SS technical problem on September 7: What to do if you can’t access your My Social Security account
IT difficulties on Friday caused people to report problems accessing their My Social Security accounts. Here’s what you can do if you have a problem.
The Social Security Administration experienced IT difficulties on Friday causing people to report problems accessing their My Social Security accounts. The “hardware issue” also forced offices to close and impeded the Administration from providing personalized services by phone as well.
The technical glitch has now been resolved according to the SSA, however there are still some limited reports on DownDetector of people having problems. Normally, you could call the My Social Security Help Desk. However, full telephone support won’t be available until Monday, as well as in-person services at offices.
However, there may be another reason why you are having trouble entering you My Social Security account. The Social Security Administration is making changes “to simplify the sign-in experience” that will affect 46 million users of the online services who signed up before September 18, 2021.
What to do if you can’t access your My Social Security account
As mentioned before, if you are having trouble logging into your My Social Security account you can contact the help desk which is available Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 am and 7 pm ET at 1-800-772-1213. When you call, at the voice prompt say, “Help Desk.”
Sometime later this year, if you signed up before September 18, 2021, you will be required to transition to a Login.gov account to continue having access to their online services. While you will have to recreate your account essentially, making the transition will have the added benefit of giving you access to all government websites.
That includes the IRS, where you can check your tax filing information and take advantage of a number of online tools the agency provides.
In 2024, the IRS rolled out its Direct File, a totally free electronic service to file your income tax declaration directly with the IRS, in 12 states prior to the April 15 deadline. The IRS is planning to roll out the service nationwide for the 2025 tax season.