Social Security Is Ending A Pandemic Program Early: What That Means For You

Another pandemic-era program is ending, and this one might spell trouble for job-seekers. The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced that the extended timeframe for employers to E-Verify employees' eligibility to work in the U.S. is coming to an end.

What Is E-Verify?

The E-Verify system allows employers to confirm work eligibility using information taken from employees’ I-9 forms, a standard form completed during the onboarding process for new employees. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SSA extended the timeframe for employers to address issues like social security number mismatches due to the closure of SSA offices and a shortage of employees.

Social security numbers are necessary so taxes can be accurately filed and recorded with the IRS. Social security mismatches can result in tax mistakes, costing you big at tax time the following year.

The extended timeframe allowed new hires to continue to work while any mistakes or oversights were cleared up with the SSA. But as with many pandemic-era programs, the program is coming to an end on July 15th.

What the E-Verify Change Means for You

Beginning July 15th, employees will have eight business days to contact a Social Security Administration branch to clear up any mistakes on their I-9 form. Cases referred to the SSA for correction between March 2, 2020, and July 14, 2022, will have until September 29th, 2022, to make corrections.

The SSA provided the following preferred timelines for correcting SSN mismatches:

• If the date on the employee’s Referral Date Confirmation (RDC) is from March 2 to December 31, 2020, contact the SSA from October 1 to December 31, 2022

• If the date on the employee’s Referral Date Confirmation (RDC) is from January 1 to December 31, 2021, contact the SSA from January 1 to March 31, 2023

• If the date on the employee’s Referral Date Confirmation (RDC) is from January 1 to July 14, 2022, contact the SSA from April 1 to June 30, 2023

Employees must visit a local Social Security Administration office in person to make corrections. If corrections aren’t made by the deadline, the SSA will file a Final Nonconfirmation notice, which could result in job loss.