Social Security offices are busy places at any time of year. There are several ways for you to contact Social Security.
To reach Social Security by telephone, call the national toll-free number 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). SSA employees are available at these numbers from 7:00am – 7:00pm local time, standard business days, with some automated services available 24 hours a day. These are national numbers with calls routed to different locations based on volume and time of day. SSA employees at these locations use the same computer system to answer your questions as local offices.
To make the best use of your time, consider calling the national number when people from either coast are less likely to be calling too. Writing down your questions in advance can help you cover all your topics without making multiple calls.
When calling, expect to be asked questions to verify your identity. If calling about someone else, for example to help a parent, it will be much easier if that person is with you when you call.
Before visiting your local Social Security office, please be aware that local office hours changed almost two years ago.
Since January 2013, most local Social Security offices are open 9am to 3pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and 9am to Noon on Wednesday. A few small offices have different hours. View local office hours and related information online in the Contact Us / Find an Office section at www.socialsecurity.gov.
Most Social Security services do not require a visit to a local office. Services, such as applying for retirement, disability or Medicare benefits and replacing a Medicare card are conveniently available at www.socialsecurity.gov or through the toll-free numbers mentioned earlier.
If you created a personal my Social Security account, you can download and print a letter verifying the amount of your Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and, for Social Security benefits, even change your mailing address or direct deposit information.
More about Social Security online services is at www.socialsecurity.gov/onlineservices/.
Before visiting your local Social Security office, know the public office hours. View local office hours online in the Contact Us / Find an Office section at www.socialsecurity.gov. 