United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2005-04-01 monographic deposited born digital 64 p. GA 1.13:GAO-05-192 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-192 P0b002ee18039b674 f:d05192 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-192 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-192 GAO-05-192 Data collection Federal records management Federal social security programs Government information dissemination Reporting requirements Social security benefits Surveys SSA Personal Earnings and Benefits Estimate Statement Other Written Product A20619

The Social Security Statement is the federal government's main document for communicating with more than 140 million workers about their Social Security benefits. By law, the statement must show an individual's annual earnings, payments into Social Security and Medicare, and projected benefits. The Social Security Administration also uses the statement to explain the various types of Social Security benefits and to encourage greater financial planning for retirement. GAO conducted a review to examine (1) how well recipients understand the current statement, (2) how the Social Security Administration is evaluating the statement's understandability, and (3) the promising practices used by private sector companies and other industrial countries. GAO's information was obtained from its national survey and focus groups of statement recipients, a firm that evaluates benefit statements, officials from three other countries (Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), and other experts from the private sector. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-192/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-192.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-192/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-192.pdf GAO-05-192 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-192 Other Written Product GAO-05-192; Social Security Statements: Social Security Administration Should Better Evaluate Whether Workers Understand Their Statements; Data collection Federal records management Federal social security programs Government information dissemination Reporting requirements Social security benefits Surveys SSA Personal Earnings and Benefits Estimate Statement Title 42 Section 418 42 U.S.C. 418 Title 642 Section 1320b-13 642 U.S.C. 1320b-13 Public Law 92-603