How punctual are Social Security phone appointments? Still waiting 45 minutes past scheduled time

In my experience, SSA phone appointments can run 15-30 minutes behind schedule, but 45+ minutes is unusual. Their representatives typically call within a reasonable window of the scheduled time. I'd recommend calling the main SSA number (1-800-772-1213) and explaining that you're waiting for a scheduled call. Have your confirmation number ready if they provided one. Don't worry too much about your benefits - they won't penalize you if they missed the call.

they were 10 min late calling me last month but the guy apologized right away. might depend on which office is handling ur case? some are probably more overworked than others

I've had multiple phone appointments with SSA over the years, and their punctuality has been inconsistent. Most of my calls came within 20 minutes of the scheduled time, but once I waited almost 2 hours. The representative explained they had several complicated cases that morning which put them behind schedule. One important thing to know: they typically make 3 attempts to reach you. If there's no answer, they'll try again 5-10 minutes later, and once more after that. So stay near your phone for at least 2 hours after your appointment time. Also check that your voicemail isn't full, as they'll leave a message if they can't reach you. If no call by 4:30pm, I'd recommend calling them first thing tomorrow to reschedule.

I HAD THE EXACT SAME ISSUE LAST WEEK!!! Sat by my phone for TWO HOURS after the appointment time and NOTHING!!! Called the next day and they had NO RECORD of missing the appointment!!! Had to reschedule and waste ANOTHER day off work!!! The whole system is BROKEN!!! When I complained they just gave me the runaround about "high call volumes" and "staffing issues" but that's NO EXCUSE for making people wait!!! 😡😡😡

This happens a lot with government agencies unfortunately. For a scheduled SSA phone appointment, I recommend giving them a 30-minute grace period before taking any action. Their scheduling system doesn't account for calls that run long, and if the representative handling appointments before yours had complicated cases, everyone after gets delayed. One tip: When they finally call, it will likely show as "Unknown Number" or "No Caller ID" on your phone, so make sure you're answering those calls today. And document everything - note the exact times you were available, any attempts to reach them, etc. This documentation can be helpful if there's ever a question about whether you fulfilled your responsibilities in the process.

When I had my retirement benefits phone appointment last year, they called me almost exactly on time. But my sister had a disability review call that was over an hour late. I think it really depends on how backed up that particular office is on that specific day. If they don't call by the end of the business day, you should call first thing tomorrow morning to explain and reschedule. The good news is that they won't hold it against you - these things happen all the time in their system.

Thank you everyone. The call came in on time and the representative was very nice.

Sorry for any confusion. This was an edit to update my situation. After posting, I realized I had written down the wrong time - my appointment was actually scheduled for 4:30pm, not 2:30pm! The SSA representative called right at 4:30 and was extremely helpful about my SSDI review. I feel so embarrassed about the mix-up, but at least everything went smoothly with the actual call.