The Benefit Verification Letter Retirees May Need Before a Loan or Apartment Application

Retirees don’t have the same income verification that workers with paychecks have. But if they want to rent an apartment or apply for a loan, they may still need to prove some income.

Enter the Social Security benefit verification letter, which is proof of your monthly benefit checks. Here’s what it includes, and how to get one.

What is a Social Security benefit verification letter?

A Social Security benefit verification letter — also sometimes called a "proof of income letter" or "benefit letter" — proves that you receive Social Security retirement, disability or survivor benefits. Any Medicare coverage or Supplemental Security Income will also be included in this letter. The document can also confirm if an application is pending, and it will reveal if someone is not currently receiving money from Social Security.

Getting a benefit letter can make it easier to get approved for a loan or a rental application, but it’s not a guarantee. Not every creditor accepts the same evidence, and some may require additional income or assets for you to qualify. It also differs for each financial product, with personal loans being much easier to obtain than mortgages.

How to get the letter

You can get your benefit verification letter by creating or logging into your “my Social Security” account and accessing the letter from your dashboard. Then, you can print the PDF or send it to the creditor or landlord electronically.

You can also receive this letter in the mail by request, but it is much quicker to obtain an online copy since a mailed letter can take up to 10 business days to arrive. That’s why the Social Security Administration recommends using an online account to receive your letter.

If you need assistance with accessing your letter, you can call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 and say “proof of income” when prompted. You can only request your copy of a benefit verification letter; you can't get someone else's unless you are acting as that beneficiary’s authorized representative payee.

Check the details before submitting

You should review the details of your benefit verification letter to ensure all of the information is accurate. Your name, benefit status, monthly amount and Medicare information should match your records. It’s also a good idea to confirm that you are actually submitting a benefit verification letter, instead of a similar document like a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) notice, SSA-1099 report or a bank statement.

If you have an old benefit verification letter, you should still obtain the most recent document. Social Security benefits increased by 2.8% this year due to regular COLA boosts. That brought the average retired-worker monthly benefit from $2,015 to $2,071 per month.

Even when you obtain this letter, you may still need other documents. Ask the lender or landlord if you need additional proof of wages, investment income or something else. Be sure to download the letter through SSA.gov and no other resource to ensure it's legitimate and you're not providing your information to a fraudulent website.