Going Online with Social Security Isn’t Hard Work
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: November 7, 2016
Summer is just a memory. Long gone is the day when you fired up the grill with family and friends in the backyard on Labor Day. It’s time to put away the shorts and bring out the jackets.
When you’re raking the leaves, remember that the best part of labor isn’t the single day off you get each year, but the Social Security retirement benefits you earn through the years that you work.
And, just as you choose what kind of work to do over a lifetime, you can choose how you wish to file for your retirement benefits. While some may prefer to apply in person at their local Social Security office, an increasing number of retirees are finding it easier and more convenient to claim their benefits by retiring online at www.socialsecurity.gov. In fact, more than half of all retirees now file for their Social Security retirement benefits online!
When you file for your retirement benefits online, there’s no need to fight traffic getting to a Social Security office, because you can apply from the comfort of your home or office. The process of applying for retirement benefits can take as little as 15 minutes, but if you have to go back to work, you can save your application and return to it later.
If you’re close to retirement, you may want to take advantage of our retirement planner at www.socialsecurity.gov/planners/retire, where you can get detailed information about your Social Security retirement benefits, and what you may want to consider as you prepare for your future.
In addition, you should check out our Retirement Estimator at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator, which will give you an instant, personalized estimate of your future benefits. You can plug in different ages and scenarios to help you make a decision on retirement even if it’s many years way.
At Social Security, our highest priority is protecting the privacy and security of the personal information we maintain on you and almost every American so you can rest assured that doing business online with us is both safe and secure.
Social Security has the online services to help at www.socialsecurity.gov, whether you are retiring now, or whether you have many more season changes in your future.
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Tags: online services, retirement benefits
See CommentsAbout the Author
Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications
Deputy Commissioner, Office of Communications
Comments
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Judith H.
I am getting the on line comment that my info is n9t matching, I am wondering if you have my old email on file? How do I check this?
My old email was grammiejudi@aol.com
my new email is below
Vonda V.
Hi Judith, thanks for using our blog. Check out our Frequently Asked Questions web page for details on how to retrieve or change your username and password. We hope this helps!
Jeff l.
your site is terrible, trying to find how to enter reset code and can not locate any info on how to get to page to conduct the procedure.
Vonda V.
Hi Jeff, we are sorry to hear you are experiencing difficulties with your my Social Security account. When you sign in with your username and password, it will then ask if you received a reset letter. You select “Yes, let’s begin” . The reset code is issued when you need to change the second factor authentication method associated with your information.
If you forgot your password, and the password reset questions didn’t work, we can send a temporary password in some circumstances. Check out our Frequently Asked Questions web page for details on how to retrieve or change your username or password. We hope this helps.
John K.
OK. I’m going to make this real simple for a supervisor at the SSA to answer.
YOU mail out a reset code when someone wants to reset their password.
I just want to use that reset code to create another password.
WHERE DO YOU INPUT THE 8 DIGIT RESET CODE??? PLEASE TELL ME THE EXACT CELL/BOX WHERE YOU HAVE TO ENTER THE RESET CODE. PLEASE!!
Vonda V.
Hi John, thank you for using our blog. When you sign in with your username and password, it will then ask if you received a reset letter. You select “Yes, let’s begin” . The reset code is issued when you need to change the second factor authentication method associated with your information.
If you forgot your password, and the password reset questions didn’t work, we can send a temporary password in some circumstances. Check out our Frequently Asked Questions web page for details on how to retrieve or change your username or password. We hope this helps.
Ariel V.
I was sent a my one-time reset code but the instruction where to enter the code is so confusing. Please help.
Vonda V.
Hi Ariel, thank you for using our blog. When you sign in with your username and password, it will then ask if you received a reset letter. You select “Yes, let’s begin”. The reset code is issued when you need to change the second factor authentication method associated with your information.
If you forgot your password, and the password reset questions didn’t work, we can send a temporary password in some circumstances. Check out our Frequently Asked Questions web page for details on how to retrieve or change your username or password. We hope this helps.
Dorenda S.
The People of the United States should get a refund for your web site and on line application. I logged in to apply for my social security pension at age 62 (4 months prior to my birthday, as directed by the web site), and I get an error that says I MUST be disabled to continue the application. Your web site apparently cannot do simple math! And each that goes by without the application being completed, I lose money!
richard m.
why is one not allowed to have an online account with my gov if one has a bankruptcy on record. seems like ssa is penalizes one who has declared bankruptcy which is the exact opposite of what bankruptcy protection offers
Vonda V.
Hi Richard, thanks for using our blog. If you have a security freeze, fraud alert, or both on your credit report, you can still open a my Social Security account by temporarily lifting it. Check out our Create an Account web page for details. We hope this helps.
Paul A.
My wife tried to sign on to her account and your system did not accept her password. when we tried again, we got locked out. Somehow, we were told a reset code would be MAILED to us?? It took 6 weeks for that code to reach us. The instructions to use that code were very confusing. When we tried to put it in, the system came back and said the code was not recognized and we are back to square one. Very, very frustrated! Why di
Luis A.
Hi Paul. We are sorry to hear that your wife is having difficulty accessing her personal my Social Security account. If she is still unable to access her account or encounter another problem with her personal my Social Security account, she may:
•Call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. At the voice prompt, say “help desk”; or
•Contact her local Social Security office. We hope this helps.
CD
Fake news, site won’t let me register and nearest office is about 50 miles farther away than not having a car will take me. They won’t let me register by phone either. Absolute scum.
David M.
I can not log in to my account! I’ve tried sending an e-mail to webmaster@ssa.gov, I use a different email service and your service will not run on my computer. I tried logging in to my account TWICE and was told it failed three times, that was yesterday. I still can not log in to my account.
Please help.
435-218-8065
Ann C.
Hi, David. We are sorry to hear you had difficulty accessing your personal my Social Security account. If you are still unable to access an account or encounter a problem with your personal my Social Security account, you may:
•Call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. At the voice prompt, say “helpdesk”; or
•Contact your local Social Security office. We hope this helps.
Benjamin E.
I have tried to register with Social Security at ssa.gov but am not able to. The SSA answers to the questions asked about me must be wrong. They ask about a mortgage, but we don’t have one. They about streets where we have lived but we never lived on a street listed. They asked about middle name or other name of mine but the options don’t match mine name. Now the registration system has locked me out. How can I get the information about me corrected so I can register as me.