Work History Report (SSA-3369): How to Describe Your Past Jobs
TL;DR: Form SSA-3369 asks you to describe every job you held in the last 15 years, including physical demands, tools used, and skills required. The SSA uses this to determine whether you can return to past work. Be accurate about physical demands; understating them makes jobs look easier to return to and hurts your claim. Describe the heaviest aspects of each job, not just the typical day.
The Work History Report is deceptively simple. It looks like a straightforward job history form, but your answers directly determine Step 4 of the SSA's five-step evaluation: can you return to any of your past relevant work? If your descriptions make past jobs sound lighter than they were, the SSA may decide you can still do them.
Which Jobs to Include
List every job you held in the last 15 years before your disability began. Include:
- Full-time and part-time jobs
- Temporary and seasonal work
- Self-employment
- Military service
- Volunteer work if it was substantial and regular
The SSA considers a job "past relevant work" if you did it within the last 15 years, long enough to learn it, and it was performed at the SGA level. Even jobs you held briefly should be listed because the SSA will decide which ones count.
What to Include for Each Job
For every position, the SSA-3369 asks:
| Field | What to Write | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Job title | Your actual title or a descriptive title | SSA matches it to the Dictionary of Occupational Titles |
| Type of business | The industry or company type | Context for your duties |
| Dates worked | Start and end month/year | Determines if job is within 15-year window |
| Hours per day / days per week | Typical schedule | Shows whether it was SGA-level work |
| Rate of pay | Hourly wage or salary | Confirms SGA-level earnings |
| Main duties | Detailed description of daily tasks | SSA evaluates whether you can still do these |
| Heaviest weight lifted | The maximum, not the average | Determines exertional level of the job |
| Frequently lifted weight | Weight lifted regularly throughout the day | Combined with heaviest, sets job category |
| Hours standing/walking per day | Total hours on your feet | Compared against your current limitations |
| Hours sitting per day | Total hours seated | Determines if sedentary work is past relevant |
| Climbing, stooping, kneeling, crouching | How often for each | Postural requirements of the job |
| Reaching, handling, fingering | Frequency and type | Manipulative requirements |
| Supervising others | Number of people, type of supervision | Skill level of the job |
| Machines, tools, equipment | Everything you used regularly | Technical skill requirements |
| Writing, completing reports | Type and frequency | Cognitive and skill demands |
How the SSA Categorizes Your Jobs
Based on your answers, the SSA classifies each job by exertional level:
| Level | Max Lifting | Frequent Lifting | Standing/Walking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 10 lbs | Under 10 lbs | 2 hours or less per day |
| Light | 20 lbs | 10 lbs | 6 hours per day |
| Medium | 50 lbs | 25 lbs | 6 hours per day |
| Heavy | 100 lbs | 50 lbs | 6 hours per day |
| Very Heavy | Over 100 lbs | Over 50 lbs | 6 hours per day |
If all your past jobs were medium or heavy, and your RFC limits you to sedentary work, the SSA cannot say you can return to past work. But if you downplay the physical demands and make a warehouse job sound like light work, you have just created a problem for yourself.
How to Describe Physical Demands Accurately
Lifting
Think about the heaviest thing you ever had to lift on the job, even if it was occasional. If you worked in a restaurant and had to carry 50-pound boxes of supplies to the storage room once a week, your heaviest lift was 50 pounds. Your frequently lifted weight might be 10 to 15 pounds (plates, trays, bus tubs).
Standing and Walking
Estimate total hours, not consecutive hours. A retail worker who stands at the register, walks to the stockroom, and stands while stocking shelves might be on their feet 7 out of 8 hours, even with short sitting breaks.
Sitting
Office jobs are not purely sedentary. If you had meetings, walked to the printer, or stood at a whiteboard, account for that. But a data entry job where you sat at a desk 7 hours a day is legitimately sedentary.
Common Mistakes on the SSA-3369
Understating Physical Demands
This is the number one mistake. People describe their jobs as easier than they were, either from habit ("it wasn't that hard") or because they do not remember the physical details. The lighter your past jobs sound, the easier it is for the SSA to say you can return to them.
Forgetting Jobs
If you forget to list a job, the SSA might discover it through earnings records and question your credibility. Check your Social Security earnings statement for a complete list of employers.
Being Too Vague About Duties
"General office work" tells the SSA nothing. "Answered phones, processed invoices, filed paperwork, typed correspondence, attended meetings, trained new hires" gives them a detailed picture of what the job required.
Not Mentioning Changes Over Time
If a job's demands changed over your time there, note it. "Started as a floor associate (heavy lifting, stocking shelves) and moved to customer service desk (mostly sitting, answering phones)" shows two different exertional levels within the same job.
Examples of Strong Job Descriptions
Warehouse Worker
"Loaded and unloaded trucks. Heaviest items were 75 pounds (cases of product). Frequently carried 30 to 40 pound boxes throughout the shift. On my feet walking or standing for the full 8-hour shift with a 30-minute lunch break. Constant bending, stooping, and reaching overhead to shelves 6 feet high. Operated pallet jack and forklift. No supervisory duties. No writing or reports."
Administrative Assistant
"Answered multi-line phone system, scheduled meetings, typed correspondence and reports, filed documents, processed incoming and outgoing mail. Sat at a desk approximately 6 hours per day. Walked to conference rooms, mailroom, and file storage about 2 hours per day. Heaviest lift was about 20 pounds (boxes of copy paper). Frequently lifted 5 to 10 pounds (file folders, mail bins). Used computer, copier, fax machine, and multi-line phone. Some writing for meeting minutes and memos."
Registered Nurse
"Provided direct patient care on a medical-surgical unit. On my feet walking or standing 10 to 11 hours per 12-hour shift. Lifted and repositioned patients, heaviest was approximately 150 pounds with assistance. Frequently lifted 20 to 30 pounds (equipment, supply bins). Constant bending, stooping, reaching, and crouching for patient care. Charted in electronic medical records (about 1 to 2 hours per shift at a computer). Supervised 2 nursing assistants. Used IV pumps, monitors, medication dispensing system."
How ClaimPath Helps With Your Work History Report
ClaimPath's AI Intake asks you about each past job in plain English and generates SSA-3369 entries that accurately capture the physical demands, skills, and exertional levels. Our Form Auto-Population fills out the SSA-3369 format so you can review and submit it. No guessing about how to phrase things or what the SSA is looking for.
Start your application now and get your work history documented correctly the first time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the process for work history report (ssa-3369): how to describe your past jobs?
TL;DR: Form SSA-3369 asks you to describe every job you held in the last 15 years, including physical demands, tools used, and skills required. The SSA uses this to determine whether you can return to past work. Be accurate about physical demands; understating them makes jobs look easier to return to and hurts your claim.
What should I know about which jobs to include?
List every job you held in the last 15 years before your disability began. Include:
How the SSA Categorizes Your Jobs?
Based on your answers, the SSA classifies each job by exertional level:
How to Describe Physical Demands Accurately?
Think about the heaviest thing you ever had to lift on the job, even if it was occasional. If you worked in a restaurant and had to carry 50-pound boxes of supplies to the storage room once a week, your heaviest lift was 50 pounds. Your frequently lifted weight might be 10 to 15 pounds (plates, trays, bus tubs).
What should I know about common mistakes on the ssa-3369?
This is the number one mistake. People describe their jobs as easier than they were, either from habit ("it wasn't that hard") or because they do not remember the physical details. The lighter your past jobs sound, the easier it is for the SSA to say you can return to them.
What should I know about examples of strong job descriptions?
"Loaded and unloaded trucks. Heaviest items were 75 pounds (cases of product). Frequently carried 30 to 40 pound boxes throughout the shift.