The Social Security Benefit Statement is also known as the SSA-1099 or the SSA-1042S. It is a tax form we mail to you every January if you receive Social Security benefits. It shows the total amount of benefits you received in the previous year, so you know how much Social Security income to report to the IRS on your tax return.

If there's one thing I'd encourage people to do before claiming benefits, it would be to read your latest Social Security statement.

Retirement account withdrawals and earnings from a job may not be the only taxable income you have, either. The federal government taxes seniors' Social Security benefits if their income exceeds certain thresholds. If you live in one of the following nine states, you could owe some state Social Security benefit taxes as well.