Required to Move Your Social Security Account Sign In to Login.gov? Here’s How [CNET]

July 19, 2024July 19, 2024 Blake Stimac technology

If you signed up for a Social Security online account before Sept. 18, 2021, you may need to update the way you access your benefit information. We’ll show you how.

Blake has over a decade of experience writing for the web, with a focus on mobile phones, where he covered the smartphone boom of the 2010s and the broader tech scene. When he’s not in front of a keyboard, you’ll most likely find him playing video games, watching horror flicks, or hunting down a good churro.

If you receive Social Security benefits, you may soon be required to change the way you access your account and information about your benefits. Not all beneficiaries will need to make the change, however. We’ll explain.

With an online my Social Security account, if you are receiving benefits now or expect to in the future, you can check on and manage your benefits, see full earnings record and request a Social Security card replacement all online.

Here’s what to know about the changes for how to log into our Social Security account. For more, check out our Social Security payment schedule breakdown and how to apply for Social Security benefits.

Why is the Social Security Administration doing this?

The benefit of moving to Login.gov is that you will be able to use the same username and password across all US government websites.

“We’re excited to transition to Login.gov to access our online services, streamlining the process and ease of use for the public across agencies,” Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley said in a statement.

Social Security recipients who created an online account before Sept. 18, 2021, will need to transition to a Login.gov account to access their Social Security information, the administration said. They can use the same login for all other federal accounts.

Previously, recipients were able to sign in with their Social Security username versus an email address. These accounts will be retired as of September 2024, the administration said. If you’ve already created a Login.gov or ID.me account, you don’t need to do anything.

How to transition your Social Security account to a Login.gov account

Luckily, this transition isn’t hard to do. We’ll show you how below:

First, if you have an account, log in to your existing mySocialSecurity account.

Once you’re logged in, if you need to transition your accounts you may see the option to do so. The transition process involves creating a new account and linking it to your existing account. Once you’ve completed the steps, you will see a confirmation screen and will be able to access all of your information as you normally would.

Note: When we logged into our Social Security account using our username, we weren’t prompted to move to Login.gov. The administration told us it’s just starting the transition, so you may not see it when you log in next.

When will you need to set up our Login.gov account?

A Social Security Administration spokesperson told CNET that, as of June 2024, approximately 46 million users out of 86 million total users still need to transition to a Login.gov account.

The spokesperson told CNET the transition is just beginning and the administration hasn’t set a deadline for legacy accounts to transition to a Login.gov account.

For more, don’t miss our Social Security and SSDI cheat sheet and how to estimate your monthly Social Security benefits with this online tool.