my Social Security 101: When You Need Additional Help With Your Account
Reading Time: 3 MinutesLast Updated: November 2, 2023
Sometimes we need help with or have questions about our online accounts. For your convenience, we want to share some frequently asked questions you may find helpful with your personal my Social Security account needs.
What if I forgot my username or password?
It happens to all of us on occasion. We can’t remember our username or password. If you’ve forgotten your username or password – perhaps even both – we have you covered. Visit our my Social Security Sign In page and select “Forgot Username” or “Forgot Password.” Follow the prompts, and in just a few minutes you will be back in business – Social Security business.
What if I am locked out of my account?
Your account may be locked because you – or perhaps someone else – entered inconsistent or incorrect information. We lock your account to protect your information. If you are locked out of your account, you can call our my Social Security Help Desk at 1-800-772-1213 from Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET. When you call, say “Help Desk” at the voice prompt.
How can I block access to my account?
We know that in certain instances, like for victims of domestic violence or identity theft, you may want to block access to your information. You can choose to block any automated telephone and electronic access to your Social Security record. When you do this, no one, including you, will be able to see or change your personal information online or through our automated telephone service.
Please call us at 1-800-772-1213 or call your local Social Security office if you need to block access to your record. You can find the number for your local office using our Office Locator. If you change your mind in the future, you can contact us and ask us to unblock it.
What if I live overseas?
At this time, you must have a United States mailing address to create a personal my Social Security account. People with an overseas APO/FPO/DPO address can create an account, but our system does not yet support registration for users with a foreign address. However, you may be able to access our services by creating an ID.me account. ID.me is a Single Sign-On provider that meets the U.S. government’s most rigorous requirements for online identity proofing and authentication. On our my Social Security account set up page, select Sign in with ID.me and follow the link to create an ID.me account.
We recommend that people living outside the U.S. contact the nearest Federal Benefits Unit or U.S. embassy for any assistance related to our programs and benefits. Our Office of Earnings and International Operations page also has more information.
What if I need additional help?
We’re happy to help with any difficulties you’re having with your personal my Social Security account. For assistance, you may call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). Lines are open from Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET. Please say “Help Desk” at the voice prompt. You can also contact your local Social Security office.
We encourage you to sign up for your personal my Social Security account if you haven’t done so. Please share this information with your family and friends—and help us spread the word on social media.
Did you find this Information helpful?
Tags: my Social Security, my Social Security account, social security, Social Security benefits
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Darlynda Bogle, Assistant Deputy Commissioner
Darlynda Bogle, Assistant Deputy Commissioner
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Janelle L.
I am going around in circles on the SS pages:
1) I click on “Sign in with LOGIN.GOV”
2) It sends me a security code which I put in
3)I am now taken to a “Terms of Service” page, I read, I check “I agree…”, and click “Next”
4) This takes me right back to “Sign in with LOGIN.GOV” and we start the whole process again. I cannot get past this circle of frustration.
A.C.
Hi, Janelle. We are sorry to hear about the difficulties you are experiencing. If you created a my Social Security account before September 18, 2021, go to http://www.ssa.gov/myaccount and click on “Sign In” and then click on “Sign In To My Account” where you enter your username and password using the boxes on the far right. You do not sign in using login.gov or id.me because you created your account before September 18, 2021.
If you continue to have difficulties, call our dedicated my Social Security Hotline at 1-800-772-1213, and say “helpdesk” at the voice prompt. The help desk is available to callers between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). You can also contact your local Social Security office directly. Look for the general inquiry telephone number using our Social Security Office Locator link. We hope this helps.
Kimberly P.
I’m having that same issue. Very frustrating…and being on hold for hour plus calling trying to speak to a human only adds to the frustration.
What good is offering the service if one can’t access it?
V.V.
Hi Kimberly, thanks for reaching out. We are sorry to hear about the difficulties you are experiencing. You can call us at 1-800-772-1213 between 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or you can contact your local Social Security office. Please look for the general inquiry telephone number at the Social Security Office Locator. The number may appear under Show Additional Office Information. We hope this information helps.
Margaret S.
i just had to close my checking account and open a new one because my account got hacked I updated the information with social security but they can’t make the change until january my question is will I get paper checks in novenber and december until they make the change or if they can’t get into my old account
V.V.
For your security, Margaret, we do not have access to private information in this venue. We ask that members in our Blog community work with our offices with specific questions. You can call us at 1-800-772-1213 for assistance or you can contact your local Social Security office. Please look for the general inquiry telephone number at the Social Security Office Locator. The number may appear under Show Additional Office Information. We hope this information helps.
Ronda W.
The phone number listed several times in this article is not a working number. It should be updated and the link corrected please. I’m locked out of my account and have no number to call.
V.V.
Hi Ronda, thank you for using our blog. We are sorry that you are having difficulty accessing your my Social Security online account. We have established a dedicated my Social Security Hotline. To reach this hotline, call 1-800-772-1213, and say “helpdesk” at the voice prompt. The help desk is available to callers between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). You can also contact your local Social Security office directly. Look for the general inquiry telephone number using our Social Security Office Locator link. We hope this helps!
Steve
I was prompted to request a reset code when I tried to log into my “my Social Security” account. I am posted overseas with the US government. The reset code was sent by snail mail, and it took over 2 months to reach me. The code expired before it reached me. Now I must request another reset code and wait several more weeks. Because it is being delivered by mail, and mail delivery to APO/DPO addresses is so slow, the next code may be expired by the time I receive it, too. There must be a more efficient way to send a reset code, especially to those of us who are serving overseas.
V.V.
Hi Steve, thanks for using our blog to ask your question. If you forgot your password and your password reset questions and your second factor of authentication is your email, then you do have to wait for the temporary password to arrive in the mail. Check out our Blogs: When you Need Additional Help with your Account, Are you Having Difficulties Accessing your Personal My Social Security Account and How to Change Your Second Factor Authentication for Your Personal my Social Security Account.
We recommend that individuals living outside the United States contact the nearest Federal Benefit Unit in the area for any assistance related to Social Security programs and benefits. Also, our Office of International Operations home page provides more information to assist our customers living abroad.
curtis r.
CRC,
trying to apply for retirement benefits but your website says the info i’m entering doesn’t match your records. however it worked for me signing up with medicare earlier in the week. so i call the phone number provided and the person on the other end doesn’t know why this is happening. she sets a phone appointment for December the 10th for someone to help me and this is on October the 27th. of course i can’t just walk into a office because of covid even though the rest of the world is doing business face to face.
very sad division of our government.
V.V.
We are sorry to hear about your experience, Curtis. You can submit feedback by visiting our Contact Social Security page. Once there, select the “Email Us” link. This will take you to the “Email A Question to our Support Team” form, where you can complete and submit a compliment, complaint, or suggestion.