What is the Social Security Administration's phone number, and how do I reach a local office?

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Accepted Answer

The Social Security Administration's main phone line, the National 800 Number, is 1-800-772-1213. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, and can help with almost anything you'd otherwise need to handle in person — scheduling an appointment, checking an application's status, requesting a benefit verification letter, or reporting a death. The automated system behind the same number runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and can handle several common requests without a wait: requesting a benefit verification letter, ordering a replacement SSA-1099 tax form, and finding the address of your local field office. If you'd rather speak with someone at your specific local office, use this site's location pages to find the address, phone number, and hours for the field office nearest you — each listing includes a direct line separate from the National 800 Number. SSA generally recommends calling the field office directly for anything specific to an in-progress claim, or when you want to confirm whether a service can be handled by phone or requires an in-person visit. Hold times on the National 800 Number follow a predictable pattern: SSA's own data points to the first week of any month, and Wednesdays generally, as the busiest stretch, while mornings, the back half of the week, and the latter half of the month tend to move faster. A long quoted wait isn't necessarily accurate for your next attempt, so hanging up and calling back the following morning often beats sitting on hold. Many of the reasons people call don't require speaking to a person at all. Through the automated system on the National 800 Number, you can request a benefit verification letter, order a replacement Medicare card, get payment delivery dates, or hear informational messages on direct deposit, taxes, and the cost-of-living adjustment. A free personal mySocial Security account at ssa.gov covers even more: checking your earnings record, printing a benefit statement, or updating direct deposit, without a call at all. If you're deaf or hard of hearing, SSA's TTY line is 1-800-325-0778, staffed the same hours as the National 800 Number. Free interpreter services are available by phone in Spanish and other languages — just stay on the line after calling the main number and tell the representative which language you need. A phone call handles most requests, but some situations still require a visit — most commonly, an original or corrected Social Security card, or a claim that needs original documents verified in person. If you do need to go in, most services now require an appointment; call ahead using the number on this site's listing for your local office, or use SSA's online scheduler, before you make the trip.

Social Security Office Phone Numbers & Contact Info

The National 800 Number

Finding your local field office's direct line

Best times to call to avoid a long wait

What you can do without waiting on hold

TTY and language access

When to call vs. when to visit

Before you call, have these ready

Verify directly with the source