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Find answers to common questions about Social Security, including retirement and disability benefits, how to get, replace, or correct your Social Security card, and more.
Social Security provides you with a source of income when you retire or if you can’t work due to a disability. It can also support your legal dependents (spouse, children, or parents) with benefits in the event of your death.
How much Social Security income you’ll receive depends on:
Your earnings over your lifetime
The age at which you'll begin receiving benefits
Whether you'll be eligible to receive a spouse’s benefit instead of your own
You can use Social Security’s retirement benefits planner to:
Estimate your benefits at each age, from 62 (the earliest you can receive them) to 70 (when you hit your greatest amount)
Apply for retirement benefits
Learn about earning limits if you plan to work while receiving Social Security benefits
The Social Security Administration issues Social Security cards to:
U.S. citizens
Permanent Residents
Non-citizens who work in the U.S.
See how you can get a Social Security card corrected or replaced. Find out how to get one for your new baby.
Learn how to collect Social Security benefits while you're overseas.
Find out how to report your lost, missing, stolen, or expired government check or direct deposit. Also learn why you received a check and how to make a payment to the government.
Report your lost, missing, stolen, or expired federal check or direct deposit to the agency that issued the payment. You can get contact information from the A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies.
To get an update on your claim, contact the Bureau of the Fiscal Service's Check Claims office.
Contact the authorizing agency directly to find out why they sent the payment. You may be able to find the authorizing agency in the memo line of the check. View this diagram of a sample Treasury check to help you locate the authorizing agency contact information on your own check. Scroll about half way down the page to see the diagram.
If you're unable to find which agency authorized the payment, call the Treasury Regional Financial Center (RFC) that issued your check. They can help you determine which government agency you need to contact. To find which RFC you need to call, look for its city and state at the top center of the check.
Learn how to use Pay.gov to make secure, electronic payments to government agencies from your checking or savings account. You can use the online service for VA medical care copayments, U.S. district court tickets, U.S. Coast Guard merchant mariner user fee payments, and more.
If you need help, contact Pay.gov customer service.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) processes death reports for both Social Security and Medicare recipients.
To report a death:
Provide the deceased person's Social Security number to the funeral director so they can report the death to the SSA.
Contact your local Social Security office. Or, call SSA's main number at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) to make the report.
The SSA can’t pay benefits for the month of a recipient’s death. That means if the person died in July, the check received in August (which is payment for July) must be returned. Find out how to return a check to the SSA.
If the payment is by direct deposit, notify the financial institution as soon as possible so it can return any payments received after death. For more about the requirement to return benefits for the month of a beneficiary’s death, see the top of page 11 of this SSA publication (PDF, Download Adobe Reader).
Family members may be eligible for Social Security survivors benefits when a person getting benefits dies. Visit the SSA's Survivors Benefits page to learn more.
Learn how to set up direct deposit to receive your federal benefits.
To begin receiving your federal benefits, like Social Security or veterans benefits, you must sign up for electronic payments with direct deposit.
Learn how to make changes to an existing direct deposit account. You also may contact the federal agency that pays your benefit for help with your enrollment.
If you have a disability, Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income may help financially. To find out if you’re eligible for either program, use the Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool.
To qualify for either program, you must meet SSA’s definition of disability:
You’re unable to do substantial gainful activity (work)
Your disability is expected to last for at least one year or result in death
Your impairment is on Social Security’s list of disabling medical conditions
Social Security uses a step-by-step process to decide if you have a disability.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is for people who have become disabled after earning enough Social Security work credits within a certain time.
Your spouse or former spouse and your children may be eligible for benefits when you start getting SSDI.
You can apply for SSDI benefits online, by phone, or in person.
If your application is approved, you’ll have a five-month waiting period for benefits to start.
If your application is denied, you can appeal the decision.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is for people with disabilities or who are 65 or older with little to no income and resources. SSI is not Social Security. Although the names sound similar and the Social Security Administration runs the program, it does not fund SSI.
Adults can apply for SSI by phone, in person at a local Social Security office, or in some cases online. To apply for SSI for a child, you can start the process online but will need to complete it either in person or by phone.
You can appeal If your application is denied.
Explore a listing of SSI topics to learn more detailed information.
Whether you receive SSDI or SSI, you may be able to work without it impacting your benefits if you earn less than a certain amount. You can find all the details in the booklet Working While Disabled: How We Can Help (PDF, Download Adobe Reader).
Call USAGov at 1-844-USA-GOV1 (1-844-872-4681) to ask us any question about the U.S. government for free. We'll get you the answer or tell you where to find it. We are open between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.
Last Updated: April 16, 2021
