The Work Number is a database that organizations can use to verify employment and income information. The Work Number is the largest central repository of payroll information in the United States, with over 3.1 million employers including small, medium, and Fortune 500 companies contributing payroll records.

Equifax receives new information directly from employers' payroll systems on a per-pay-period basis — each time an employer runs payroll. Employers send us information in a secure, specified file format at specified time intervals. That information is instantly loaded into Equifax employment and income database, The Work Number. This helps ensure that current information, as provided by employers, is available to credentialed businesses that need help verifying employment for a mortgage or other types of lending.

Register by completing and signing a Service Agreement. By registering, you identify your agency to Equifax and protect employees against unauthorized access of confidential information. The contact person for the service agreement should be a spokesperson for your office. We may need to contact this person to verify the information. It will be necessary to provide proof or your organization’s qualifications to use this service and may need to complete an on-site inspection. You must be able to respond to the following questions:

• What type of organization are you?
• What type of program do you administer?
• What contract do you have to prove your program operation?

Employers who send records to Equifax use this service exclusively; in other words, they do not supply other vendors with the same payroll data for the purposes of employment and income verification. Therefore, Equifax is the effective "Sole Source" provider of access to these records.

A Social Services Verification record includes information given to us by employers: Employee Name and Social Security Number, Employment Status, Most Recent Start Date and Termination Date (if applicable), Total Time with Employer, Job Title, Rate of Pay, Average Hours per Pay Period, Total Pay for Past two years, and the most recent 12 pay periods of Gross Earnings. The verification can provide up to 36 months of pay dates, period ending dates, number of hours worked and gross earnings. All of this information is as current as the most recent pay period.

Absolutely. This is to be used only when the public aid applicant has expressly given their permission, through a written signature, for your department to verify their employment and income information. Child Support Enforcement agencies are the exception, since employers are legally required to respond to their requests. Equifax audits a percentage of all verifications performed, and your signed Agreement gives us the authority to audit your specific activity. When an audit is performed, we look for the authorization signature from the client.

A qualifying Social Service Organization is a government agency that is granting a low-income benefit or service. An agency that provides state or federal assistance programs to qualified applicants such as SNAP and nutritional assistance, temporary assistance for needy families, Medicaid, child and family services, The Social Services Administration (SSA), public housing, and workforce and unemployment insurance agencies. Additional organizations that qualify as a social service organization may include: – A nonprofit company, with a government contract, may also qualify for Social Services ONLY IF administering a low-income program. – A private company, with a government contract, may also qualify for Social Services ONLY IF administering a low-income program.

Many states use state wage data, which is at least four to seven months old by the time the government agency is using it to determine eligibility. This could lead to inaccurate information and, therefore, improper payments. In addition, many beneficiaries may be employed across state lines, meaning that potential wages may not be reported within the state, versus The Work Number that provides the most up-to-date employment and income information and offers a national view of applicants’ benefit inquiries.