[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 181 (Wednesday, September 18, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 57445]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-22625]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No. SSA-2012-0026]


Charging Standard Administrative Fees for Nonprogram-Related 
Information

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice of standard administrative fees for providing 
information and related services for nonprogram-related purposes; 
announcing addition to schedule of standardized administrative fees.

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SUMMARY: On August 22, 2012,\1\ we announced in the Federal Register a 
schedule of standardized administrative fees we charge to recover the 
full cost of providing information and related services we provide to 
the public for nonprogram purposes. We are announcing the addition of a 
new standard fee to the previously published schedule of standardized 
administrative fees.
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    \1\ 77 FR 50757, Aug. 22, 2012.
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    This new standard fee is part of our continuing effort to 
standardize fees for nonprogram information requests. Standard fees 
ensure consistency and that we recover the full cost of supplying 
information when a request is for a purpose not directly related to the 
administration of a program under the Social Security Act (Act).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  Section 1106 of the Act and the Privacy Act 
\2\ authorize the Commissioner of Social Security to promulgate 
regulations regarding agency records and information and to charge fees 
for providing information and related services. Our regulations and 
operating instructions identify when we will charge fees for 
information.\3\ Under our regulations, whenever we determine a request 
for information is for any purpose not directly related to the 
administration of the Social Security programs, we require the 
requester to pay the full cost of providing the information.
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    \2\ 42 U.S.C. 1306 and 5 U.S.C. 552a, respectively.
    \3\ See 20 CFR 402.170, 402.175; Program Operations Manual 
System (POMS) GN 03311.005.
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    Currently, requesters complete Form SSA-7050, Request for Social 
Security Earnings Information, to initiate requests for detailed and 
certified yearly Social Security earnings information. We determine the 
fee for this information based on the number of years requested. The 
form includes a fee chart to guide requesters in determining the amount 
of the fee. The requesters calculate their fee and include payment with 
the form. The existing process has created inconsistencies and 
inefficiencies. The form's existing fee schedule does not conform to 
the standard fee methodology published in the Federal Register on 
August 22, 2012. Moreover, the fee schedule is outdated and incongruent 
with the agency's current costs for this service.
    New Information: We are establishing a new standard, single-tier 
fee of $102 for each request of certified yearly totals of Social 
Security earnings, regardless of the number of earnings years 
requested. We based this new standard fee on our most recent cost 
calculations for supplying this information and the standard fee 
methodology previously published in the Federal Register. Non-
certified, yearly earnings totals (Form SSA-7004, Request for a Social 
Security Statement) are still available as a free online service 
through mySocialSecurity, http://socialsecurity.gov/myaccount/, a 
personal online account for Social Security information and services. 
Social Security Statements display uncertified, yearly earnings and do 
not show any employer information.
    We will evaluate all standard fees at least every two years to 
ensure we continue to capture the full costs associated with providing 
information for nonprogram-related purposes. We will require advance 
payment of the standard fee by check, money order, or credit card. We 
will not accept cash. If we revise any of the standard fees, we will 
publish another notice in the Federal Register. For other nonprogram-
related requests for information not addressed here or within the 
current schedule of standardized administrative fees, we will continue 
to charge fees calculated on a case-by-case basis to recover our full 
cost of supplying the information. No other changes will apply to the 
schedule of standardized administrative fees announced in the Federal 
Register \1\ on August 22, 2012. We will implement the new fee across 
all of our field offices simultaneously.

Additional Information

    Additional information is available on our Web site at http://socialsecurity.gov/pgm/business.htm or by written request to: Social 
Security Administration, Office of Public Inquiries, Windsor Park 
Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235.

DATES: The standard administrative fee will apply to nonprogram-related 
requests for information we receive on or after September 18, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristina Poist, Social Security 
Administration, Office of Finance, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, 
MD 21235-6401, (410) 597-1977. For information on eligibility or filing 
for benefits, call our national toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 or TTY 
1-800-325-0778, or visit our Internet site, Social Security Online, at 
http://socialsecurity.gov.

    Dated: September 12, 2013.
Carolyn W. Colvin,
Acting Commissioner of Social Security.
[FR Doc. 2013-22625 Filed 9-17-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P