posted since. Anyone whose request was received before October 1, 2026 should check which schedule applies to that request, since the notice keys the new prices to the date SSA receives it, not the date it was mailed.
Waiting on a Social Security record or a fee notice?
A fee that is nonrefundable, a date that depends on when SSA receives a request, and a long list of similar-looking forms make this an easy place to pay twice or pay for the wrong thing. For a household living on one Social Security check, a record fee paid in error and a missed notice can crowd out other bills.
A records fee is one of several changes and notices that land on people who depend on SSA, and The Social Security Check Protection Kit keeps the agency’s dates and routes in one place. It includes the 2026 payment calendar, plus a first-24-hours plan for a late or missing payment and an overpayment response worksheet.
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- 21 Ways Retirees Can Raise $1,000 Fast Without a Job
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
