Social Security....What you MUST do by March 31st.

I double checked that both DH & I were set up with the most recent SS account iteration: LogIn.gov. I was but he wasn't so I just set it up now. (His account was still set up under an SS username.) Took five minutes.

Thanks for the video, @IKE!
 

*** IMPORTANT HEADS UP *** ~~~ rigamarole I just had to go through

Last I signed onto SSA was on Feb05 of this year and had no problems signing in with Login dot Gov.

After reading this thread, I thought I'd logon to SSA last night and it wouldn't let me log in !!!

Login dot Gov required that I verify my ID first by submitting a photo of front and back of driver's license and one other document.
The other document I chose to use was my Medicare card.
All this had to be done on my smart phone because I don't have a camera and microphone on my desktop computer.

The Login dot Gov process went fine ... until it asked for a phone number I often use.
No problem right? I submitted the only phone number I have and it was the phone I was using.
According to Login dot Gov, the number isn't valid as a number I often use.
During the course of the verification process they'd even sent a code in text message to the number.
Yet, during the process and asked for a phone number ... they said it was invalid ?!?!?!
AND they provided NO other recourse to continue the ID verification process.
I was at a dead end with Login dot Gov.

SOoooo ... I opened an account with ID dot Me ... the other SSA login option.
ID dot Me also required an ID verification process so I had to use my smart phone for camera and microphone.
And I HAD to use a Chrome browser. The process wasn't working in Firefox on my phone.
Not only that but I had to hold the phone to my ear to hear the ID dot Me representative during the video call.
I don't have a zoom app on my phone couldn't figure out how to turn the phone speaker on ... so had to hold it to my ear.

Well, I held the phone to my ear to hear instructions during the video call ... then move the phone away from my ear when asked to show my face and to show the front and back of my driver's license.

But there was a problem holding the phone to my ear during the video call.
My ear in contact with the smart phone touch screen caused an issue when touching randomly pulled up other screens.
AND at one point the camera froze but the microphone still worked.
I was able to restore the camera for the video call because the screen had been simply minimized by my ear contacting the touch screen.
So I was finally able to complete the ID verification process over the phone and log onto SSA.

Once logged onto SSA, I saw that everything was as it should be and SSA payments will occur on time as always.
Nothing had changed with any information SSA had on file concerning my SSA profile information.
The thing is, who knows when something might change or I need to logon to SSA to download something.
So I'm glad I completed the ID process in order to be able to log onto SSA.

Once all that rigamarole was completed, I logged onto Experian credit reporting agency.
I think part of the problem with the ID verification process was because I had a Fraud Lock on my Experian account.
I'd received a notification last year from Experian that my SS number had been found on the dark web.
And I put a Fraud Lock on my account with Experian.

While on Experian I also discovered that when I set up an account with them last year I DID NOT provide a phone number !!!
That could have been why during the ID verification process with Login dot Gov ... they said the number I gave them was invalid.

So anything, everything is finally straightened out and I can log onto SSA no problems again.
But every time I log onto SSA with ID dot Me, they send a text or phone call with a code that I must also enter to complete the SSA logon process.

There are hoops to jump through but at least now I can jump through those hoops easily with each SSA login.

At the end of the day, and my point is ... if you haven't logged onto SSA recently ... you may want OR need to give it a try.

GOOD LUCK ~~~
 
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Naturally said:
^^^ After all that rigamarole and personal information I had to share ... I feel violated and dirty :oops: :unsure: ... shoot
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I thought my experience was bad; yours was worse, but at least you are set up now and I'm not. It wasted my whole afternoon yesterday. I managed to do the document photos and my photo, but had to do it twice. The problem came in with them not being able to tie my phone to my name or address.

I gave Straight Talk my name, address, and all that when I got the phone. But Straight Talk does not assign a name to a prepaid phone, even though they have an account for me. So? I'm not going to get a contract phone with AT&T or Verizon and pay the average going rate in my area of $80 / month (and more) for a plan, when I only pay $45 / month for a prepaid phone with unlimited talk and text, just to have my name on a piece of paper or please Social Security - even if it means never getting an account with them.

Login.gov is supposed to mail me a code with instructions on how to finalize the account without having to worry about the phone number. I'll see if that happens.
 
Rossana said:
For people who are experiencing problems login into your SSA account, make sure that you use the Chrome browser and clear your cookies and cache before you try to sign in. (Shift-Control-Delete).
It helped me, I hope it will help you!🙂
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Good advice.
As I previously noted in my long post ... I had to use Chrome on my smart phone because Firefox had issues.

But once I completed the ID verification with ID.Me, I'm able to use Firefox on my desktop computer to logon SSA, without problems.

So good advice you gave. If have any issues, consider trying Chrome because it works ... the Windows browser MAY work too. Dunno
 
gruntlabor said:
No way. I'm not going to be able to do this stuff
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Well, I could be wrong, but as long as none of your personal information has changed ... you will continue to receive SSA payments as previously and don't need to logon to SSA, change anything or worry.

I guess I wanted to be able to logon to SSA in case during tax season I need to download a 1099 or something ... or if my personal info, address, phone, bank account, or whatever changes. It's easier (for me) to handle things online rather than trying to go to a regional SSA office the next town over.
 
Each of us are individuals with various electronic devices and others MAY not encounter the difficulties I experienced signing onto SSA.
I certainly hope not.
Regardless, there COULD be hoops to jump through when signing on if you haven't for a while. Why I posted a heads up.
 
I use a Mac desktop computer, and surf with Duck Duck Go browser … it’s been good to me for many years… no tracking.


iu
 
Well I spent the afternoon trying to login to my SS account using Login.gov and first it took too long verifying, so I shut it off and tried entering my email address and password again.

This time it took a while but they finally sent me a text with a five or six (can't remember) digit number and a submit button. THAT opened the useless Login.gov site where I found a link for  ssa in My History. I clicked that, more waiting and, it opened the Social Security Do You Agree page. Yay! Yes I agree and clicked submit. That took me to a stuck blank page that had me waiting and waiting again. Grr.

I shut that down and went to the Official Social Security website, agreed and clicked submit there only waited a little while until my account opened. I found all my info was there and correct, but it took me an hour and a half to see it. Blah.
 
Earlier this year when I signed in, I had trouble. They wanted pics of my driver's license then, and other documentation. I refused to do that since I already did the Login.gov baloney. It's supposed to be a site where you go for information, period, it's not a bank account. Sure you can update your info but I have no reason to do that. Just let me see my effing information you jerks. There is no reason someone should have to verify who they are like they're taking gold out of Fort Knox. Sheesh.
 
After I did all the rigamarole with ID.me and my identification was verified, they sent a survey which I filled out.
One of the questions was if I trusted the security of my personal information with ID.me?
I answered with the choice that "I neither agree nor disagree".

The thing is, all this extra rigamarole came about because of data breaches.
U.S. Government was hacked and my military data and personal information was stolen.
Equifax was even hacked and my personal and financial information was stolen.
There are other sites and agencies that have been hacked too and personal information stolen.

So NO, I don't trust anyone in the digital world to be hack proof.
Why I only give as little personal information as possible under any circumstance.
Just only what is required to stay functional in a modern world.

ID.me, Login.gov, the credit reporting agencies all want you to upgrade and pay monthly for extra protection and benefits.
And they all require additional and specific personal and financial information to do so.
I decline the offers.

I got along just fine for decades without sharing all that information with the whole wide world.
Sometimes it feels like ANYONE asking for personal information for whatever reason is a just a mask for a future hacker or thief.
 
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Naturally said:
U.S. Government was hacked and my military data and personal information was stolen.
Equifax was even hacked and my personal and financial information was stolen.
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When the U.S. Government was hacked (2015) and mine and millions of others, military and personal information was stolen, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the site that was hacked, granted FREE MyIDCare monitoring to all of us.

MyIDCare notifies me when personal information is found on the dark web and when anything changes with my financial picture ... credit application, new accounts etc etc. Whether I personally initiate any changes or not. Doesn't matter to MyIDCare ... they just notify me of changes or hints of possible nefarious activity. Weird but they also notify me of any registered sex offenders that have moved into or live in the area ... providing names and addresses.

When Equifax was hacked (2017), there was a class action lawsuit and I got a check for something like $5 out of the settlement.
Equifax also provided FREE EquifaxIDWorks monitoring. The Equifax monitoring will expire for me in April though. At least the MyIDCare free monitoring given me by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management has no expiration date.

None of my personal accounts were or have been hacked ... entire sites, agencies and databases were hack victims.
Those are just two that come to mind. If a hacker can get to government agencies and credit reporting bureaus, who can you trust?
 
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Finally filed my tax return extension online yesterday - good til the 15th of Oct. Problems with my login, decided to wait til the end of tax season to work with SS customer support. They're too darn busy & understaffed to attempt anything now. Haven’t been able to login after 2 attempts with a new password (their fault). I have the figures but no form for my records to file. Someone had a terrible idea to change their guidelines.

I will owe but it will be less than the $1,000 cutoff so no penalty. No charge for the extension filing. I mistakenly signed up for paperless communication. I will file both state (refund) & federal (owe) online for free when I get the problem resolved. At one time I was on first name basis with a federal tax examiner, have helped several friends & relatives with tax audits.
 
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I just tested by using Login.gov again, and as usual no problems.

I use a prepaid account with Mint Mobile at $20/mo unlimited with 15GB/mo data. I prepay a year in advance for a better price, and soon I come up again and I'm thinking of cutting back the data since I never use that much, taking it down to $15/mo.

Before last year I had an AT&T Prepaid account, paying $100/year with no data.

In both cases they worked fine for Login/gov and other verification systems.
 
dilettante said:
I just tested by using Login.gov again, and as usual no problems.

I use a prepaid account with Mint Mobile at $20/mo unlimited with 15GB/mo data. I prepay a year in advance for a better price, and soon I come up again and I'm thinking of cutting back the data since I never use that much, taking it down to $15/mo.

Before last year I had an AT&T Prepaid account, paying $100/year with no data.

In both cases they worked fine for Login/gov and other verification systems.
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Hopefully that will be my outcome when & if I get through working with the SSA.
 
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I gave it another try and was able to update my password to access my account.

All of the information appears to be correct and I did update my preference to get paper copies mailed to me in the future.

It’s a step backward but I’m a bit fearful about being able to access my annual tax information using the online system so for now it’s a case of belt and suspenders for me.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I gave it another try and was able to update my password to access my account.

All of the information appears to be correct and I did update my preference to get paper copies mailed to me in the future.

It’s a step backward but I’m a bit fearful about being able to access my annual tax information using the online system so for now it’s a case of belt and suspenders for me.
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Good for you!, Remember 2026 is only 7-8 months away & things could change. I had forgotten I went paperless in 2024. I think the issue was my 3 'secret' questions/had changed to something they couldn't verify, first 2 A-OK, but after the third blocked or froze me. I went with simple answers on all 3. My initial account was setup in 2009. Worked every year except this year. My son (since retired) told me everybody was having some kind of trouble with the logins,

They tried at least 3 times to resolve it, but something happened to their quality control section. The new passwords they kept sending me had spaces or something else was causing it. They couldn't keep it simple. They didn't follow the K.I.S.S. guidelines. Also I use Linux, maybe too complicated for the government, could have been that. I'm going to the post office & get blank forms to file long hand next year,

I'm not even going to attempt electronic filing. Hopefully there will be enough examiners down there to figure it out. Somebody has got to keep them employed. There's a web site you can access and order all the forms you want, All you need to do is figure our which ones you need and then place your order for as many sets probably (5) as you want. Simple, remember the K.I..S.S. method.

Because I was able to file an extension online I'm giving the SSA one more chance to get me a proper temp password. If not I'll handcarry their mail response to their office when I finally visit to see if support can determine what the temp password is.
 
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gilead said:
Finally filed my tax return extension online yesterday - good til the 15th of Oct. Problems with my login, decided to wait til the end of tax season to work with SS customer support. They're too darn busy & understaffed to attempt anything now. Haven’t been able to login after 2 attempts with a new password (their fault). I have the figures but no form for my records to file. Someone had a terrible idea to change their guidelines.

I will owe but it will be less than the $1,000 cutoff so no penalty. No charge for the extension filing. I mistakenly signed up for paperless communication. I will file both state (refund) & federal (owe) online for free when I get the problem resolved. At one time I was on first name basis with a federal tax examiner, have helped several friends & relatives with tax audits.
Click to expand...
Understaffing is predicted to get much worse, perhaps to the point our benefits might be delayed (if any glitches happen after critical staff is gone). Aren't you supposed to pay what you owe by April 15th even though you filed for an extension?
 
NO! When did you ever include the SSA-1099 with your return? The only reason you get a statement is for your use, a recap of the totals The only thing required is the copy of your 1099-R's & W-2's. (If you file paper). Everything else is for your records. They do recommend you keep those copies for reference.if needed Even savings 1099s are stored with your copy. I've never had a problem getting copies of those if needed from my accounts.

It's just easier if they sent you a total, saves them from answering your call. but you don't file them with your return. I know where my money is and if need be I can request a back copy. I usually know when I've got all my totals. Most taxpayers file online anyway. They never need to send copies of anything. Besides all the paperwork is retained online of your accounts. I have all my returns for at least 10 years digitally recorded on my hard drive, don't you?
 

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