How to Look Up Your Social Security Benefits Online

The fastest way to look up your Social Security benefits online is to sign in to a free “my Social Security” account at ssa.gov. Once you’re in, your Social Security Statement shows personalized monthly benefit estimates at nine different claiming ages, along with your full year-by-year earnings record. If you don’t want to use the web, the same information is available by phone, by mail, or in person at a local Social Security office.

Set Up Your My Social Security Account

To create an account, you need to be at least 18, have a Social Security number, and have a valid email address.¹ As of June 2025, Social Security requires everyone to sign in through one of two credential service providers, Login.gov or ID.me, rather than a standalone SSA username and password.² If you created your account on or after September 18, 2021, you’re already using one of these services. Everyone else needs to create a Login.gov or ID.me credential the next time they sign in.

Both providers run their own identity verification before letting you into your Social Security records.³ Expect to need a U.S. driver’s license, state-issued ID card, or passport to complete that step.⁴ Both services also use two-step verification, so each time you sign in, you’ll enter a one-time code sent to your phone or email.¹

If you live outside the United States, you can still get in by creating an ID.me credential. During signup, select the link that says you don’t live in the United States and follow the instructions from there.⁵ A few services, such as changing direct deposit or requesting a replacement Social Security card, aren’t available from abroad, but you can still view and download your benefit statement, tax forms, and verification letters.

What You’ll See in Your Social Security Statement

After you sign in, the main overview page links to your Social Security Statement. You can view it in your browser or download a PDF. This document is what most people actually mean when they talk about looking up their benefits.

The redesigned statement includes a bar graph with personalized retirement estimates at nine different claiming ages.⁶ Alongside that, it shows:

A disability benefit estimate, meaning the monthly amount you’d receive if you became unable to work due to a medical condition right now.
Survivors benefit estimates for the amounts your spouse and children could receive if you passed away.
Your year-by-year earnings record, covering every year of income reported to Social Security and taxed for benefits, going back to your first job.
Total Social Security and Medicare taxes you and your employers have paid over your career.
A Windfall Elimination Provision notice explaining how a pension from work not covered by Social Security could reduce your benefit.

The statement also comes with age-specific fact sheets. Workers between 49 and 60 receive a “Retirement Ready” sheet, and those approaching 65 receive a “Medicare Ready” sheet.⁶

How to Read the Age Estimates

Three claiming ages carry most of the weight: 62, which is the earliest you can file; your full retirement age; and 70, when benefits stop growing. Your full retirement age depends on the year you were born, and it’s 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later.⁷

Filing at 62 means a permanently reduced payment. For someone born in 1960 or later, that reduction is 30 percent, so a $1,000 full-retirement-age benefit drops to $700 per month.⁷ Delaying past your full retirement age earns you delayed retirement credits of two-thirds of one percent per month, which works out to an 8 percent increase for each full year you wait, up to age 70.⁸ After 70, there’s no further increase.

Your statement lays out these tradeoffs with your actual projected numbers at each age, which is easier than working through the formulas yourself. Social Security also offers a separate online retirement estimator where you can plug in different future income scenarios to see how the numbers shift.

Check Your Earnings Record for Errors

When you pull up your statement, scan the earnings record year by year. Missing wages or a year that looks too low will directly reduce the benefit Social Security calculates for you.

Social Security generally must correct an earnings record within three years, three months, and 15 days after the end of the tax year in which the wages were paid.⁹ After that window closes, corrections are still possible but only under limited circumstances, such as when the error can be confirmed by matching tax returns on file with the IRS, or when the mistake was caused by fraud or a clerical error on Social Security’s end.¹⁰

To request a correction, fill out Form SSA-7008 (Request for Correction of Earnings Record) and include proof of your actual earnings for the year in question. A W-2, pay stub, or tax return works.¹¹ Mail the completed form to the address printed on it. If you can’t find your W-2 or other documentation, explain that on the form and Social Security will try to verify the wages through its own records or with the IRS. Checking your statement every year, rather than waiting until you’re about to retire, gives you the best chance of catching problems while evidence is still easy to find.

Other Ways to Get the Same Information

An online account isn’t the only path. If you’d rather not create one, three other channels give you the same benefit information.

By Phone

Call Social Security’s toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213, available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time.¹² A representative will verify your identity over the phone and can give you a benefit estimate or mail a printed statement. The TTY number is 1-800-325-0778 if you’re deaf or hard of hearing.

In Person

At a local Social Security field office, a staff member can generate a benefit estimate and print your earnings record while you’re there. An appointment ahead of time reduces wait times and ensures someone is available to walk you through the numbers.

By Mail

Print Form SSA-7004 (Request for Social Security Statement), fill it out, and mail it to the address on the form.¹³ It asks for your name, date of birth, and Social Security number. The statement should arrive in about four to six weeks.¹⁴

Automatic Paper Statements

If you’re 60 or older and don’t have a my Social Security account, Social Security automatically mails you a paper statement about three months before your birthday each year.⁶ Creating an online account ends those mailings, since the statement is always available digitally.

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Social Security Administration. my Social Security – Create an Account
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Social Security Administration. Learn About Changes We’re Making to Your Personal my Social Security Account
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Social Security Administration. my Social Security – How to Create an Online Account
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Login.gov. Verify My Identity
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Social Security Administration. Service Around the World – Office of Earnings and International Operations
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Social Security Administration. Get Your Social Security Statement
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Social Security Administration. Benefits Planner – Retirement Age and Benefit Reduction
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Social Security Administration. Code of Federal Regulations 404.313
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Social Security Administration. How Do I Correct My Earnings Record
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eCFR. 20 CFR 404.822 – Correction of the Record of Your Earnings After the Time Limit Ends
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Social Security Administration. Request for Correction of Earnings Record (Form SSA-7008)
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Social Security Administration. Contact Social Security by Phone
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Social Security Administration. Request for a Social Security Statement (SSA-7004)
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Social Security Administration. Request for Social Security Statement Form SSA-7004