Will you need to prove your identity for Social Security payments after the department soon changes its protocols?
Not everyone will, but some may need to do so in person.
In an effort to limit fraudulent claims, the Social Security Administration will impose tighter identity-proofing measures — which will require millions of recipients and applicants to visit agency field offices rather than interact with the agency over the phone.
While the process for implementing the change has already begun, customers will see the impacts at the end of the month.
That’s when the agency said it will transition “to stronger identity proofing procedures for both benefit claims and direct deposit changes.”
“Individuals seeking these services who cannot use their personal ‘my Social Security’ account, which requires online identity proofing, will then need to visit a local Social Security office to prove their identity in person,” the agency said.
That means that starting March 31, people will no longer be able to verify their identity to the SSA over the phone, and those who cannot properly verify their identity over the agency’s “my Social Security” online service, will be required to visit an agency field office in person to complete the verification process.
Here’s what to know:
Who needs to prove their identity for Social Security?
Those who are applying for cash benefits or changing their direct deposit information will need to provide proof of identity. Those who received payment via paper checks will also need to prove their identity before changing their mailing address.
Certain claims will also require in-person identification.
“Individuals will need to provide in-person identification for certain internet, phone, and paper claims, including claims filed by third parties,” the agency noted.
Will everyone need to prove their identity?
The answer is no. Those who are not applying for cash benefits or changing their direct deposit information will not need to prove their identity.
“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,” the agency said in an FAQ section of their website.
How can you prove your identity if you need to?
The main way to prove your identity with Social Security is via their my Social Security account portal.
Those who cannot do so online can still start their claims over the phone, but those claims will not be processed until that person also verifies their identity in person at a Social Security office.
“For far too long, the agency has used antiquated methods for proving identity. Social Security can better protect Americans while expediting service,” Lee Dudek, acting commissioner of Social Security, said in a statement.
Will you need to visit a Social Security office in person?
Those who don’t have a my Social Security account, but also apply for cash benefits or to change their direct deposit information, will need to visit an office in person.
In addition, those who start a claim or direct deposit change via phone will need to finish the application in person.
What do you need in order to prove your identity?
According to the Social Security Administration, only certain documents qualify as proof of identity.
“An acceptable document must be current (not expired) and show your name, identifying information (date of birth or age) and preferably a recent photograph,” the agency states on it website.
Examples include:
- U.S. driver’s license.
- State-issued non-driver identification card.
- U.S. passport.
If you do not have one of these or cannot get a replacement within 10 days, other documents may be used. Those include:
- Employee identification card.
- School identification card.
- Health insurance card (not a Medicare card).
- U.S. military identification card.
How to find your local Social Security office?
Those needing to visit a local office can call (800) 772-1213 to schedule an in-person appointment. You can also use this Social Security office locator tool.
What other changes are being made?
Direct deposit
In addition to the identity verification change, the agency announced that it plans to expedite processing of recipients’ direct deposit change requests – both in person and online – to one business day. Previously, online direct deposit changes were held for 30 days.
Debt collection
The SSA announced Thursday that it would immediately resume collecting debt through its Treasury Offset Program.
The program had been suspended “due to the economic challenges posted by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The collection will be for debts accrued prior to March 2020.
According to the agency, the Treasury Offset Program “is a centralized program designed to collect delinquent debts owed to federal and state agencies by intercepting Federal and state payments.”
“Resuming collections through the Treasury Offset Program is a critical step in our commitment to being good stewards of taxpayer funds and ensuring the integrity of our programs,” Dudek said in a release. “We are dedicated to recovering overpayments while providing individuals with the necessary information and options to address their debts.”
Locations Closing
The plans come as the agency is set to shutter dozens of Social Security offices throughout the country and has already laid out plans to lay off thousands of workers.
The DOGE website says that leases for 47 Social Security field offices across the country, including in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky and North Carolina, have been or will be ended. However, Dudek downplayed the impact of its offices shuttering, saying many were small remote hearing sites that served few members of the public.
Why are the changes being made?
The Trump administration said Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is targeting waste in the federal government and Musk has been focused on Social Security as an alleged hotbed of fraud, describing it as a “ponzi scheme” and insisting that reducing waste in the program is an important way to cut government spending.
“The Social Security Administration is losing over $100 million a year in direct deposit fraud,” Dudek said. “Social Security can better protect Americans while expediting service.”
He said a problem with eliminating fraudulent claims is that “the information that we use through knowledge-based authentication is already in the public domain.”
“This is a common sense measure,” Dudek added.