Login | September 14, 2024
Change is coming to online social security accounts
JULIE JASON
The Discerning Investor
Published: August 29, 2024
If you have a My Social Security online account, there is a change coming to the way you log in.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced in July that customers who created an online account (e.g., a My Social Security account) "before September 18, 2021, will soon be required to transition to a Login.gov account to continue access to their online services" (tinyurl.com/3p7rekud).
The change is being made to "simplify your sign-in experience and align with federal authentication standards," Dawn Bystry, associate commissioner in the Office of Strategic and Digital Communications, wrote in a blog on the SSA website (tinyurl.com/4h787bmm).
Bystry added that in the "near future," all users will "need to have an account with one of our two Credential Service Providers (CSP) -- Login.gov or ID.me" in order to access an SSA personal account.
With an SSA online account, users can manage the benefits they receive, get an estimate of future benefits, request a replacement Social Security card, check the status of an application, set up or change direct deposit and, if they choose, get available notices online instead of by mail.
If you are unfamiliar with Login.gov, it is an official website of the U.S. General Services Administration and provides a secure service used to sign in to participating government agencies. Once you have established a Login.gov account, you can use it to access any agency that partners with Login.gov (tinyurl.com/ykkd7ftx). Among those using the service are USAJOBS (U.S. Office of Personnel Management) and the Small Business Administration.
ID.me is a "next-generation digital identity network that simplifies how individuals securely prove their identity online," according to the ID.me website (tinyurl.com/5zufxyd9), which also notes that it is used by 16 federal agencies. The IRS uses ID.me for its online accounts for individuals, businesses and tax professionals (tinyurl.com/4xxk458u).
The SSA notes that if you already have an existing Login.gov or ID.me account, you do not need to create a new one.
As an example, if you do not have a Login.gov account and decide that is the option you want to use, you can transition your Social Security account by signing in with your Social Security username. You will then see online instructions with details on how to log in with Login.gov (if you already have an account) or how to create a new account using Login.gov.
Note that Login.gov requires another authentication method (known as multifactor authentication, or MFA) along with a password to access your account. (ID.me also has MFA.) According to Login.gov, "We use MFA as an added layer of protection to secure your information." You can review the details at tinyurl.com/47m99de3.
Among the authentication options are face or touch unlock (described as "using a scan of your face or fingerprint, entering your PIN or pattern, or scanning a QR code"), a security key ("a physical device that you can connect to your computer or mobile device to add an extra layer of protection to your Login.gov account") and a text message or phone call, with which you will receive a unique one-time code. Login.gov describes text messages and phone calls as convenient, but adds that they are "extremely vulnerable to theft, hackers, and other attacks."
Login.gov also encourages a person to set up a second MFA option in case he or she loses access to a primary authentication (for example, you lose your cellphone).
Once you have successfully created a new Login.gov account, you will be notified that your existing SSA account will be linked to Login.gov. Going forward, you will use your Login.gov account to sign into your SSA account.
If you have difficulties using Login.gov, the service offers customer phone and chat support 24 hours a day at tinyurl.com/y7r3bs85. You can access ID.me's help center at tinyurl.com/6r83jc34.
More details on how to transition your SSA account are available at tinyurl.com/d6nd7756. If you have an SSA account, take the time to log in soon and, if needed, transfer it over to the new login method.
Seasoned investment counsel (tinyurl.com/52nus8hz) and award-winning columnist and author, Julie Jason, JD, LLM, promotes financial literacy and investor protection. Read her latest book, "The Discerning Investor: Personal Portfolio Management in Retirement for Lawyers (and Their Clients)" (tinyurl.com/4u7h9pjs), published by the American Bar Association. Write to Julie at readers@juliejason.com. While all questions cannot be answered, each email is read and reviewed and can lead to discussion in a future column.
COPYRIGHT 2024 Julie Jason, DISTRIBUTED BY ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106; 816-581-7500.