[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 189 (Tuesday, September 29, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61078-61079]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-21520]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No. SSA-2020-0046]


Charging Standard Administrative Fees for Non-Program Information

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice of updated schedule of standard administrative fees.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: On August 22, 2012, we announced in the Federal Register a 
schedule of standard administrative fees we charge to the public. We 
charge these fees to recover our full costs when we provide information 
and related services for non-program purposes. We are announcing an 
update to the previously published schedule of standard administrative 
fees. The updated standard fee schedule is part of our continued effort 
to standardize fees for non-program information requests. Standard fees 
provide consistency and ensure we recover the full cost of supplying 
information when we receive a request for a purpose not directly 
related to the administration of a program under the Social Security 
Act (Act).

DATES: The changes described above are applicable for requests we 
receive on or after October 1, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Hunter, Social Security 
Administration, Office of Finance, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, 
MD 21235-6401, (410) 965-5861. For information on eligibility or filing 
for benefits, visit our website, socialsecurity.gov, or call our 
national toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 or TTY 1-800-325-0778.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1106 of the Act and the Privacy Act 
\1\ authorize the Commissioner of Social Security to promulgate 
regulations regarding the fees related to providing information. Our 
regulations and operating instructions identify when we will charge 
fees for information.\2\ 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.\3\ To 
inform the public of these fees, on August 22, 2012,\4\ we announced in 
the Federal Register a schedule of standard administrative fees we 
charge to the public. We last updated the schedule of standard fees on 
September 4, 2018.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ 42 U.S.C. 1306 and 5 U.S.C. 552a(f)(5), respectively.
    \2\ See 20 CFR 401.95, 402.170, and 402.175; Program Operations 
Manual System (POMS) GN 03311.005.
    \3\ See 42 U.S.C. 1306(c) and 20 CFR 402.175.
    \4\ 77 FR 50757.
    \5\ 83 FR 45002.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    New Information: We are required to review and update standard 
administrative fees at least every two years.\6\ Based on the most 
recent cost analysis, the following table provides the new schedule of 
standard administrative fees per request:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ See the Office of Management and Budget Circular No. A-25, 
User Charges.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Copying an Electronic Folder: $41.
    Copying a Paper Folder: $83.
    Regional Office Certification \7\: $64.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ Requests received in a field office, regional office, or 
headquarters component.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Record Extract: $34.
    Third Party Manual SSN Verification: $36.
    Office of Central Operations Certification \8\: $30.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \8\ Requests received in the Office of Central Operations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    W-2/W-3 Requests \9\: $90.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \9\ W-2/W-3 Fee is $90 per request, not dependent on the number 
of years or number of individuals within request.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Form SSA-7050, Request for Social Security Earning Information: 
$92.
    Requests for Copy of Original Form SS-5, Application for a Social 
Security Card: $21.
    Requests for Copy of Numident Record (Computer Extract of the SS-
5): $20.

[[Page 61079]]

    A requester can obtain certified and non-certified detailed yearly 
Social Security earnings information by completing Form SSA-7050, 
Request for Social Security Earning Information. We charge $92 for each 
Form SSA-7050 for detailed yearly Social Security earnings information. 
For an additional $30, we will certify the detailed earnings 
information. Detailed earnings information includes the names and 
addresses of employers. Yearly earnings totals are available in two 
ways, depending on the requester's need for certification. A requester 
can continue to obtain non-certified yearly earnings totals (Form SSA-
7004, Request for Social Security Statement) through our free online 
service, my Social Security, a personal online account for Social 
Security information and services. Online Social Security Statements 
display uncertified yearly earnings, free of charge, and do not show 
any employer information. A requester can obtain certified yearly 
Social Security earnings totals by completing the Form SSA-7050. The 
cost for certified yearly earnings totals is $122 ($92 plus an 
additional $30 for certification).
    We will continue to evaluate all standard fees at least every two 
years to ensure we capture the full costs associated with providing 
information for non-program-related purposes. We require nonrefundable 
advance payment by check, money order, or credit card. We do not accept 
cash. We will only accept one form of payment in the full amount of the 
standard fee for each request, and will not divide the fee amount 
between more than one form of payment. If we revise any of the standard 
fees, we will publish another notice in the Federal Register. For other 
non-program requests for information not addressed here or within the 
current schedule of standard administrative fees, we will continue to 
charge fees calculated on a case-by-case basis to recover our full cost 
of supplying the information.

Additional Information

    Additional information is available on our Business Services 
website at https://www.ssa.gov/thirdparty/business.html or by written 
request to: Social Security Administration, Office of Public Inquiries 
and Communications Support, 1100 West High Rise, 6401 Security 
Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235.
    The Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, Andrew 
Saul, having reviewed and approved this document, is delegating the 
authority to electronically sign this document to Faye I. Lipsky, who 
is the primary Federal Register Liaison for SSA, for purposes of 
publication in the Federal Register.

Faye I. Lipsky,
Federal Register Liaison, Office of Legislation and Congressional 
Affairs, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2020-21520 Filed 9-28-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P