Online Services

This Fall, Fall Into an Online Account with my Social Security

October 13, 2015 • By

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Last Updated: November 6, 2023

happy woman outside with lap top

As the sounds of summer quiet down, and the air turns cooler, you’ll want to check out your favorite football team, check your furnace settings, and check your earnings in your Social Security Statement online.

Opening a free personal my Social Security account is convenient and secure. Once you establish an account, you’ll have access to a wealth of information. For example, you can get an estimate of your future retirement benefits, get an estimate of your benefits should you become disabled, and verify your earnings history.

Are you a person who prefers to read materials with paper in hand? Fear not, as my Social Security allows you to view, print, and save your full Statement. This option is especially important, because we only mail paper statements to most beneficiaries every five years.

If you’re already receiving benefits, my Social Security is also a great tool! Once you establish a personal my Social Security account, you’ll be able to change your address or update your direct deposit, print a benefit verification letter, get a replacement Medicare card and a replacement SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S statement.

While you’re visiting our website to establish your personal my Social Security account, you’ll want to check out our new redesigned website. We’ve changed the look of the site based on your feedback and made it easier to navigate and more accessible on mobile devices.

Establishing a secure account on my Social Security has never been easier and can be done in as little as 15 minutes — so there’s no reason to delay. You’ll be asked some basic questions to verify your identity. Then you’ll choose a user name and password. Pretty soon you’ll be registered with full access.

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.

When the leaves show brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow this fall, you’ll want to show that you’re part of the millions of people who have chosen to establish a personal my Social Security account.

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About the Author

Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications

Deputy Commissioner, Office of Communications

Comments

  1. harveyperkins

    I need a new password to get into my account.

    • Ray F.

      For assistance with your my Social Security account, you may:
      •Call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. At the voice prompt, say “helpdesk”; or
      •Contact your local Social Security office.

  2. harveyperkins

    how do i get a new email and password to get into my account?

  3. harveyperkins

    I need help to change my email address and password to get into my account

    • Ray F.

      For assistance with your my Social Security account, you may:
      •Call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. At the voice prompt, say “helpdesk”; or
      •Contact your local Social Security office.

  4. Wilbur T.

    I have a MySSA account and the functionality for MyCOA will not allow me to change my address. need help

    • Ray F.

      Sorry you are having trouble trying to change your address, Wilbur. The site appears to be up and running!
      If you’re still having difficulties, please call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. After you hear “Briefly tell me why you are calling,” please say “Help Desk” for help with a my Social Security account. Sometimes it might be best to visit your local Social Security office for assistance. Thanks!

  5. Amin a.

    I live in israel and i cannot create a social security account. Please help me.

    • Ray F.

      We are sorry for the inconvenience, Amin. The “my Social Security” authentication system requires address verification as one of the essential criteria for issuing an account. People with APO/FPO/DPO addresses can create an account overseas, but our system does not support registration and account creation for users with a foreign address yet. Please contact your local U.S. embassy or consulate for any assistance related to your Social Security benefits. Also, our Office of International Operations home page provides more information to assist our customers living abroad.
      We hope this information helps!

  6. Kevin L.

    This is fine and dandy unless you live out of the country. I am not able to set up an account because I do not have a US address.

  7. Ouri T.

    Hi,
    I am a USA citizen leaving in Israel and am unable to create my social security account to be able to see my information on-line since you request a USA address which currently I do not have. Please advise how do I create a SS personal account. Tnx, Ouri Tsafrir

    • Ray F.

      We are sorry for the inconvenience, Ouri. The “my Social Security” authentication system requires address verification as one of the essential criteria for issuing an account. People with APO/FPO/DPO addresses can create an account overseas, but our system does not support registration and account creation for users with a foreign address yet. Please contact your local U.S. embassy or consulate for any assistance related to Social Security benefits. Also, our Office of International Operations home page provides more information to assist our customers living abroad. We hope this information helps!

  8. Susan J.

    I am trying to sign into my social security account from China and get this incredible message saying you can’t sign into the website outside of business hours. IS THIS REAL? I’ve never heard of a website being inaccessible at certain times. Please tell me this isn’t true…

    • Ray F.

      We apologize for the inconvenience, Susan. The site appears to be up and running. The Online hours of operations are: Monday – Friday 5 AM – 1 AM *Eastern Time (ET) Saturday 5 AM – 11 PM ET Sunday 8 AM – 11:30 PM ET Federal Holidays – Same hours as the day of the week the holiday occurs. Please report website accessibility problems to the Social Security webmaster, webmaster@ssa.gov. In your message, include the website address or URL and the specific problems you have encountered. Remember to contact your local U.S. embassy or consulate for any assistance related to your Social Security benefits. Also, our Office of International Operations home page provides more information to assist our customers living abroad. We appreciate your feedback.

  9. Nuntarat M.

    Can I change the verification code to be sent to the email instead of via text nessage, and how can I do that.
    Thanks

    • Ray F.

      Hi, Nuntarat. Yes, you can change your second method to check the identification of your my Social Security account when you sign in. You can choose either your cell phone or your email address as your second identification method. To make these changes, click on the “Security Settings” once you log into your my Social Security account and follow the prompts. For more information, please visit our webpage titled, Changes to Your “my Social Security” account. Thanks.

  10. Mildred M.

    I am trying to file for a tax extension, and need my year-end SS statement. I keep getting locked out of my account. This has happened repeatedly in the past as well. Why doesn’t SSA get its act together with the website? I entered my exact password three times. Then I went in to try to change my password, which seemed to work, but I’m still locked out.

    • Mildred M.

      You also need a 24-hour hotline, not just business hours with some minimal extension to midnight M-F.

    • Ray F.

      We are sorry you are having problems with your account Mildred. We have established a dedicated “My Social Security Hotline”. To reach this hotline, call 1-800-772-1213, and select the prompt “For help with registering or using the “My Social Security website”. Individuals can speak to a Social Security representative for help with a my Social Security account between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight (Eastern Time), Monday through Friday. Thanks.

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