For Individuals
Social Security for retirees and workers
Whether you are years from retirement or claiming soon, start here for clear, practical guidance on your benefits.
Start here
Estimate your benefit
Use the official PIA formula to project your monthly retirement benefit.
Find your payment date
See when your benefit arrives each month based on your birthday.
Learn the basics
Full retirement age, COLA, spousal and survivor benefits, explained simply.
Official forms & guides
Apply, appeal, and find SSA publications in our resource directory.
News for individuals
MoreGetting a $90 Check? It’s the Medicare Rebate
A surprise $90 payment from Social Security this month is most likely real — a one-time Medicare rebate to offset your October Part B premium, sent to 20M+ enrollees. Here's who gets it, when, and how to tell it apart from the scams that impersonate it.
Bill: Full Retirement at 60 for Physical Jobs
A new bill, the Blue Collar Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 10608), would let workers in physically demanding jobs — construction, roofing, nursing, manufacturing, HVAC — claim their full benefit at 60 instead of 67. It's a proposal, not law. Here's what it would do.
Audits: SSA Underpaid Some Disabled Beneficiaries
Two new OIG audits found SSA didn't always pay disabled beneficiaries and their families everything they were owed — an estimated $27.9M to families on the retirement family maximum, and $1.2M in disabled-adult-child claims. Here's what to check and how to ask for a review.
Trump Proposes Mandatory Prison for Benefits Fraud
President Trump has called on Congress to set mandatory minimum prison terms for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security fraud. It's a proposal, not current law, and it doesn't affect honest beneficiaries. Here's what it would do and what the law already is.
Social Security Paper Checks Are Ending: What to Do
Social Security is phasing out paper checks under a 2025 federal order. If you still get a mailed check, you'll need direct deposit or a Direct Express® card to keep getting paid. Here's how to switch, the limited waiver, and the scams to watch for.
Social Security Survivor Benefits: Who Gets What
Survivor benefits pay monthly income to a deceased worker's family — a spouse from age 60, children, sometimes parents. A new bipartisan bill would finally let survivors apply online. Here's who qualifies, how much they get, and how to claim without costly delay.
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