Social Security gets monthly pay data from Equifax for some people on Supplemental Security Income, and the arrangement carries a protection. The agency’s 2026 SSI spotlight on the Payroll Information Exchange says people who receive SSI and give authorization are protected from the penalty of ineligibility for SSI cash benefits on the wage and employment information it receives. It adds that “other penalties may still apply.”
For an SSI recipient who works, the question is how to avoid losing money. The authorization covers pay data only. Social Security says a recipient must still report right away when starting or stopping a job or getting a new employer, and a missed report can cost money even when the pay data is flowing.
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What the Payroll Information Exchange is
Social Security calls it the Payroll Information Exchange, or PIE, and describes it as “an automated method of collecting wage and employment information.” Each month a payroll data provider sends the agency wage and employment data for people who gave authorization and work for participating employers. The agency says it “currently uses Equifax” in that role.
The arrangement is limited by design. It reaches only employers that take part, and Social Security says it will notify a recipient of which employers are participating. If an employer is not on the list, the recipient keeps reporting wages for that job the usual way.
Who has to sign, and how to stop
Authorization is voluntary. “Providing your authorization is voluntary,” the spotlight says, and a recipient can give it by completing Form SSA-8240, which is on the Forms page of SSA.gov, or by contacting the agency. Social Security asks for it when a person files for SSI payments or Social Security Disability Insurance, known as SSDI.
The agency says declining does not change eligibility or payments for SSI or SSDI. A recipient can also revoke the authorization at any time by sending a written request or contacting Social Security. Revoking ends the penalty protection and restores all reporting duties, according to the spotlight.
What SSI recipients still have to report
The spotlight is plain that monthly pay reporting continues until a notice arrives: “You must continue to report any changes to monthly wages unless you receive a notice” saying Social Security gets the wage reports through PIE. Even with that notice, a recipient must report promptly if their medical condition improves, if they start or stop a job, or if they get a new employer.
Other changes stay on the recipient too. Social Security lists changes in other income, resources and living arrangements, as well as work expenses related to the person’s medical condition. Reports can be made by phone at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or through the SSA.gov website. The agency also points to its separate spotlight on monthly wage reporting for electronic reporting options.
The practical difference is who does the work each month. With a notice in hand that Social Security receives the pay data through PIE, a recipient no longer has to report monthly wages for participating employers. Without that notice, the monthly wage report stays on the recipient, and the authorization alone changes nothing about that duty.
Where disability insurance fits
People on disability insurance should read the protection carefully. The spotlight’s penalty protection names people who receive SSI and says the protection covers the penalty of ineligibility for SSI cash benefits. The agency says it may ask for authorization during SSDI work reviews, and that refusing or revoking it does not affect SSDI eligibility or payments, but it does not describe the same penalty protection for SSDI.
That leaves the protection narrower than a blanket promise. The authorization shields SSI recipients from one penalty tied to the pay data Equifax sends, while the duty to report a new job, a new employer or a stopped job remains with the person.
Working on SSI and worried about a report?
An SSI recipient who assumes the Equifax data covers everything can miss a new employer or a stopped job, and Social Security says other penalties may still apply. The authorization does not replace the reporting list the agency spells out.
The SSI & Disability Action Kit includes the rules for working without losing benefits, along with review and reporting steps and an income and resource organizer. Part 5 covers reviews, reporting and overpayments, so a household can see what to report and when.
Get the working-on-SSI reporting steps in the Action Kit →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
