Can't access Social Security account after ID.me change - 2+ hour hold times!

Same thing happened to me last month! The ID.me verification is a complete nightmare. What worked for me was going to the SSA login page, clicking on "Sign In with LOGIN.GOV" instead of the ID.me option. For some reason that worked even though my ID.me credentials were rejected. Also make sure you're not using any password manager autofill - type everything manually.

omg the hold music is THE WORST!! i got disconnected yesterday after 1hr 42min on hold and almost threw my phone at the wall lol

The transition to ID.me has caused widespread account access issues. Here's what I recommend: 1. Clear your browser cache and cookies completely 2. Try using a different browser (Firefox works better than Chrome in my experience) 3. If the "forgot password" option isn't working, you may need to create an entirely new account 4. Double-check that your email is verified on both systems If you're still locked out, you might need to visit an office in person. Make sure you bring your driver's license, passport if you have one, and your Social Security card. Some offices accept walk-ins early in the morning, especially if you emphasize that you have an urgent need with an upcoming retirement application.

I HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM!! Been using my account for YEARS then suddenly locked out after this stupid ID.me garbage. I spent 4 hours on hold last Thursday and FINALLY got someone who said my accounts were "out of sync" whatever THAT means. They had to manually reset something on their end. Keep trying to call, its the only way to fix it!!

I was stuck in the same situation last month trying to check my SSDI payment status. After multiple failed attempts calling the regular SSA line, I tried a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of hours. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - it essentially holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me a ton of frustration and the agent was able to fix my account access on the spot.

Anyone else notice how the government keeps forcing us to create more and more online accounts with different companies? First Login.gov, then ID.me, what's next? I've been receiving SS for 5 years and used to be able to check my COLA increases by just calling. Now everything requires some complicated online setup. Not everyone is tech savvy enough for this!

UPDATE: I tried the LOGIN.GOV option and it did let me create a new account, but it's still not connecting to my existing SS information. Then I used that Claimyr service someone recommended, and it actually worked! Got a call back in about 25 minutes and spoke with an agent named Marcus who was super helpful. He explained that when they transitioned to the new system, some accounts got a data mismatch - my birth date was entered differently in the two systems (MM/DD/YYYY in one and DD/MM/YYYY in the other). He fixed it on their end and walked me through resetting everything. I'm back in my account now and can see my statement! Thanks everyone for the help. What a ridiculous process but at least it's resolved now.

This is such a helpful thread! I've been dealing with the same ID.me nightmare for weeks. The fact that it was a date format mismatch is both infuriating and reassuring - infuriating because it's such a basic technical error that shouldn't happen, but reassuring because there's actually a solution. I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service tomorrow. The SSA really needs to get their act together with these system transitions - they're creating unnecessary barriers for people who just want to access their own benefits information. Thanks for sharing your experience and the solution!

This whole thread is a perfect example of why government digital transformations need better planning and user testing. As someone who works in IT, I can tell you that date format mismatches are one of the most common data migration issues - it's Database 101 stuff that should have been caught in testing. The fact that thousands of people are probably dealing with this same problem while SSA has 2+ hour hold times is just unacceptable. I'm bookmarking that Claimyr service for future reference - it shouldn't be necessary, but if it gets people connected to help faster, that's what matters. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions. This is exactly the kind of community support that makes these forums valuable when official channels fail us.

This whole situation is such a mess! I'm new to this community but have been lurking and reading about everyone's ID.me nightmares. I'm dreading when I'll eventually have to deal with this myself. The fact that a simple date format error can lock people out of their own Social Security accounts for weeks is absolutely ridiculous. It's honestly shameful that we need third-party services like Claimyr just to get through to our own government agencies in a reasonable timeframe. But I'm really grateful for threads like this where people share actual working solutions instead of just generic "call the 800 number" advice. @Landon Morgan - so glad you got your issue resolved! And thanks for following up with the solution. That date format mismatch explanation makes perfect sense from a technical standpoint, but it's infuriating that SSA's system migration was so poorly handled. Definitely saving all this info for when I inevitably need it.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a newcomer to this community and have been putting off dealing with my SSA account setup because I kept hearing horror stories about the ID.me transition. Reading through everyone's experiences - especially @Landon Morgan's detailed journey from problem to solution - gives me so much more confidence about tackling this. The date format mismatch issue is mind-blowing but makes total sense from a technical perspective. It's exactly the kind of overlooked detail that causes massive headaches for users while being a relatively simple fix on the backend. The fact that Claimyr exists and actually works shows there's real demand for better customer service solutions when government agencies can't handle the volume. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and especially to those who followed up with working solutions. This is why community forums are so valuable - real people sharing real fixes that actually work! I'm definitely bookmarking this entire thread for when I inevitably need to reference it.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm honestly blown away by how helpful and supportive everyone has been in this thread! I've been dreading the whole ID.me situation after hearing so many nightmare stories, but seeing @Landon Morgan's journey from complete frustration to actually getting it resolved gives me real hope. The date format mismatch issue is both hilarious and infuriating - it's such a basic technical error that should never make it to production, but here we are. I work in customer service myself and I can't imagine having 2+ hour hold times be considered acceptable. The fact that services like Claimyr even exist shows how broken the system is, but I'm grateful people are sharing these workarounds. What really stands out to me is how everyone followed up with actual solutions instead of just venting (though the venting is totally justified!). This is exactly the kind of community support that makes dealing with government bureaucracy slightly less soul-crushing. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - I'm definitely saving this entire thread for future reference!

As someone completely new to this community, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread! I'm one of those people who has been procrastinating on setting up my SSA account because the whole ID.me transition seemed so intimidating. Reading through @Landon Morgan's detailed experience - from the initial frustration with 2+ hour hold times to actually getting it resolved - has been incredibly reassuring. The date format mismatch issue is both mind-boggling and typical of government IT rollouts. As others have mentioned, it's such a basic data migration problem that should have been caught in testing. But knowing that there's actually a fixable technical issue behind many of these lockouts makes it feel less like some mysterious black box. I'm definitely going to try the Claimyr service when I finally tackle this - the fact that multiple people here have had success with it gives me confidence. It's frustrating that we need third-party services to access our own government benefits, but pragmatically speaking, if it works, it works! This thread is a perfect example of why community forums are so valuable. Real people sharing real solutions that actually work, plus the follow-up updates that help others learn from each experience. Thanks for creating such a supportive environment for navigating these bureaucratic challenges!

Just joined this community and this thread is exactly what I needed to see! I've been avoiding dealing with my SSA account for months because every story I heard about the ID.me transition was a nightmare. But seeing @Landon Morgan's complete journey from total lockout to actually getting it resolved is incredibly helpful and reassuring. That date format mismatch issue is so typical of government IT projects - such a basic data migration error that should have been caught in testing, but instead it's locking thousands of people out of their own accounts. The 2+ hour hold times are absolutely unacceptable, especially when people need urgent access for retirement applications or benefit checks. I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service when I finally work up the courage to deal with this - the fact that multiple people here have had success with it makes it seem legitimate. It's sad that we need third-party services just to reach our own government agencies, but if it actually works and saves hours of hold time torture, I'm all for it. This community is amazing - everyone actually follows up with real solutions instead of just complaining. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and making this bureaucratic nightmare feel a little more manageable!

As a complete newcomer to this community, I can't thank everyone enough for sharing such detailed experiences! I've been dreading the whole SSA/ID.me situation after hearing horror story after horror story, but this thread has been incredibly enlightening and actually gives me hope. @Landon Morgan - your complete journey from lockout to resolution is exactly what people like me need to see. The fact that it was a date format mismatch is both infuriating (such a basic technical error!) and reassuring (at least there's an actual fixable cause). I work in data analytics and seeing MM/DD/YYYY vs DD/MM/YYYY issues make it to production just makes me shake my head - that's literally Database Migration 101. The Claimyr service sounds like a game-changer based on everyone's experiences. It's absolutely ridiculous that we need third-party services to access our own government benefits with reasonable wait times, but if it works, it works! I'm definitely going to bookmark this for when I finally work up the nerve to tackle my account setup. What really stands out about this community is how everyone follows up with actual solutions and updates instead of just venting into the void. This is exactly the kind of practical support that makes bureaucratic nightmares feel manageable. Thank you all for creating such a helpful environment!

Just joined this community and wow, this thread is a lifesaver! I've been putting off dealing with my SSA account for over a year because every story I heard about the ID.me transition was terrifying. But reading through @Landon Morgan's complete experience from start to resolution actually makes this feel doable. That date format mismatch issue is so frustrating yet typical - as someone who works in software QA, seeing basic data validation errors like MM/DD/YYYY vs DD/MM/YYYY make it to production is just mind-boggling. It's exactly the kind of oversight that creates massive user pain while being relatively simple to fix on the backend. I'm definitely going to try the Claimyr service based on all the positive experiences shared here. It's honestly dystopian that we need third-party services just to reach our own government agencies in reasonable timeframes, but if it gets results, I'm all for it. The 2+ hour hold times are completely unacceptable, especially for people dealing with urgent retirement or disability needs. What I love most about this thread is how everyone actually followed up with working solutions instead of just venting frustration. This community seems incredibly supportive and practical - exactly what you need when navigating government bureaucracy. Thanks to everyone for sharing real experiences and solutions that actually help!

New to this community and this thread has been absolutely incredible to find! I've been avoiding the whole SSA/ID.me situation for months after hearing so many nightmare stories, but seeing @Landon Morgan's complete journey from total lockout to actually getting it resolved gives me real hope that this is manageable. The date format mismatch issue is both hilarious and infuriating - it's such a basic data migration error that any decent QA process should have caught. The fact that MM/DD/YYYY vs DD/MM/YYYY confusion is locking people out of their own Social Security accounts is just peak government IT incompetence, but at least knowing there's an actual technical cause makes it feel less like some mysterious black box. I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service when I finally work up the courage to deal with this - the multiple success stories here make it seem legitimate, and honestly I'd rather pay a fee than waste entire days listening to hold music torture. It's absolutely ridiculous that we need third-party services just to access our own government benefits in reasonable timeframes, but if it works, it works! What really impresses me about this community is how everyone follows up with actual working solutions instead of just venting into the void. This is exactly the kind of practical support that makes bureaucratic nightmares feel conquerable. Thanks to everyone for sharing real experiences and creating such a helpful environment for navigating these government system disasters!

As someone completely new to this community, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! I've been absolutely dreading dealing with my SSA account setup because of all the ID.me horror stories I've heard, but @Landon Morgan's detailed journey from complete lockout to resolution has given me so much confidence that this is actually solvable. That date format mismatch issue is simultaneously mind-boggling and typical of government IT rollouts - such a basic data migration error that should never make it to production! The fact that MM/DD/YYYY vs DD/MM/YYYY confusion is causing widespread lockouts is just incredible, but at least knowing there's an actual technical cause makes it feel less like some mysterious bureaucratic nightmare. I'm definitely bookmarking the Claimyr service info - seeing multiple success stories from community members makes it seem legitimate, and honestly I'd rather pay a small fee than endure 2+ hours of hold music torture. It's pretty dystopian that we need third-party services just to access our own government benefits, but if it gets results, I'm all for it! What really stands out about this community is how everyone follows up with actual working solutions and updates instead of just venting frustration. This is exactly the kind of practical support that makes tackling government bureaucracy feel manageable. Thank you all for creating such a helpful and supportive environment - this thread alone has transformed my entire approach to dealing with this situation!