Americans' Use of my Social Security Accounts in 2026

The Social Security Administration's online my Social Security account (mySSA) gives people access to benefit information and other services online. A new AARP survey conducted among adults 18 and older finds that fewer than half say they have a mySSA account, although account ownership rises substantially with age.

Overall, 44% of adults report having a mySSA account, while 37% say they do not have one and 18% are unsure. Account ownership is much higher among older adults, with 66% of adults 65 and older reporting they have an account, compared with 56% of those ages 50 to 64 and 29% of those ages 18 to 49.

Among adults who have a mySSA account, 70% say they have logged in within the past year. Recent use is particularly common among adults 65 and older, 82% of whom report logging in during the past year.

Among those who do not have a mySSA account or are unsure whether they have one, 90% say they have never tried to create an account. Just 3% say they tried to create an account but were unable to do so. This suggests that low account ownership may be driven more by a lack of adoption than by difficulty in creating an account

The survey also explored interest in a potential Social Security mobile app. Nearly 6 in 10 adults (59%) say they would be very or somewhat likely to use an app that would make it easier to check benefits, receive alerts and reminders, and manage information from a smartphone. Interest is especially strong among adults ages 50 to 64, 71% of whom say they would be likely to use such an app.

Methodology

Interviews were conducted between June 18 and 22, 2026, among a nationally representative sample of 1,390 U.S. adults age 18-plus in the AmeriSpeak 18+ Omnibus. Funded and operated by NORC at the University of Chicago, AmeriSpeak is a probability-based panel designed to be representative of the U.S. household population age 18 or older. Interviews were conducted online and via phone. All data are weighted by age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, region, and AARP membership.

For more information, please contact Bryan Miller at bmmiller@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.