No one likes to hang on the phone waiting for assistance; when the issue at hand is vital, such as maintaining your Social Security retirement or disability benefits, the stress and aggravation can make the situation worse. The best thing to do in this case is to prepare before calling the Social Security Administration (SSA) or filing a new claim for benefits so you'll know what to expect.
Announcements regarding workforce reductions, the consolidation and closing of in-person hearing offices at the SSA and the desire to move more customer service transactions online have some older Americans concerned about getting in touch with the SSA when they need to.
The data available on the Social Security website can give you the information you need to better time a phone call and to steel yourself for long wait times. In March 2025, the average amount of time a caller waited on hold to speak to a representative in English was 1 hour, 39 minutes.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Best times to call the Social Security Administration
The SSA typically receives 80 million calls each year to its national 800 phone number. Based on the average daily call volume data from April 2023 to March 2025, the SSA received its greatest number of calls in March 2025, with 10,428,157 calls for the month, averaging 483,549 calls per day. The second busiest month was January 2025, when they received 9,777,109, averaging 448,423 calls per day.
The passage of the Social Security Fairness Act resulted in a surge in calls to the SSA. Although they added a recorded message about the Act to the menu of automated services, more than 6,000 people each day still choose to wait to speak to a representative about the Act.
You can call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday. Wait times to speak to a representative are typically shorter in the morning, later in the week, and later in the month. Mondays are the busiest, and Fridays have shorter wait times, with the exception of the end of the day, when wait times steadily build to almost two hours by 5 p.m.
If you want to review the average wait times for every weekday for every hour from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., visit the Contact Social Security By Phone webpage to see the full breakdown.
Day | Best time to call before 12 | Best time to call after 12 | Worst time to call |
|---|---|---|---|
Monday | 8 a.m.: average wait time is 25 minutes | 1 p.m.: average wait time is 1 hour, 32 minutes | 6 p.m.: average wait time is 2 hours, 27 minutes. At 7 p.m.: average wait time is 2 hours, 24 minutes |
Tuesday | 8 a.m.: average wait time is 24 minutes | 1 p.m.: average wait time is 1 hour, 37 minutes | 3 p.m.: average wait time is 2 hours, 3 minutes |
Wednesday | 8 a.m.: average wait time is 22 minute | 1 p.m.: average wait time is 1 hour, 26 minutes | 7 p.m.: average wait time is 2 hours, 4 minutes |
Thursday | 8 a.m.: average wait time is 21 minute | 1 p.m.: average wait time is 1 hour, 20 minutes | 7 p.m.: average wait time is 2 hours, 5 minutes |
Friday | 8 a.m.: average wait time is 21 minute | 1 p.m.: average wait time is 1 hour, 8 minutes | 7 p.m.: average wait time is 2 hours, 15 minutes |
Automated telephone services are available 24 hours a day and do not require you to wait to speak with a representative.
Average call wait and callback time trends
Average wait times predictably ticked up in January after the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act in late December, as demonstrated in the graph below. Wait times surged from 1 hour, 34 minutes to 1 hour, 52 minutes in January. Wait times slowly improved to 1 hour, 44 minutes in February and ticked down again by 5 minutes in March. to 1 hour, 39 minutes.
If you don't want to hang on the line, you can opt to have a representative call you back. The average amount of time a caller waited to receive a callback from a representative hasn't changed much from September 2024 to March 2025.
The shortest callback time in that period was in October 2024, when callers only waited 1 hour, 49 minutes for a callback. The longest wait was in January 2025, with an average wait time of 2 hours, 31 minutes; in March 2025, callback times were not much better at 2 hours, 30 minutes.
Bottom line
The SSA doesn't miss an opportunity to remind beneficiaries that the wait time for online services is zero minutes. If you need a bigger push to open a my Social Security account, here's a list of 15 Social Security tasks you can do online. These include applying for benefits, changing your direct deposit information and requesting a replacement Social Security or Medicare card.
Related Content
-
Time Is Running Out to Make the Best Tax Moves for 2025Don't wait until January — investors, including those with a high net worth, can snag big tax savings for 2025 (and 2026) with these strategies.
-
4 Smart Ways Retirees Can Give More to CharityFor retirees, tax efficiency and charitable giving should go hand in hand. After all, why not maximize your gifts and minimize the amount that goes to the IRS?
-
If You Do One Boring Task Before Year-End, Make It This OneWho wants to check insurance policies when there's fun to be had? Still, making sure everything is up to date (coverage and deductibles) can save you a ton.
-
Time Is Running Out to Make the Best Moves to Save on Your 2025 Taxes
Don't wait until January — investors, including those with a high net worth, can snag big tax savings for 2025 (and 2026) with these strategies.
-
4 Smart Ways Retirees Can Give More to Charity, From a Financial Adviser
For retirees, tax efficiency and charitable giving should go hand in hand. After all, why not maximize your gifts and minimize the amount that goes to the IRS?
-
My Adult Child Was Laid Off. Can We Discuss It Without Ruining the Holidays?We asked mental health and financial experts for advice.
-
3 Year-End Tax Strategies for Retirees With $2 Million to $10 MillionTo avoid the OBBB messing up your whole tax strategy, get your Roth conversions and charitable bunching done by year's end.
-
'Politics' Is a Dirty Word for Some Financial Advisers: 3 Reasons This Financial Planner Vehemently DisagreesYour financial plan should be aligned with your values and your politics. If your adviser refuses to talk about them, it's time to go elsewhere.
-
For a Move Abroad, Choosing a Fiduciary Financial Planner Who Sees Both Sides of the Border Is CriticalWorking with a cross-border financial planner is essential to integrate tax, estate and visa considerations and avoid costly, unexpected liabilities.
-
15 Costly Drugs Will Get Medicare Price Cuts in 2027: Will You Save?The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services extended a safety net to older Americans by announcing significant price reductions on 15 high-cost prescription drugs, effective in 2027.
-
Average Retirement Income by Age and StateWhether you are already retired or just beginning to save, these age and state income averages offer a critical reality check to retirement savings and spending plans.
