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1099 form or other versions from My Social Security account at www.socialsecurity.gov or by calling 1-800-772-1213. To verify Social Security income, any of the following documents may be used, in order of desirability: • Social Security Award Certification Letter from the current year. If the client can’t provide a letter from the current year, the LSP is encouraged to assist the applicant in obtaining a current award letter if it has capacity to do so. • Most recent direct deposit statement from a bank • The most recent 1099 tax forms. If the income is calculated using the tax form, then the LSP should use the amount paid for the current year or amount paid via check or direct deposit and then calculate the income for the most recent 3- month period. • A letter from the bank including the deposit amount and date of receipt, verifying a deposit from the Social Security Administration. • Lump sum Social Security may be awarded for back payment. Determine the amount by pro-rating the entire award and then consider the most recent three (3) months. If there is no way to identify what time period the lump sum covers, it should be excluded from calculation. • Report of Confidential Social Security Benefit Information (SSA-2458) or written verification from the Social Security Administration (SSA) with a Form L634 (cover letter) attached.
Strike Benefits A union may award strike benefits to employees who are striking against their employer. Strike benefits are counted as income. They may be verified by statements from the union, or by a check copy or stub. Unemployment Benefits Unemployment Benefits are income that is available to individuals who have lost their job through no fault of their own and who are currently available for employment. Unemployment Benefits may be documented by any of the following, in order of desirability: • Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Last Known Employer (LKE) report: This report can be requested directly from DWD. The report has several columns. LSPs must use the column “NET”. This is the actual amount that the client has earned without tax or other withholdings. • Uplink Unemployment Payment Summary- Deductions and entitlement amounts should be added to calculate gross benefit. • If unemployment benefits are sent to an electronic benefit transfer debit card, a statement of benefits can be used to document the income. All tax or other withholding must be added in to calculate the client’s gross income.