SSA Expands Its Online Services

The Social Security Administration (“SSA”) announced this month that they are expanding their online services so that Social Security beneficiaries can obtain a replacement SSA-1099 from SSA’s website at http://www.ssa.gov/ .  SSA sends SSA-1099s every January to everyone who receives Social Security benefits. A SSA-1099 is a tax document that shows the total amount of Social Security benefits paid for the previous year. If you didn’t receive your SSA-1099, or you lost or misplaced it, you now can set up a “my Social Security account” and request an instant replacement.

 The SSA-1099 replacement option is a new service for those who are “my Social Security account” holders. Individuals who have already created their “my Social Security account” will now have access to this new service and can continue to request information about their full retirement, early retirement, disability, and survivor’s benefits. Online account holders can also access information regarding their taxed Social Security earnings and taxed Medicare earnings to make sure they are accurate. People can set up an online account with SSA at http://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/ . It is a free service.

 Please note that you can also file for Social Security Disability Insurance (“SSDI”) and Retirement benefits online. However, if you wish to apply for Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”), you will still need to make an appointment with your local SSA office.

 Whenever possible, we always recommend taking advantage of the online services that SSA has to offer. It can be very difficult to get through SSA’s phone lines. Online services from SSA are easy to use and can save you a lot of stress and time.

 Got a question about SSDI or SSI that you need us to answer? Please check out our website at www.westcoastdisability.com . We try to provide you with helpful information on our website that will allow you to successfully navigate the Social Security Disability process. Also, feel free to email me your questions at megan@westcoastdisability.com or call me at (800) 459-3017 x 103.