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» From: North Attleboro, MA Dear TaxMama: Are my income tax returns a matter of public record? I mean, can an employer look up my past returns to see what I was making in the past? Also, I don't know if this is your forte, but can an employer or background checking agency contact the Social Security Administration to see what a person's income has been? I ask because I have been out of work for some months now, and have signed up with a few recruiting agencies. One of these agencies asked me to sign a waiver for them to contact the SSA for my history??? Is this legal? June Dear June, No. Your income taxes are definitely NOT a public record. However, if you voluntarily sign a document giving someone permission to get a copy, well, uh, yeah, he does get to see your tax returns. DUH! I mean, if YOU sign it, of course it's legal. Now, if your question is, should you sign it, well, that's another question, altogether. And I don't know you, your circumstances, your skills, your marketability, or anything else about you. So I can't advise you. You have to decide just how badly you want to work with those recruiters and their prospective clients. Do they have a solid reputation for getting folks in your industry good jobs? Do they really have the connections to get you a job in the company of your dreams? Or would you do better (or as well) calling up the company yourself? On the other hand, why on earth would the recruiter need to see your tax return? To ensure that you are not lying about what you said you've been earning? Or to see just how far they can go in milking you for career counseling and job hunting training fees? Companies are being more careful these days, and doing more thorough background checks on prospective employees. And, frankly, having seen some of the fraud perpetrated by employees on their resumes, I can well understand companies being skittish. (From things I've seen, I could probably tell you 15 ways to deceive an employer and get hired without any of the desired qualifications. But I won't.) Use your best judgement to decide if there's a legitimate reason to provide that kind of information. Were it I, I would not grant that permission. They're welcome to run credit and criminal checks all they want. But stay out of my personal finances. Good luck. Best wishes, Eva Rosenberg Your TaxMama  |
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