20 CFR 422.122(b)
OMB No. 0960-0547
A. Justification
1. Introduction/Authoring Laws and Regulations - Pension plan administrators annually file pension plan information with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), who then forwards the information to the Social Security Administration (SSA). SSA maintains and organizes this information by plan numbers, plan participant’s name, and Social Security number. Under section 1131(a) of the Social Security Act, pension plan participants are entitled to request this information from SSA. The Wage Reports and Pension Information Regulation, 20 CFR 422.122(b) of the Code of Federal Regulations, stipulates that before SSA disseminates this information, the requester must first submit a written request with identifying information to SSA.
Description of Collection - SSA uses the identifying information supplied by the requester to verify they are the individual to whom the pension information pertains, and to locate the requested pension plan information. Once we have established and confirmed the requester's identity and the information has been located, SSA sends it to the requester. Respondents are requesters of pension plan information.
Use of Information Technology to Collect the Information - Because the Wage Reports and Pension Information is a requirement mandated by Government regulation for which there is no standardized form and most requestors write to or telephone their local SSA field office for the information, SSA currently has no plans to make this information collection available electronically.
Why We Cannot Use Duplicate Information - The nature of the information SSA is collecting and the manner in which we are collecting it preclude duplication. There is no other collection instrument SSA uses that collects data similar to that collected here.
5. Minimizing Burden on Small Respondents - This collection does not affect small businesses or other small entities.
6. Consequence of Not Collecting Information or Collecting it Less Frequently - If we did not collect this information, SSA would have no way of confirming the individuals requesting pension plan information were actually entitled to that information. This could result in: a) individuals receiving information to which they were not entitled, leading to potential fraud; or b) SSA not providing pension plan information to individuals at all. Since we can only provide the information to those individuals who request it and provide appropriate identifiers, we cannot collect it less frequently. There are no technical or legal obstacles that prevent burden reduction.
7. Special Circumstances - There are no special circumstances that would cause SSA to conduct this information in a manner inconsistent with 5 CFR 1320.5.
Solicitation of Public Comment and Other Consultations with the Public – SSA published the 60-day advance Federal Register Notice on March 30, 2010 at 75 FR 15761, and we received no public comments. We published the 30-day Notice on _________ at _____FR_________. If we receive any comments in response to the 30-day Notice, we will forward them to OMB. We did not consult with members of the public.
9. Payment of Gifts to Respondents - SSA provides no payment or gifts to the respondents.
10. Assurances of Confidentiality – SSA protects and holds confidential the information we collect in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 1306, 20 CFR 401 and 402, 5 U.S.C. 552 (Freedom of Information Act), 5 U.S.C. 552a (Privacy Act of 1974), and OMB Circular No.A-130.
11. Justification for Sensitive Questions - The information collection does not contain any questions of a sensitive nature.
12. Estimates of Public Reporting Burden - Each year, approximately 600 individuals take 30 minutes each to provide the identifying information required to request pension plan information. Therefore, the total annual burden for the Wage and Pension Plan Information Regulation is 300 burden hours. This figure represents burden hours, and we did not calculate a separate cost burden.
13. Annual Cost to the Respondents - There is no known cost burden to the respondents.
14. Annual Cost to the Federal Government - The annual cost to the Federal Government is approximately $231,000. This estimate is a projection of the costs for collecting and processing the requested information.
15. Program Changes or Adjustments to the Information Collection Request - There are no changes in the public reporting burden.
Plans for Publication Information Collection Results – SSA will not publish the results of the information collection.
Displaying the OMB Approval Expiration Date - SSA is not requesting an exception to publishing the OMB expiration date.
Exception to Certification Statement - SSA is not requesting an exception to the certification requirements at 5 CFR 1320.9 and related provisions at 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
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B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods
SSA does not use statistical methods for this information collection.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | September 2000 |
| Author | John V Hailman |
| Last Modified By | 889123 |
| File Modified | 2010-05-14 |
| File Created | 2010-05-13 |