To process W-2 for payroll purposes, upon employment, you must ask employees for social security. This is usually not a problem, but it is possible that at some point, you will have issues checking the employee’s social security number. The good news is that this issue is quite common. You can take various measures to fix it and make sure that your company complies with applicable laws.

In this situation, do the following:

Check the number entered- If you cannot verify your social security number, make sure you enter the correct number and name that is on the employee’s file. You may have exchanged a number or entered something in error the first time you tried to confirm.

Try different name configurations- If your new hire has many names, try entering different configurations. You can enter a surname in a format that does not match the surname on the social security card.

Ask your new hire to confirm the number- after making sure that you have correctly entered the name and number, contact the new hire and ask him if the social security number was correctly entered in the documentation.

Instruct the employee to visit Social Security local office- If the number provided by the employee is still not recognized. Tell the employee to contact the Social Security office to get to the bottom of the problem.

Document your efforts- You should accurately document each step while reviewing your employee’s social security number. If you document your efforts and retain this information for at least three years, to protect your business from liability.

What happens if you can’t verify your social security number?

Many employers assume that they must dismiss an employee if they cannot provide a valid Social Security number. However, If you suspend or fire an employee due to review issues, you may violate federal and state labor laws. Instead, document your efforts to review your social security number and save this information to a file.

Create a business policy

The best way to provide an effective solution to your social security review problem is to create a consistent corporate policy. This policy should specify the steps to be taken and time frame in the event of problems with social security reviews. If you have a policy, you can effectively control the checking process, while complying with all applicable laws and regulations.