The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced that effective April 14, some individuals who want to claim Social Security benefits or change their direct deposit account information will need to visit a local Social Security field office to prove their identity in person.

According to the SSA, stronger identity verification procedures are needed to prevent fraud. The new rule is already causing confusion, in part because of its hasty rollout, so here are answers to some common questions and links to official SSA information.

Who will  need to visit a Social Security office to verify their identity?

This new rule only affects people who don’t have or can’t use their personal my Social Security account. If you already have a  my Social Security account, you can continue to file new benefit claims,  set up direct deposit, or make direct deposit changes online —  you will not need to visit an office.

You must visit an office to verify your identity if you do not have a my Social Security account and you are:

• Applying for retirement, survivor, spousal, or dependent child benefits
• Changing direct deposit information for any type of benefit
• Receiving benefit payments by paper check and need to change your mailing address

You don’t need to visit an office to verify your identity if you are applying for Medicare, Social Security disability benefits, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits — these are exempt from the new rule, and you can complete the process by phone.

If you’re already receiving benefits and don’t need to change direct deposit information, you will not have to contact the SSA either online or in person to verify your identity. According to the SSA, “People will continue to receive their benefits and on schedule to the bank account information in Social Security’s records without needing to prove identity.”1 There’s also no need to visit an office to verify your identity if you are not yet receiving benefits.

The SSA also announced that requests for direct deposit changes (whether made online or in person) will  be processed within one business day. Prior to this, online direct deposit changes were held for 30 days.

What if you don’t have a  my Social Security account?

You can create an account at any time on the SSA website, ssa.gov/myaccount. A my Social Security account is free and gives you online access to SSA tools and services. For example, you can request a replacement Social Security card, view your Social Security statement that includes your earnings record and future benefit estimates, apply for new benefits and set up direct deposit, or manage your current benefits and change your direct deposit instructions.

To start the sign-up process, you will be prompted to create an account with one of two credential service providers, Login.gov or ID.me. These services  meet the U.S. government’s identity proofing and authentication requirements and help the SSA securely verify your identity online, so you won’t need to prove your identity at an SSA office. You can also use your existing Login.gov or ID.me credentials if you have already signed up with one of these providers elsewhere.

If you’re unable or unwilling to create a my Social Security account, you can call the SSA and start a benefits claim; however, if you’re filing an application for retirement, survivor, spousal, or dependent child benefits, your request can’t be completed until your identity is verified in person. You may also start a direct deposit change by phone and then visit an office to complete the identity verification step. You can find your local SSA office by using the Social Security Office Locator at ssa.gov.

To complete your transaction in one step, the SSA recommends scheduling an in-person appointment by calling the SSA at (800) 772-1213. However, you may face delays. According to SSA data (through February), only 44% of benefit claim appointments are scheduled within 28 days, and the average time you’ll wait on hold to speak to a representative (in English)  is 1 hour and 28 minutes, though you can request a callback (74% of callers do).2 These wait times will vary, but are likely to get worse as the influx of calls increases and the SSA experiences staffing cuts.

What if your Social Security account was created before September 18,  2021?

Last July, the SSA announced that anyone who created a my Social Security account with a username and password before September 18, 2021, would need to begin using either Login.gov or ID.me to continue to access a  my Social Security account. If you haven’t already completed the transition, you can find instructions at ssa.gov/myaccount.

How can you help protect yourself against scams?

Scammers  may take advantage of confusion over this new rule by posing as SSA representatives and asking individuals to verify their identity to continue receiving benefits. Be extremely careful if you receive an unsolicited call, text, email, or social media message claiming to be from the SSA or the Office of the Inspector General.

Although SSA representatives may occasionally contact beneficiaries by phone for legitimate business purposes, they will never contact you by text message or social media. Representatives will never threaten you, pressure you to take immediate action (including sharing personal information), ask you to send money, or say they need to suspend your Social Security number. Familiarize yourself with signs of a Social Security-related scam by visiting ssa.gov/scam.

1–2) SSA.gov, 2025