Editorial standards

Social Security decisions are high-stakes, so accuracy is the whole job. This page explains who produces SocialSecurityNews.com, where our figures come from, how we keep them current, and how we handle mistakes.

The editorial team

SocialSecurityNews.com is written and maintained by a small, independent editorial team — the same people who build the site’s calculators and verify its figures. We are researchers and publishers, not SSA employees, attorneys, or financial advisers, and we don’t accept payment from companies or products we cover. Every original guide follows the same workflow before it reaches you:

• Drafted from primary sources — SSA announcements, the Trustees Report, the Federal Register, and Congress.gov. When a story surfaces through another outlet, we verify it against the underlying official source before writing.
• Checked figure by figure — every dollar amount, date, and percentage is traced to an official publication before it’s published, and our calculators run on those same published figures.
• Reviewed and dated — each guide carries a “last reviewed” date, and annually-changing figures are re-verified when SSA announces new values.

We publish under a team byline because our guides are collaboratively researched, updated, and re-verified over time rather than owned by a single author. Questions about anything we publish? Contact us — a person reads every message.

Independence

SocialSecurityNews.com is an independent publication. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the U.S. Social Security Administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or any government agency. We do not sell financial products, and nothing here is individualized financial, legal, or tax advice. Our only obligation is to our readers.

Primary sources first

Our explainers and figures are built on primary, official sources — the Social Security Administration (ssa.gov), Medicare.gov, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the SSA Office of the Chief Actuary, the Trustees Report, and Congress. When we state a number — a COLA, a bend point, a wage base, an earnings-test limit — it comes from the official announcement, and we link to it so you can verify it yourself.

Accuracy & review process

Original guides carry a byline and a “last reviewed” date. Figures that change every year — the cost-of-living adjustment, PIA bend points, the taxable maximum, and earnings-test limits — are checked against the official figures and updated when the government announces new ones (typically each October, effective the following January). Our calculators use these same published figures, and we state which year’s values apply.

Plain language, no hype

We write in plain English, define jargon, and avoid hype, scare tactics, and clickbait. We don’t use exclamation points to manufacture urgency. If a topic is genuinely uncertain or has important exceptions, we say so rather than oversimplify.

Corrections

We correct errors promptly. If you spot something inaccurate or out of date, please tell us through the site and we’ll review it. When we make a substantive correction to a guide, we update its “last reviewed” date so you know it has been re-checked.

Estimates, not advice

Our tools produce estimates using official formulas and simplified inputs; your actual benefits depend on your full earnings record and circumstances. Always confirm your specific figures with the Social Security Administration through your my Social Security account, and consult a qualified professional before making decisions.

Read more about who we are, or review our terms and privacy policy.