Free Social Security webinars are hosted directly by the Social Security Administration through two main programs: the Work Incentive Seminar Events (WISE) at choosework.ssa.gov/wise and the Ticket to Work calendar at yourtickettowork.ssa.gov. Both are open to the public, cost nothing, and exist to educate rather than sell. Registration takes a few minutes and a working email address.
Where to Register for Official SSA Webinars
The WISE webinars are the easiest starting point. The schedule lives at choosework.ssa.gov/wise, with each upcoming event listed by date and topic. Pick one, enter basic contact information, and a confirmation email arrives with the link you’ll use to join.1Social Security Administration. Work Incentive Seminar Events WISE events are generally held on the fourth Wednesday of each month.
The Ticket to Work program keeps a separate calendar at yourtickettowork.ssa.gov covering additional events, including quarterly calls and specialized training sessions.2Social Security Administration. Ticket to Work – Calendar of Events Beyond these two hubs, SSA occasionally announces educational events through its main website and email newsletters, so subscribing to SSA email updates is the simplest way to catch new webinars as they’re scheduled.
One boundary worth naming: a webinar teaches you the rules; it does not apply them to your case. If you need answers about your own file, schedule an appointment with a local field office through ssa.gov instead.
What the Official Webinars Cover
Picking the right webinar starts with knowing what each track focuses on.
Retirement and Claiming Age
Retirement sessions concentrate on the decision that moves your monthly check the most: when to claim. Full Retirement Age ranges from 66 to 67 depending on birth year, and it’s 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. Claiming at 62 is allowed but permanently cuts the monthly payment by up to 30 percent.3Social Security Administration. Retirement Age and Benefit Reduction Waiting past FRA adds 8 percent per year up to age 70.4Social Security Administration. Delayed Retirement Credits Presenters typically walk through this math with examples, which is why bringing your own benefit estimate matters.
Retirement webinars also touch on the earnings test for people who claim before FRA and keep working, and on federal income tax on benefits once combined income crosses set thresholds.5Social Security Administration. Receiving Benefits While Working6Internal Revenue Service. IRS Reminds Taxpayers Their Social Security Benefits May Be Taxable
Disability and Return-to-Work
WISE webinars are geared toward disability beneficiaries. They cover the difference between Social Security Disability Insurance, which is tied to your work history, and Supplemental Security Income, a needs-based program with a resource cap of $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a couple.7Social Security Administration. Supplemental Security Income Eligibility Requirements They spend most of their time on work incentives, the rules that let you test returning to employment without immediately losing benefits.1Social Security Administration. Work Incentive Seminar Events If your question is about SSDI qualification itself, presenters walk through the SSA’s step-by-step evaluation.8Social Security Administration. Social Security Disability Benefits – How to Qualify
Medicare Enrollment
Medicare comes up in almost every retirement-focused session because the enrollment window is tied to age 65. Your Initial Enrollment Period runs seven months, starting three months before your 65th birthday month and ending three months after.9Medicare. When Does Medicare Coverage Start Miss your Part B window without qualifying employer coverage and your premium goes up 10 percent for every full year you could have signed up but didn’t, for as long as you have Part B.10Medicare. Avoid Late Enrollment Penalties Webinars walk through Parts A, B, C, and D so you know what each covers before you enroll.
How to Prepare Before the Webinar Starts
Set Up Your my Social Security Account
Create a free account at ssa.gov/myaccount before you attend. It gives you your earnings history, personalized benefit estimates at different claiming ages, and a way to check that your reported wages are correct.11Social Security Administration. Get Your Social Security Statement Having your own numbers on screen while the presenter explains formulas turns a general lecture into planning for your own situation.
Identity verification runs through Login.gov or ID.me, the only two sign-in options SSA now supports for online services.12Social Security Administration. Create an Account – My Social Security The process takes a few minutes, so set the account up a day or two ahead rather than five minutes before the webinar starts.
Gather the Rest of Your Financial Picture
Have a rough tally of other income: pensions, investment withdrawals, any part-time wages. Examples about the earnings test or benefit taxation land better when you can plug in your own figures. For a disability webinar, know your current monthly earnings and roughly where you are in your medical treatment timeline.
Check Your Setup
Most SSA webinars run in a standard browser platform, so a stable connection and working audio are all you need. Some events share slides or resource links live during the session. Keep a notes app open or a way to save links as they appear.
Accessibility and Accommodations
WISE webinars include closed captioning inside the platform, and you can turn it on at any point during the session. If you use American Sign Language, the WISE program works with the FCC’s Video Relay Service for interpretation. Register with a VRS provider at least one week before the webinar and connect to your interpreter a few minutes before the event begins.13Social Security Administration. Attending WISE Webinars Using American Sign Language
For a webinar hosted by a state program or community group instead of SSA, contact the organizer well in advance. The State Health Insurance Assistance Program, for instance, asks for ASL interpretation requests at least two weeks before an event.
Telling Educational Webinars From Sales Pitches
Financial advisory firms, insurance brokers, and nonprofit groups run their own Social Security seminars. Some are useful. Others exist mainly to steer attendees toward annuities or managed accounts. If the invitation promises a free meal, “guaranteed income,” or uses language like “limited seating available,” treat it as a sales event, not education.
Red flags include presenters with vague titles like “senior specialist” that may carry no regulatory weight, pressure to act during or right after the event, and product recommendations made without reviewing your actual finances. A genuine educational webinar never asks you to buy something on the spot. Cross-check anything you hear at a private seminar against official SSA publications before you move money.
If Someone Claims to Be From SSA and Asks for Money
SSA does not charge for webinars and does not demand payment over the phone. If someone contacts you claiming to represent the agency and asks for payment, banking details, or threatens to suspend your benefits, that is a scam. Report it to the SSA Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov or by calling 1-800-269-0271 during weekday business hours.14Social Security Administration. Fraud Prevention and Reporting