The Social Security Administration has said that all of their offices will be closed that day in honor of Thanksgiving. And if you need to get in touch with them, you can still use their automated phone services or their online services from the comfort of your own home.
We put together this list of the main things you can do about your Social Security benefits because many beneficiaries may not know all the ways they can contact the SSA online.
Social Security announces 24-hour closure of all its offices today due to Thanksgiving
The Social Security Administration’s online services let you do a lot of different things.
For example, you can apply for Social Security benefits, get a replacement for your Social Security card, ask for a replacement for your Medicare card, and get an instant benefit verification letter. Besides these, there are also other services like
- Schedule a video appointment
- Services Worldwide.
- Report fraud, waste, and abuse.
The main goal of the online services is to give Social Security recipients more freedom and control over how they interact with the agency.
This way, recipients can contact the SSA from any device, at any time. Besides the services already mentioned, businesses, governments, organizations, payees, and other interested parties can also use the following online services:
- To report wages and access other online services about businesses, use Business Services Online.
- Check your Social Security numbers.
- Make use of internet government-to-government services.
- To provide medical or educational documents to back up disability claims, use Electronic Documents Express.
- You have the option to select or modify how you get Social Security information if you are a blind or VI Representative Payee.
- As a company, submit a Representative Payee Accounting Report.
Why should every recipient set up a My Social Security account?
You can open a My Social Security account for free and without risk. This account has special features that beneficiaries can use, even if they are not receiving benefits.
You can use the account to get a new Social Security card, check on the progress of a claim, guess how much money you will get in the future, or manage the money you get now.
If you are eligible for Social Security, for example, you can change your address, get an SSA-1099 form, print a benefit verification letter, and set up or change direct payment.
You can still use this account to check on the status of your application, get your statement, ask for proof that you have not received benefits, and get estimates of your retirement and spouse benefits even if you are not receiving any.
Also, keep in mind that you can choose to get notices online instead of in the mail, and you can pick to be notified by email or text message when a notice is ready.
When you can get the notice online, you do not have to wait for the mail to arrive or worry that you will lose it or forget about it. Finally, here are some reasons why people should open a Social Security account:
- You can quickly open your account. This account gives you instant access to important data and resources, allowing you to efficiently manage your time.
- A safe and online account. To protect your data, the SSA is committed to using the most cutting-edge technology and putting extra security measures in place.
- It’s simple to create an account. Beneficiaries can avoid the journey by using the SSA’s easy personal Social Security account sign-up service.
New modifications will be made to all My Social Security Accounts by the SSA
People who made a username more than three years ago must either create a new Login.gov account or use an ID.me account to keep using online services.
If the account was made on or after September 18, 2021, there is nothing you need to do because it is already set up correctly.
The changes are meant to make things easier and more in line with federal rules on authentication while still making sure that people can safely access the internet.
You can find out more about moving your SSA username to Login.gov on the Frequently Asked Questions page.
