How to Set Up an Online Social Security Account

2. Create your log-in. On the Login.gov sign-in page, click on "Create an account." On successive screens, enter an email address and language preference, confirm your email and create a password that’s at least 12 characters long.

As a general rule, longer passwords are better. Another way to strengthen them is to use a favorite phrase from a book or movie and swap in numbers and symbols for some of the letters. And don’t use one you’ve used for other websites.

3. Secure your account. Select the way you want the SSA to verify your identity when you sign in to your account. There are several methods available, the most common being to receive a one-time security code by text or phone call each time you log in, or to use an app that generates codes for you. 

If you choose the text/phone option, you’ll go through that code process as part of this initial sign-in.

4. Enter identifying information. You’ll be asked to read and agree to terms of service for the account, and then to provide information the SSA can use to verify your identity, including your name, Social Security number, birth date and home address. 

You’ll be given an option at this point to beef up account security by providing some form of identification or financial information, like a driver’s license or tax return, that the SSA can use to further confirm your identity when you log in. If you choose to do this, there are three options:

• Photo verification. Click the blue "Request Text Message" button. You should get a text with a link. Click it and follow the instructions to take pictures of both sides of your driver’s license, or another state-issued ID card, with your smartphone. 
• Data entry. You’ll be asked to type in information from your driver’s license or other state ID, and to provide a piece of financial data — for example, the last eight digits of a credit card, tax information or the amount of your monthly Social Security benefit.
• Credit history. Answer a few multiple-choice questions about your credit record, such as the bank that holds your mortgage or what credit cards you have. If you placed a freeze on your credit report to prevent scammers from using your information, you will need to remove it temporarily to use this method. Contact one of the three credit agencies — Equifax, Experian or TransUnion — by phone, mail or online to have it lifted.

Congratulations! You have successfully created your online My Social Security account.

Going forward, you’ll be able to log into your My Social Security account from any device using Login.gov. If you previously created an account using Social Security’s SSA.gov site or the online identity-verification network ID.me, you can still access the account using those platforms and your existing credentials.

Protecting your benefits from swindlers

The SSA offers secure sign-in via Login.gov and optional extra protection to guard against identity theft. Scammers who obtain your Social Security number and address through phishing, data breaches or other means can go online and set up a My Social Security account in your name, if you haven’t already done so.

The threat grows once you reach age 62, the minimum claiming age for Social Security retirement benefits. Thieves could start collecting monthly payments in your name, and you might not find out about it until years later when you apply for Social Security. Only one account is permitted per Social Security number, so establishing your account early is key.

“People need to plant their flag, because someone could just sign up for you,” cybersecurity expert Brian Krebs, who runs the Krebs on Security website, told AARP in 2018.

Krebs said that in Social Security identity theft cases he’s seen, the victims ultimately had to visit a Social Security office to resolve the problems.

If you suspect you have been the victim of identity theft, you can report this to the SSA Office of the Inspector General or visit the Federal Trade Commission’s  Identity Theft.gov information site.

Kenneth Terrell covers employment, age discrimination, work and jobs, careers, and Congress for AARP. He previously worked for the Education Writers Association and U.S. News & World Report, where he reported on government and politics, business, education, science and technology, and lifestyle news.

Patrick J. Kiger is a contributing writer for AARP. He has written for a wide variety of publications, including the Los Angeles Times Magazine, GQ, Mother Jones and websites of the Discovery Channel and National Geographic.