Benefit SSI and disability beneficiaries who let Social Security pull their pay data from The Work Number generally no longer have to report work increases at that employer By Elizabeth Blessing, Social Security beneficiaries who let the agency pull their pay data from Equifax’s The Work Number database generally no longer have to report an increase in their work at that employer. The relief comes from a federal rule that took effect March 3, 2025, and it covers people on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and on Social Security disability insurance (SSDI). It is optional, and it works one employer at a time. For workers who live on a small check, the difference is real. A raise, extra hours or a bigger paycheck can change an SSI payment or a disability review, and a missed report can turn into an overpayment bill. The rule takes one of those reporting chores off the list for people who opt in, but it does not take all of them. What the payroll exchange does The program is called the Payroll Information Exchange, or PIE. Under the final rule published in the Federal Register on Dec. 31, 2024, Social Security can obtain wage and employment information from a payroll data provider, but only for people who authorize it. The rule says a beneficiary is not automatically opted in. Social Security picked Equifax for the job. The agency awarded the contract in September 2019, and the rule says Equifax was the only payroll data provider to answer the solicitation. Equifax’s database is The Work Number. According to the rule, the provider reports that it covers more than two-thirds of non-farm payroll data. Once Social Security receives wages from a participating employer through the exchange, the rule says, “an individual no longer has to report an increase in the amount of their work for that employer.” The relief also reaches increases in earnings and changes