14. Earnings Records and Tax Reports

Birth certificates are obtained through the relevant state. Here is how you can obtain for any state :
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm

You can find this by requesting your personal earnings and benefit statement available here :

http://www.ssa.gov/mystatement

Obtaining an earnings history with earnings only and not employers is free. You can find this by requesting your personal earnings and benefit statement available here :

http://www.ssa.gov/mystatement

If you need employer data, you will have to pay a fee for this. To obtain a detailed statement of your employment history, you need to complete Form SSA-7050-F4, Request For Social Security Earnings Information.

You may obtain Form SSA-7050-F4, which also includes the fee schedule, from our website at: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/online/ssa-7050.pdf

Details on this question are here :
http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/ssa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_fa...

I could not find this out as it likely will depend on the type of benefit. For survivor or retirement benefits, turn-around is likely relatively quick. For disability determinations, it could be longer while your case is evaluated.

Once your qualifications are determined, here is some info as to when you will receive payment :

http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/8/

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/calendar.htm

You will have to pay federal income taxes on your benefits if you file a federal tax return as an individual and your total income is more than $25,000. If you file a joint return, you will have to pay taxes if you and your spouse have a total income of more than $32,000.