How to Verify Your Identity with Social Security

The full process of creating your account typically takes 10 to 15 minutes. Have your smartphone and a valid photo ID, such as a passport, driver’s license or state-issued ID card, at hand.

Whether you sign up via Login.gov or ID.me, you’ll be asked to enter your Social Security number and upload pictures of your photo ID. Login.gov will then request a selfie photo, while ID.me will ask you to make a selfie video or dial into a video call.

The providers match the photo or video image to the photo from your ID and match the address associated with your Social Security number to the address on your ID. You’ll get a code to verify your phone number and a recovery code in case you forget the password you set up earlier in the process.

Once your account is established, you’re set — you won’t need to verify your identity again to use Social Security services online, other than going through multifactor authentication when you log in.

Verifying your identity in person

If you choose to apply for benefits at your local Social Security office, bring at least one of the following, which the SSA permits as “primary” forms of ID:

• An unexpired, state-issued driver’s license
• An unexpired, state-issued identification card
• An unexpired U.S. passport or passport card

Bring the originals; photocopies will not be accepted.

If you don’t have any of these primary documents, the SSA may accept a “secondary” form of ID, such as a U.S. military identification card, a tribal ID document, a certification of naturalization or U.S. citizenship, or a health insurance or Medicaid card.

Identity verification at a Social Security office is not permanent. You’ll have to bring the same documents if you need to return to the office for any service requiring an identity check, such as changing your direct deposit information — something no longer permissible via phone. And for most in-person services, you need to call ahead to make an appointment.

Verifying your identity by phone

The SSA had set April 14 as the date it would eliminate call-in applications for some types of benefits, including retirement and survivor benefits. Instead, it’s the day the agency says it began using new anti-fraud technology to continue accepting claims by phone.

“The enhanced technology enables SSA to identify suspicious activity in telephone claims by analyzing patterns and anomalies within a person’s account,” the agency said in an April 12 statement.

“If irregularities are detected, the individual will be asked to complete in-person identity proofing to continue processing their claim,” the SSA said. “These advancements allow SSA to maintain the security of its services while continuing to expand access for customers who may be unable to file online or visit an office in person.”

In a series of social media posts earlier in April, the SSA said it receives about 4.5 million benefit claims by phone a year and estimated that about 70,000, or less than 0.2 percent, “may be flagged” as suspicious, necessitating an office visit.

Social Security has an online FAQ page with more information on identity-proofing. And remember: The SSA will not call or text you asking for personal information to confirm your identity or continue paying benefits. If you receive such a message, it’s a scam.