What does the future of your Social Security benefits look like? It’s murky at best, especially given reports that Social Security fund reserves could run out in the next 10 years. There’s no way to know what the program might look like in the coming years, but you can empower yourself and take control of your benefits online today. Simply sign up for a My Social Security account to access your benefits information as well as other options and updates. There, you’ll see the expected benefit amount for when you retire, as well as a slew of useful information about your Social Security status. You can even use a tool to file retirement or disability applications, straight from your browser.
Your account will show you your current or expected future benefits based on your expected retirement age and your work history. You can also get documents for filing your taxes, request a benefit verification letter or change your mailing address and other personal information.
Here’s how to access your Social Security benefits online, and what sort of information and features you’ll be able to access with your My Social Security account. If you receive benefits now, here’s the Social Security payment schedule.
Create a My Social Security account
To see all of your Social Security benefits online, you’ll first need to create a My Social Security account. Here’s what to do.
1. Go to ssa.gov on your browser, then scroll down and click Learn about my account next to my Social Security account.
2. Next, click Create an Account.
3. You’ll be prompted to sign in with your ID.me account or login.gov account unless you created an account before Sept. 18, 2021. Note that you’ll need to create one of those accounts if you don’t have one.
4. Once you have an account, you’ll need to agree to the terms of service to continue.
5. Next, you’ll need to verify your identity. The Social Security Administration will send a one-time security code to your email that you’ll need to enter within 10 minutes to continue to your account.
You should now have access to all of your Social Security statements and other details online.
Social Security information you can see online
When you sign in to your online account, you’ll be able to view your Social Security statements. If you don’t yet receive benefits, you’ll see an estimate of the amount you could receive when you do retire.
There’s a table that shows your monthly benefit amounts if you retire. For example, if you were born in 1960 or later, your chart may show retirement at 62 years old (early), 67 years old (full) and 70 years old (delayed). Note that these retirement ages may change in the future. The longer you wait to retire, the more money you could receive per month.
You can also see your eligibility and earnings information. If you’ve worked at least 10 years, you’ll have enough work credits — you need 40 — to receive benefits. If you click on Review your Earnings Record, you’ll see your taxed Social Security and Medicare earnings for each year you worked.
What else can you do with a My Social Security account?
There are several things you can do from your My Social Security account.
- Request a Social Security card replacement.
- Start your retirement application.
- Start a disability application, if you’re unable to work for one year or more due to a medical condition.
- Calculate benefits for a current or former spouse, based on your earnings record.
- Check the status of your retirement or disability application.
- Request a Benefit Verification letter showing your payments or lack thereof.
- Report your wages if you work and get Social Security Disability Insurance.
Want more Social Security information? Here’s how to know if it’s safe to share your Social Security number.
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