Do I need an appointment to drop off Form W-4V at Social Security office?

I went last month to drop off medicare paperwork and they made me take an appointment even though I just wanted to hand them an envelope. So frustrating!!! Ended up waiting two weeks just for a 30 second interaction. The receptionist said something about "security protocols" but seemed like bureaucratic nonsense to me

Some offices have a drop box now that you can use without an appointment. Call your local office directly (not the main 800 number) and ask specifically about Form W-4V drop-off procedures. If they have a drop box, ask about hours it's accessible and if you need any special envelope or cover sheet. Make sure to keep a photocopy of everything you submit, and consider sending it certified mail instead if you can't get a definitive answer.

you actually CAN mail the W-4V form!!! thats what i did. just send it certified mail so u have proof they got it. took about 3 weeks to process but worked fine for me

The SSA rules don't make ANY sense!! I had to make an appointment to submit my disability paperwork but when my sister went to drop off her retirement application they let her use a dropbox?? I think it depends on which office and maybe even which security guard is working that day. THEY DON'T EVEN FOLLOW THEIR OWN RULES!!!

If you're struggling to reach Social Security by phone, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that helps you skip the phone wait times when calling SSA. I was in a similar situation needing to confirm if I could drop off my Medicare enrollment forms, spent days trying to get through, then used their service and was connected to an agent in minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. Saved me from having to take a day off work just to ask a simple question.

I work as a benefits counselor. Here's the current policy: 1. Most field offices now have a document drop-off option that doesn't require an appointment 2. For W-4V specifically, you can use the drop box, mail it in, or fax it 3. If you use the drop box, bring your own copy and ask the security guard for a date-stamped receipt 4. Processing time for tax withholding requests is currently running 3-4 weeks If you're concerned about verification, you can check your my Social Security account online about 30 days after submission to confirm the withholding has been applied.

Just want to add my recent experience - I submitted my W-4V last month by faxing it to the number on the SSA website. Called a week later to confirm they received it (yes, sat on hold forever), and they had it in their system. Took about 3 weeks for the withholding to show up in my account. Much easier than dealing with an office visit!

my neighbor works at ssa and says they hate when people come without appointments cuz it messes up there schedule but they HAVE to take ur forms if u hand them to a person. so maybe just go and be nice but insist they take it?

Update on this topic: SSA just implemented a new national policy for W-4V forms specifically. As of May 2025, all field offices are required to accept tax withholding forms via: 1. Secure drop boxes (no appointment needed) 2. Mail 3. Fax 4. Online submission through my Social Security accounts (new feature) The online option is the fastest with processing in about 10 days. Drop box and mail take 3-4 weeks. If you haven't set up your my Social Security account, I highly recommend it for this and future needs.

I had a similar situation last week! I went to my local SSA office in Phoenix without an appointment specifically to drop off my W-4V form. The security guard told me they do have a drop box for certain forms including W-4V, and I didn't need an appointment. I filled out a simple cover sheet with my name and SSN, dropped it in the box, and got a date-stamped receipt. The whole process took about 5 minutes. I'd suggest calling your local office first (not the 1-800 number) to confirm they have a drop box option, as it seems like policies vary by location. Good luck!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses! I decided to try the drop box approach first. Went to my local SSA office this morning and they do have a secure drop box for forms like W-4V. The security guard was really helpful - had me fill out a cover sheet with my name, SSN, and phone number, then gave me a date-stamped receipt. The whole thing took less than 10 minutes including parking. Much better than waiting weeks for an appointment or dealing with those horrible phone wait times! For anyone else in a similar situation, I'd definitely recommend checking if your local office has the drop box option first.

Great thread! I'm in a similar situation - just started collecting Social Security and need to submit my W-4V for tax withholding. Based on all the experiences shared here, it sounds like the drop box option is the way to go if your local office has one. I'm going to call my local SSA office directly tomorrow to confirm they have a drop box before making the trip. The fact that you get a date-stamped receipt makes it much more appealing than mailing it in. Thanks to everyone who shared their recent experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world info that's so hard to find on the SSA website!

As someone who just went through this process last week, I can confirm the drop box approach works great! I was in the exact same situation - new to Social Security benefits and needed to submit my W-4V. Called my local office in Denver directly (found the number on the SSA office locator), and they confirmed they have a secure drop box for tax withholding forms. Went in person, filled out a simple cover sheet, dropped it off, and got my date-stamped receipt in under 15 minutes. The security guard was super helpful and explained that as long as you have the cover sheet with your name, SSN, and contact info, it's a straightforward process. Much easier than I expected after reading all the horror stories about appointment wait times! For anyone still on the fence, I'd definitely recommend trying the drop box route first.

Just wanted to add my recent experience from this week! I was in the same boat as many of you - new Social Security recipient needing to submit W-4V for tax withholding. After reading through all these helpful comments, I decided to try the drop box approach. Called my local SSA office in Portland directly (bypassed that awful 1-800 number completely) and they confirmed they have a drop box for W-4V forms. Went there yesterday morning - the security guard was super friendly, helped me fill out the cover sheet with my info, and I had my date-stamped receipt in hand within 10 minutes. No appointment needed, no waiting around for weeks, just a quick and painless process. For anyone still hesitating, I'd definitely recommend calling your local office first to confirm they have the drop box option. It's so much easier than all the other alternatives! Really grateful for this community sharing their real experiences - made all the difference in knowing what to expect.

I'm new to this community and just started receiving Social Security benefits last month. Like many others here, I need to submit my W-4V form for tax withholding. After reading through all these experiences, it sounds like calling the local office directly is key - seems like there's a big difference between offices that have drop boxes and those that don't. I'm going to try calling my local SSA office tomorrow morning to ask specifically about W-4V drop-off procedures. Really appreciate everyone sharing their recent experiences here! It's so much more helpful than trying to navigate the confusing SSA website or sitting on hold for hours with the 1-800 number. Will update once I find out what my local office's policy is.

I'm new here and just started collecting Social Security last month - also need to submit my W-4V form! This thread has been incredibly helpful reading through everyone's recent experiences. I was totally confused by the SSA website about whether I need an appointment or not, but it sounds like calling the local office directly to ask about drop box options is definitely the way to go. The fact that so many people have had success with the drop box approach and gotten date-stamped receipts gives me a lot of confidence. I'm going to call my local office first thing tomorrow morning to confirm their policy. Thanks to everyone who shared their real-world experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical info that's impossible to find through official channels!

I'm new to this community and just went through this exact process! Started receiving Social Security benefits two weeks ago and needed to submit my W-4V form. After reading everyone's helpful experiences here, I called my local SSA office in Tampa directly (found the number through the SSA office locator) and they confirmed they have a secure drop box specifically for tax withholding forms. Went there yesterday afternoon - the process was incredibly straightforward! The security guard provided a cover sheet, I filled in my name, SSN, and phone number, dropped the form in the designated box, and received a date-stamped receipt as proof of submission. The entire process took about 12 minutes from parking to driving away. I was so relieved after dreading weeks of appointment scheduling or phone hold times! For anyone still unsure, I'd definitely recommend starting with a direct call to your local office to ask about drop box availability. The staff was much more helpful and informative than I expected based on all the horror stories you hear about SSA bureaucracy.

I'm new to this community and also just started receiving Social Security benefits about three weeks ago! Like so many others here, I need to submit my W-4V form for tax withholding and was completely overwhelmed by the confusing information on the SSA website. Reading through everyone's recent experiences has been incredibly helpful - it's clear that calling your local office directly is the key to getting accurate information about drop box availability. I'm planning to call my local office in Seattle tomorrow morning to ask specifically about their W-4V drop-off procedures. It's so reassuring to see that multiple people have had quick, positive experiences with the drop box approach recently. The fact that you get a date-stamped receipt for proof of submission makes it much more appealing than mailing it in or dealing with those awful phone wait times. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their real-world experiences - this kind of current, practical information is exactly what newcomers like me need to navigate the system!

I'm new to this community and just started receiving Social Security benefits last month. This thread has been incredibly helpful! I was so confused about whether I needed an appointment just to drop off my W-4V form. Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like calling your local SSA office directly (not the 1-800 number) is definitely the way to go. I love that so many people have had success with the drop box approach and got their date-stamped receipts in just 10-15 minutes. I'm going to call my local office tomorrow morning to ask about their drop box policy for tax withholding forms. Thank you all for sharing your real-world experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical information that's impossible to find on the SSA website!

I'm new to this community and just started receiving Social Security benefits two weeks ago! This entire thread has been so incredibly helpful - I was completely lost trying to figure out the W-4V submission process from the SSA website. Reading everyone's recent experiences with the drop box approach has given me so much confidence. It's amazing how consistent the positive experiences have been - multiple people getting in and out in 10-15 minutes with date-stamped receipts. I'm definitely going to call my local office in Phoenix directly tomorrow morning to ask about their drop box policy for tax withholding forms. The fact that you bypass that horrible 1-800 number completely is such a relief! Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their real-world experiences. This is exactly the kind of current, practical information that newcomers like me desperately need to navigate the system without all the stress and confusion.

I'm new to this community and also just started receiving Social Security benefits about a month ago! Reading through this entire thread has been incredibly reassuring - I was really stressed about the W-4V submission process after getting conflicting information from the SSA website. It's amazing how many people have had such positive experiences with the drop box approach recently. The consistency of the 10-15 minute turnaround times and getting date-stamped receipts really gives me confidence to try this route first. I'm planning to call my local office in Portland tomorrow morning to confirm they have a drop box for tax withholding forms. Thank you to everyone who shared their recent experiences - this real-world feedback is so much more valuable than trying to navigate the confusing official website! It's also really comforting to see so many other newcomers going through the exact same situation. Will definitely update once I get through to my local office.