How to Obtain Your Social Security Statement

If you are approaching eligibility for Social Security retirement benefits – or are already past age 62 – you are used to receiving your latest statement in the mail every year.  You may or may not have noticed that you didn’t receive one in 2011, but depending on how close you were to filing for benefits you may not have cared very much either way.

Getting Your Current Statement

The Social Security Administration stopped mailing statements in 2011 as part of a cost-cutting effort, but resumed sending them in 2012 to people over age 60.  I have recently learned that the mailed statement program will gradually go the way of the dinosaur, and that eventually we will all be required to obtain our statements online.  2012 also marked the launch of an SSA online initiative, which includes the opportunity for most of us to create an “account” and obtain our own statements on the SSA website. 

I set up my account sometime last year and hadn’t been back there since September 2012 – until today.  I went back today after I learned that it’s getting tougher to create one’s own account; I wanted to see if it would be tougher to get back in.

In 2013 SSA launched an even newer online initiative called my Social Security, which is intended to become a versatile portal for all things Social Security – and some things Medicare.  Why is it tougher than when I signed up?  Apparently SSA “upgraded our password services” on January 5, 2013, which in this case means it outsourced the process to Experian, which describes itself on its website as a “global leader in providing information, analytical tools and marketing services.”  Many of us know Experian as a major player in the credit reporting industry.

This may help explain some experiences that friends and associates have described to me when they attempted to navigate this process within the past several weeks.  One reported that she was asked questions related to her credit history, such as the date on which she opened a charge account at a certain department store.   Not remembering the answer, she took a stab at guessing the correct answer, got it wrong, and was tossed out of the system with instructions to visit her local SSA office.  My associate in Glens Falls, NY, reported yesterday that he was directed to visit his local office when he was unable to satisfy the questions on a credit-related issue.

I first told both of these folks to try calling the local office.  However, this morning I was able to speak with an SSA Public Affairs Specialist in New Hampshire, who said that they would actually have to appear at the local office with satisfactory identification.  I just got an email from my Glens Falls connection earlier today.  It read: “Thanks for your help. Here is how it goes: I gave her my driver’s license; she gave me an access code.  Problem solved.”

Meanwhile, I had minimal problems when I logged in.  I learned that the password is good for only 180 days, so I had to invent a new one, but when that was done I was in the clear.

Anyway, here’s how you join the brave new world of Social Security online:

1.  Go to http://ssa.gov/

2.  Go to the Popular Services menu on the left side of the page and click on Get your Social Security Statement online, OR click on the tab just to the right of the Home tab which is conveniently labeled “my Social Security”.  Alternatively, you can simply notice the box labeled my Social Security just to the right of Popular Services menu and click on it.  Seemingly, all roads lead to where you are trying to go.

3.  Click anywhere on the box that says: Sign In or Create an Account

4.  Follow the instructions

Early in the process, you will encounter a statement that reads as follows:

You must be able to verify some information about yourself and:

  • Have a valid E-mail address,
  • Have a Social Security number,
  • Have a U.S. mailing address, and
  • Be at least 18 years of age.

You can create an account only to gain access to your own personal information. You cannot use this online service to access the records of a person:

  • With whom you have a business relationship;
  • For whom you are a representative payee; or
  • For whom you are an appointed representative.

Unauthorized use of this service may subject you to criminal or civil penalties, or both.  [Emphasis added]

This means that technically you cannot ask your financial advisor, attorney, CPA, or son-in-law to create your account for you without exposing them to possible criminal or civil liability.  If you don’t have online access, or if you are unable to verify your identity online, you may visit your local Social Security office to obtain your statement.  On the other hand, if you’re not prepared to do this yourself and your son-in-law is inclined to be a scofflaw, you can simply choose to ride shotgun while he opens the throttle.

Meanwhile, I had minimal problems when I logged in.  I learned that the password is good for only 180 days, so I had to invent a new one, but when that was done I was in the clear.

Assuming that you are successful in creating your online account – and the most difficult part might be coming up with a password that fits their specifications – you may access your statement at any time. 

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