How to Transition Your Social Security Account to Login.gov
Reading Time: 3 MinutesLast Updated: August 23, 2024
If you created a Social Security username more than 3 years ago, you will need to transition to a new or existing Login.gov account or use an ID.me account to have continuous access to our online services. We recently announced this news in a press release.
For step-by-step instructions on how to make the transition, watch this video. We also encourage you to visit our Frequently Asked Questions for Transitioning Your Social Security Username to Login.gov.
Beginning June 1, 2024, people who sign in to their personal my Social Security account with their username are given the option to transition to Login.gov. This blog provides additional information and guidance to help you with problems you may encounter. We’re also going to provide answers to some of the questions we’ve heard.
Who does this affect?
If you created your free and secure my Social Security account on or after September 18, 2021, no action is necessary because you already have the right setup. If you are among the 46 million people who created an account before September 18, 2021 and use your username and password to access Social Security online services today, you will need to create or use an existing account with one of our two Credential Service Providers (CSP) – Login.gov or ID.me.
Is there a deadline?
While you can still use a username and password to sign in to your personal my Social Security account right now, this option is going away later this year. At that time, you will be required to have a Login.gov or ID.me account if you want to continue to access your personal my Social Security and our many other convenient online services.
A personal my Social Security account provides tools for everyone, whether you receive benefits or not. You can use your account to request a replacement Social Security card, check the status of an application, estimate future benefits, and manage the benefits you already receive. To learn more, visit What is an Account?
Why are you making this change?
This change will simplify your sign-in experience and better align with federal authentication standards while providing safe and secure access to our online services.
What do I need to do?
To avoid any disruptions in accessing our online services we encourage you to transition your account now by signing in to your account with your username and password. Our online instructions will guide you through the process of creating or signing in to an existing Login.gov account.
Information about Login.gov and ID.me
Login.gov is your one government account for simple, secure, and private access to participating government agencies. You can use your Login.gov account to access your Social Security benefit information, services, and other information. And you can use that same Login.gov account to manage other government benefits and services. For support, visit the Login.gov Help Center.
ID.me is a single sign-on provider that also meets the U.S. government’s online identity proofing and authentication requirements. You can use one ID.me account to access government and private services. For support – Go to the ID.me Help Center.
For more information, visit our Create an Account page.
Please share this information with friends and family, clients and colleagues, and others who may need it.
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Tags: General Information, my Social Security, my Social Security account
See CommentsAbout the Author
Dawn Bystry, Associate Commissioner, Office of Strategic and Digital Communications
Deputy Associate Commissioner, Office of Strategic and Digital Communications
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Vicki B.
This is so confusing.
Renee
I am in the process of transferring banks due to fraud. I wanted to update my deposit information. Easy to do with a login and password on SSA (no login.gov or id.gov) because I changed my address last year. When I was sent the email about login.gov, I dutifully got my login.gov account BUT IT DOESN’T WORK. My authentication will not connect with my phone. The login.gov is on my password key list, but it doesn’t connect me. I have tried everything and spent more hours trying to figure this out than I spent moving all the rest of my accounts. This way to access my money is such garbage and I am being forced to keep an account open that has been hacked. And every time I call SSA or login.gov, I get hung up on.
Why? For the most part Social Security is for older people and you are making it very difficult to access an account. Shame on you!
Renee F.
I
Jose
It seems that the problem I have logging in to SSA.gov is endemic. Below is the message I get when I try to login with or without login.id.
Bad Request
Your browser sent a request that this server could not understand.
Size of a request header field exceeds server limit.
This is independent of Chrome or Edge, both browsers receive the same refusal. Sounds to me like this is a programmer issue. In the meantime, I cannot log in to SSA.gov. I have a valid, confirmed Login.id account to no avail.
T.Y.
Hello, Jose. Thank you for reading our blog. If you need help with transitioning your account, you can contact Login.gov help center for assistance with Login.gov accounts. Call our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) if you need assistance with logging in to your Social Security account. Our National 800 number is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Please say “Help Desk” at the voice prompt. For step-by-step instructions on how to make the transition, watch our 3-minute video. We also encourage you to visit our Frequently Asked Questions for Transitioning Your Social Security Username to Login.gov. We hope this helps.
Bik M.
Clear the cache of the browsers on your computer. This should work.
The problem is related to large cookie being sent by the browser when you login, and since this exceeded their web server’s limit, you get the notice you got.
Anthony P.
If contacting the social security administration for assistance is indicative of our government’s ability to manage business we’re all in trouble! GOD help us all!!!
Ron A.
Same issues, I originally signed up using my work cell and after I retired got a new phone. Now after loading Login.gov it keeps me in a loop saying I already have an account and sends me back to the login page. Documentation says something about reset code but no where to find that
T.Y.
Hi, Ron. Thank you for reading our blog. If you need help with transitioning your account, you can contact Login.gov help center for assistance with Login.gov accounts. Call our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) if you need assistance with logging in to your Social Security account, or are having problems receiving or entering your activation code. Our National 800 number is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Please say “Help Desk” at the voice prompt. For step-by-step instructions on how to make the transition, watch our 3-minute video. We also encourage you to visit our Frequently Asked Questions for Transitioning Your Social Security Username to Login.gov. We hope this helps
RS
August 20, 2024
I followed the directions to the letter checking my information etc. and now when I login to MY SS account it takes me to my wife’s SS acct. Emailed SS and was told we can’t use the same email (as we both have been using for the past 20+ years!) She has not changed a thing. Soooooo much for being better more secure!!!
Jacqueline S.
Wonderful experience setting up account and finding information about future retirement and plans .
Bernie J.
I got set up on login.gov, and I saw a comment saying that it doesn’t work for them, but they may be trying to log in via login.gov, but that’s not the way it’s done. Once you have login.gov set up, or one of the other two ways they show as a log in choice if you got set up with one of the other two ways, you then go to ssa.gov, then there’s the choice of choosing login.gov as one of the three ways to log into your account. It does send me a code to my phone that’s good for ten minutes, if that’s one of the choices that I’ve made for logging into my account, and it does take me to my account, but just like when I’d log in using the old method, it says that electronic access is blocked, or locked, or however they have it worded. I’ve asked them to unlock it, so I can log into my account, on two different occasions, but apparently, probably for security reasons, they seem to block electronic access every time after I log in. So I guess that I need to ask them to allow access to my account each and every time I want to log into my account, as it seems as though I can’t even log into my account without asking them to unlock electronic access to it before I myself can even log into it.
Gordon S.
Frustrated attempts to log in to login.gov
Simply to change mailing address
As I have moved to another address this year
How do I contact social security to let them know?
I got acct w login.gov but there is no link to SS to allow address update. ????
S.S.
Hello Gordon. Thank you for reading our blog. Thank you for reading our blog. If you need help with transitioning your account, you can contact Login.gov help center for assistance with Login.gov accounts, and ID.me support center for assistance with ID.me accounts. Our National 800 number is also available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. to help with changing your address. We hope this helps.