Question: Auwe! I wanted to apply for my Social Security online but couldn’t create an online account (technical difficulties). I would call even if I had to stay on hold for hours, but what’s the point if they’re not letting people file over the phone? Grrrr!
Answer: You can apply over the phone, as the Social Security Administration won’t curtail that service after all, and the agency says it is “surging personnel to the phone lines to better assist anyone that needs help.” Still, expect a long hold time. As for creating an online account, we’ll provide more information below and in future columns.
After a nationwide outcry, the Trump administration dropped its plan to no longer allow most applicants to apply for Social Security benefits over the phone, restrictions that would have taken effect Monday. Instead, the agency announced Tuesday on X that only callers who flag its anti-fraud system must appear in person to complete the application.
“Beginning on April 14, #SocialSecurity will perform an anti-fraud check on all claims filed over the telephone and flag claims that have fraud risk indicators. Individuals who are not flagged will be able to complete their claim without any in-person requirements. We will continue to conduct 100 percent ID proofing for all in-person claims. 4.5 million telephone claims a year and 70K may be flagged. Telephone remains a viable option to the public,” the agency posted on X.
As for the Social Security website (ssa.gov), it has been overwhelmed at times amid rapid policy changes, budget cuts and federal layoffs (including at SSA) — many millions of Americans flock to the website for information and updates. On X on Tuesday, the agency said the “SSA website went down because of atypical high volume and it’s a 1979 platform. It had nothing to do with DOGE. In fact, this problem has alerted to an issue that DOGE will promptly fix.” (DOGE, the group run by billionaire Elon Musk, a special Trump appointee who owns X, has driven cost-cutting throughout the federal government, including the SSA.)
So keep trying to make an online account if the website or any part of it was down when you tried previously. However, some people can’t create a “My Social Security” online account for other reasons, such as because they have frozen their credit to prevent identity theft (the online system pulls a credit check as part of the identity-proofing process). If you’re in that category and don’t want to temporarily unfreeze your credit reports to create an SSA account, you can call Social Security and make an appointment for in-person assistance, according to the website; be sure to explain to the representative why you need the appointment.
Keali‘i Lopez, state director of AARP Hawaii, a nonprofit organization devoted to improving life for older Americans, said at a news conference Thursday that improving Social Security’s telephone service and other forms of customer service is vitally important — and that the agency needs the resources to do it.
Lopez lauded the preservation of telephone service but also said AARP members have noticed a broad decline in customer service, including more dropped calls, longer hold times and website outages, and urged the administration to be “very deliberate” in any planned changes, including by seeking public input and following a reasonable timetable.
Q: I am due a refund on my federal taxes and mailed in a paper return for a variety of reasons, although I know the IRS prefer e-filers. How long does it take to get a refund on paper return?
A: An operations update on the IRS website says the agency is processing paper returns (Form 1040) that were filed in March, as well as amended returns for past tax years that were filed in December. “This does not include those that require error correction or other special handling. We generally process paper returns where a refund is expected before all other returns,” it says.
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