Dear Editor:
If you are a Social Security beneficiary, you can look forward to getting your Social Security Benefit Statement for Tax Year 2000 (SSA-1099) soon. Social Security has just finished mailing out more than 48 million.
Some people who get Social Security have to pay taxes on their benefits. Form SSA-1099 shows the total amount of benefits you received in the previous year. You use it when you complete your federal income tax return to find out if any of your benefits are subject to tax.
If you lose or don’t receive your SSA-1099, you can request a replacement online from Social Security’s website, at https://s3abca.ssa.gov/pro/1099/1099home.shtml. You will need your name as it appears on benefit checks and/or letters and your Social Security number. You may also need your date and place of birth and your mother’s maiden name (to help identify you).
If you request a replacement on behalf of a deceased beneficiary, you will need the beneficiary’s name and his or her Social Security number. You may only request on behalf of a deceased beneficiary if you have received benefits on the same record.
For more information on taxation of Social Security benefits, call the Internal Revenue Service’s toll-free number, 1-800-829-3676, to ask for Publication 554, Tax Information for Older Americans.
Yvonne Bryant
Social Security Manager, Jersey City