Remember just month’s ago when political opponents attacked California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman over the social security no-match letter she received in the early 2000’s regarding her maid? Many employers may have wondered just what those letters were all about, because for the past three years, the Social Security Administration stopped sending them out. As the saying goes, “They’re Back,” and if you are an employer, you need to be concerned.

Employers will once again have to worry about “getting it right” upon receipt of a no-match letter. And, unfortunately, once again, there are only questions, and no clear answers.

The government states it will send a letter when employee information on the W-2 Form is either incomplete or a reported name or Social Security number does not match with the government’s records. The letters will be sent on an employee by employee basis. (In the past the Social Security Administration sent the employer a letter with a listing of names that had a number mismatches.) According to the administration, the new letters will be sent when the government is unable to reach the individual directly about the discrepancy.