What is the Payroll Information Exchange (PIE)?

PIE is an automated method of collecting wage and employment information. Each month, a Payroll Data Provider (PDP) sends Social Security wage and employment information for people who:

	provided authorization, and
	work for an employer that participates in the PDP’s services.

Social Security currently uses Equifax as the PDP for PIE.

How does PIE affect my SSI?

PIE may reduce how much information you need to report to us. Workers who have provided authorization and whose wages are reported to Social Security by the PDP (Equifax) do not need to report changes in monthly wages for participating employers. We will send you a notice if we start or stop receiving your wage information through PIE and we will tell you which employer(s) are participating. These notices will also tell you about any changes to your reporting responsibilities.

SSI recipients who fail to report information or who report false information can be subject to penalties that reduce or stop their payments. People who receive SSI and provide authorization are protected from the penalty of ineligibility for SSI cash benefits related to any wage and employment information we receive from the PDP (Equifax). Other penalties may still apply.

What information do I need to report?

You must continue to report any changes to monthly wages unless you receive a notice telling you that we are receiving wage reports from your employer(s) through PIE. If you have multiple employers and not all of them participate through PIE, you must continue to report wages for the employer(s) that do not participate. For more information about electronic reporting options, see the Spotlight on Monthly Wage Reporting.

Even if you receive a notice telling you we are receiving wage reports through PIE for all your employers, you must continue to report right away if you:

	have an improved medical condition;
	start or stop a job; or
	have a new employer.

You must continue to report any changes in other income, resources, and living arrangements. Additionally, let us know if you have any work expenses related to your medical condition. We may be able to deduct these expenses from your total wages when we determine your payment amount.

How do I give Social Security authorization to receive my employment information through PIE?

We ask for your authorization when you file for SSI payments or SSDI benefits. We may also ask for your authorization during SSI redeterminations, SSDI work reviews, or if you report a work-related change. Additionally, you can provide authorization at any time by contacting us and letting us know you’d like to provide wage and employment information authorization, or by completing the SSA-8240 form, available on the Forms page of the SSA.gov website. Once you provide authorization, you generally do not need to provide it again while you are receiving benefits.

Providing your authorization is voluntary. You can revoke your authorization at any time by sending us a written request or by contacting us. Refusing to provide authorization or deciding to revoke it does not affect your eligibility for SSI or SSDI or your payments. However, if you revoke your authorization, all your reporting responsibilities resume and your penalty protection ends. We will notify you in writing of these changes.

What should I do if I do not agree with the information the payroll data provider is sending to Social Security?

We will send you a notice when we start receiving your wage information through PIE. The notice tells you which employers are participating. You will also receive a notice if wage and employment information received through PIE changes your SSI payments.

If you disagree with the wage and employment information on these notices, contact us right away to update your record. You can also reach out to the PDP (Equifax) or your employer to correct the information. The notices we send when wage and employment information we receive through PIE affects your payments provides contact information for the PDP (Equifax).