my Social Security: What to Know about Signing Up or Signing In
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: November 2, 2023
We want to help you get the services you need as quickly and safely as possible. Your personal my Social Security account is your gateway to doing business with us online.
Whether you receive benefits now or in the future, you will want to create your personal my Social Security account or use the one you may already have. More than 64 million people already have an account!
Did you know you can use your personal my Social Security account to request a replacement Social Security card (in most states), check the status of an application, verify your earnings, estimate future benefits, or manage the benefits you already receive? Watch our brief video about the benefits of having an account.
We are committed to protecting your information and benefits and take this responsibility seriously. That’s why we ask for personal information to verify your identity in order to create a personal my Social Security account. We work with external partners to securely verify your identity. We do this to protect your data while making our online services easy for you to use.
Ready to sign up? You can now create your new my Social Security account through either of these two credential partners: Login.gov or ID.me.
- Login.gov is the public’s one account for simple, secure, and private access to participating U.S. government agencies.
- ID.me is a single sign-on provider that meets the U.S. government’s online identity proofing and authentication requirements.
A credential includes your username, password, and two-step verification factors. A trusted credential partner helps us securely verify your identity online.
Here is a brief list of some things you need to know when creating or accessing your personal my Social Security account.
I have never accessed my Social Security, and I do not have a Login.gov or ID.me credential:
Visit the my Social Security webpage to get started. You will have the option to create an account with your preferred credential partner, Login.gov or ID.me. Keep in mind:
- You must be 18 years of age or older and have a Social Security number.
- You will be redirected to the partner’s website when you select “Sign in with Login.gov” or “Sign in with ID.me.”
- You must provide a valid email address and some additional information.
- Once you create the credential, you’ll return to the my Social Security webpage for next steps.
I have never accessed my Social Security, but I already have a Login.gov or ID.me credential:
You can sign in with your credential on the my Social Security webpage and follow the prompts.
I have accessed my Social Security with a Social Security username and password that I created before September 18, 2021:
You should still sign in using your Social Security username and password. This is the first option on the Sign In screen.
I have accessed my Social Security using my existing Login.gov or ID.me credential:
You can sign in to my Social Security using that Login.gov or ID.me credential.
Please encourage your friends and family to create their personal my Social Security account today!
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Tags: General Information, my Social Security, my Social Security account, online services
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Darlynda Bogle, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
Darlynda Bogle, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
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Mr M.
Would someone at the SSA, please inform US retirees residing overseas, WHY they are required to provide a US stateside address, in order to sign-up for a My Social Security account on-line.
Miranda F.
Hello,
I am a U.S. citizen residing in the United Kingdom. I created a mySecurity account in 2014 when I applied from Florida. I then moved in 2015 and lost all access to the mySecurity account. It wasn’t a problem as the US Embassy had my mailing preference to send notices by post to my U.K. address.
However the end of 2021 someone updated my mySecurity account to only electronic notices on the account. An account which I have not accessed since 2015 and to this day cannot access due to it rejecting access attempts from overseas.
The International SSA Office never answers the phone. I have been trying for 6 months. The US Embassy said they can’t access my mySecurity account to change it back. I sent an email to SSA and they responded that they cannot help over email as it is “not secure” and told me to call the 1-800 SSA help desk number completely ignorant of the fact that you cannot dial a 1-800 number from outside the US. How do I get this resolved? I need my SS notices mailed to me in the U.K. as they used to be and not electronically which was NOT authorised by myself.
A.C.
Hi, Miranda. We are sorry to hear about your experience. We have referred your concerns to our Operations Staff for follow up and to take corrective action as necessary. In the meantime, you may find our Office of International Operations home page helpful. It provides more information to assist our customers living abroad. We hope this helps.
Kathie R.
Can I use my email address, home address & my phone number to create a ‘my social security’ account so my adult son can apply for Soc. Sec. Disability or SSI? He does not have computer or phone. His mailing address is my home address & his contact phone is my phone number. He does have his own apartment, but mail security is an issue there. Thank you for your help, Kathie Ratigan
A.C.
Hi, Katie. Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, you can only create a my Social Security account using your own personal information and for your own exclusive use. You cannot create or use an account on behalf of another person, even if you have that person’s written permission. Your son can contact us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for assistance. He can also contact his local Social Security office. We hope this helps.
jeff e.
why is it you can only log into your account during certain hours?
A.C.
Hi, Jeff. Thanks for your question. We apologize for any inconvenience and invite you to use all of our online services today. Due to scheduled systems maintenance, some of our online services are unavailable during certain times.
David F.
I have never been able to access my account. Everytime I’ve been mailed a temporary code and I try to log in I get a fail to recognize prompt.
A.C.
Hi, David. We are sorry to hear that you have had difficulty accessing your account. If you are still unable to access your account or encounter a problem with your personal my Social Security account, please call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. At the voice prompt, say “help desk.” We hope this helps.
Deloris W.
During the online Social Security Benefit application process, can you select/enter the effective month and year for which you would like to begin receiving benefits?
A.C.
Hi, Deloris. Yes, you can select the month and year you would like to start retirement benefits. When you are ready to apply, please visit our Retirement Benefits Planner page. We hope this helps.
VSoo
When I first created an account it was not made “clear” up front that I had to choose between the two providers. I just kept clicking “next”. All of a sudden I noticed that “Login.gov” appeared. I thought that someone kidnapped my computer steered me away from SSA.gov and was trying to induce me to continue with their “Login.gov” process so I shut it down.
This became very frustrating for me and I almost gave up but tried again and stayed with it until I was advised I would receive an Activation Code by mail to complete the registration process. At no time was I advised that I create my account using “Login.gov” perhaps it was the default setting. Even still, the letter I received failed disclosed this fact to me either.
After I entered my username and password I kept getting an error message stating that my account did not exist, which I knew was not correct.
It was only when I inadvertently moved my cursor over a link embedded in a tiny message during my fourth attempt to login that I saw a message popup indicating that may have use “Login.gov” to create the account and need to use it for access.
Does MySS have its own login link that I can opt in or will I be required to use “Login.gov” from this point forward?
Tina S.
I am trying to sign into Login.gov for several of my family members in which I am their representative. Sight will not log out of 1 account so I can log into another acct. what is going on. SS isn’t friendly at all. Can You Please help us.
A.C.
Hi, Tina. We are sorry to hear that. The Login.gov contact center will assist you through the Login.gov proofing flow only i.e. to help create, sign in and manage your login.gov account. This is done only through their online web support page (https://login.gov/contact/) where you can submit your questions/concerns. Though you can submit your questions at any time, login.gov’s customer support operating hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) and it could take up to two business days for their customer support agents to respond to inquiries. We hope this helps.
Ozcan A.
İ am a retired US citizen residing in Turkey.it is not fair that i cant create My Social Security account just because i dont live in US mainland .i feel like a second class citizen.Every time i need to make adress change or bank account change i have to try to get in touch with someone in US Embassy in Greece and wait weeks to get a reply.This discriminating policy should change and every retired US citizen no matter where they live on earth,should be able to access My Social Security account.
A.C.
Hi, Ozcan. We are sorry for the inconvenience. 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. We hope this helps.
Karla J.
I am trying to access my SS account online. I need information for myself and to complete the representative payee report on behalf of my mother. I do not receive a security code via text messaging when accessing the website or login.gov website. When I ask for it to resend the code or choose another option, I am directed back to page to receive a security code.