Legal Definitions - earnings record

Earnings record

Earnings record is a document that shows how much money a person has earned throughout their life. This information is used to determine if the person is eligible for benefits like disability or retirement.

For example, if someone has been working for 30 years and has been paying into Social Security, their earnings record will show how much money they earned each year. If they become disabled and can no longer work, their earnings record will be used to determine how much disability benefits they are eligible for.

Another example is if someone reaches retirement age and wants to start receiving Social Security benefits. Their earnings record will be used to calculate how much money they will receive each month.

These examples illustrate how important the earnings record is in determining a person's eligibility for and amount of benefits.