By Tony Stutts
Social Security District Manager in Petersburg
The Social Security staff wants to help everyone get the services they need as quickly and safely as possible. A person’s personal my Social Security account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount is the gateway to doing business online.
Whether a person receives benefits now or in the future, one will want to create a personal my Social Security account or use the one already set up. More than 65 million people already have an account.
Does a person know one can use a personal my Social Security account to accomplish many tasks? A person can request a replacement Social Security card (in most states), check the status of an application or appeal, verify one’s earnings, estimate future benefits, or manage the benefits one already receives. Watch a brief video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hjJqUAFSXI about the benefits of having an account.
Social Security is committed to protecting a person’s information and benefits and take this responsibility seriously. That’s why personal information is asked to verify one’s identity in order to create a personal my Social Security account. Social Security works with external partners to securely verify one’s identity in order to protect one’s data while making the online services easy for a person to use.
Ready to sign up? A person can now create a 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 a peron’s username, password, and two-step verification factors. A trusted credential partner helps Social Security securely verify one’s identity online.
Here is a brief list of some things a person needs to know when creating or accessing one’s personal my Social Security account.
- A person who has never accessed my Social Security and does not have a Login.gov or ID.me credential can visit the my Social Security webpage at www.ssa.gov/myaccount to get started. A person will have the option to create an account with one’s preferred credential partner, Login.gov or ID.me.
Keep in mind: 1) A person must be 18 years of age or older and have a Social Security number; 2) A person will be redirected to the partner’s website when selecting “Sign in with Login.gov” or “Sign in with ID.me.”; 3) A person must provide a valid email address and some additional information; and 4) Once a person creates the credential, one will return to the my Social Security webpage for next steps.
- A person who has never accessed my Social Security, but already has a Login.gov or ID.me credential can sign in with one’s credential on the my Social Security webpage at www.ssa.gov/myaccount and follow the prompts.
- A person who has accessed my Social Security with a Social Security username and password that was created before Sept. 18, 2021, should still sign in using one’s Social Security username and password. This is the first option on the sign in screen secure.ssa.gov/RIL/SiView.action.
- A person who has accessed my Social Security using one’s existing Login.gov or ID.me credential can sign in to my Social Security using either Login.gov or ID.me credential.
Please encourage friends and family to create their personal my Social Security account today at www.ssa.gov/myaccount.
