dear mr lary ,i am residing outside us .i just started to receive my social security benefit and i noticed on my earning statement there is almost the third of my earning years has a zero earning while i have earning and i payed taxes .i send 2 lettersto social security without answear ,can you help .many thanks for your reply

Hi,

If you paid Social Security taxes on earnings that aren't posted to your earnings record, you will likely need to submit proof of those earnings to Social Security in order to have them credited to your record. The best evidence of wages are normally W-2 forms, but other satisfactory evidence may also be used (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0301403010). For self-employment earnings, a copy of your tax return and proof that you paid the required taxes (e.g. cancelled check, IRS receipt) is normally required (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0301804150).

Best, Jerry