Hi Larry, my father in law began collecting social security on his 62nd birthday. He is receiving the minimal amount because he has only worked approximately 10-11 years his whole life, depending heavily on family to provide financial support to him, he has been collecting social security for 2 years. About 10 years ago my father in law had his blind elderly father sign paperwork that put my father in law's name on the deed to his father's house. My father in law did this so that when his father passes the house would go to him only, instead of it being divided up 4 ways between himself, his brother and his 2 sisters. My father in law's father died this past January, my father in law promptly took a flight across the country and sold the house. My father in law has not lived in this house with his parents in over 5 years. He was 3,000 miles away across the country. I have told him that he needs to report the proceeds to the house sale to social security, he has told me he does not and will not. My question is this; he is 64 years old he has been collecting social security since he was 62 and just made almost 200,000 profit from the sale of a house that he has not lived in in over 5 years, does he have to report the profit from the house as income to social security? He did lie to SS telling them when he applied for his benefits that he lived in Florida giving them his father's address when he actually was in Nevada telling me he does that because of some sort of federal tax when he sells the home. Would the profit from selling a house need to be reported to the social security department?

Hi,

Assuming that your father in law receives only Social Security benefits and not Supplemental Security Income (SSI), his profit from selling of a house would have no effect on his benefits and wouldn't need to be reported to Social Security. Lying about his residence when he filed for Social Security wouldn't make any difference with regard to your father in law's Social Security benefit rate, but providing false information on a Social Security application is a crime that can be punishable by fines or imprisonment. My expertise is limited to Social Security benefits, though, so I can't tell your whether or not your father in law may have violated any other laws.

Best, Jerry