15 Social Security Tasks You Can Do Online

Why visit a government office to get your Social Security business done? You can do much of that online.

Elderly lady comparing charts on printouts.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

If you’ve ever had to visit your closest Social Security office for, say, a name change or a replacement for your ancient (and MIA) Social Security card, well, I’m so sorry. The wait was likely interminable, and the experience uncomfortable.

In pre-Internet days, you had no choice but to physically go to a Social Security office for many tasks. Fortunately, these days you can manage your own Social Security profile and execute many critical moves yourself online. Whether you’re a pre-retiree on the cusp of claiming your hard-earned Social Security benefits or a young worker decades away from retirement, you will need to set up a free login.

Important: If you created a Social Security username before September 18, 2021, you need to transition to a new Login.gov account or use an existing Login.gov or ID.me account to access Social Security online services. Your Social Security benefits and Medicare premium deductions are not affected by this transition. However, to continue using many of the convenient online services without interruption, you will need to transition to a Login.gov or ID.me account. That said, if you created your mySocial Security account on or after September 18, 2021, no action is necessary.

Creating an account is a prerequisite for many of the items on our list here. Plus, it’s a good way to protect against Social Security fraud.

Once you’ve set up your account, you'll be able to take charge of your Social Security benefits by reviewing your earnings history, calculating your benefits, ultimately filing for Social Security and Medicare and much more.

Let us show you how.

Bob Niedt
Contributor

Bob was Senior Editor at Kiplinger.com for seven years and is now a contributor to the website. He has more than 40 years of experience in online, print and visual journalism. Bob has worked as an award-winning writer and editor in the Washington, D.C., market as well as at news organizations in New York, Michigan and California. Bob joined Kiplinger in 2016, bringing a wealth of expertise covering retail, entertainment, and money-saving trends and topics. He was one of the first journalists at a daily news organization to aggressively cover retail as a specialty and has been lauded in the retail industry for his expertise. Bob has also been an adjunct and associate professor of print, online and visual journalism at Syracuse University and Ithaca College. He has a master’s degree from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and a bachelor’s degree in communications and theater from Hope College.

 

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