Is signing up for Social Security benefits online risky? Worried about making mistakes

I applied online last year and it was surprisingly straightforward! The SSA website walks you through step by step, and you can save your progress and come back to it if you need time to gather information. The whole thing took me about 30-40 minutes. Just make sure you have your birth certificate, Social Security card, and recent tax returns handy. They also ask about your employment history, but nothing too detailed - just the names and dates of employment for the last 15 years or so. The system also flags any potential errors or missing information before you submit. Much less stressful than I expected!

I DID IT ONLINE LAST YEAR AND IT WAS A DISASTER!!!! The website kept timing out and I lost all my information TWICE. When I finally submitted everything, they somehow got my banking information wrong and my first 3 payments went missing! Took MONTHS to sort out with endless phone calls. Just go to the office in person, even if you have to wait 3 months. The SSA systems are BROKEN and no one there knows how to fix anything!!

I think whether to apply online or in person depends on your specific situation. If you have a straightforward work history, are applying right at your FRA, and don't have any special circumstances (like government pension, foreign earnings, disability conversion, etc.), online is perfectly fine and actually quite efficient. However, if you have any complicating factors, you might want that in-person appointment. The most common mistakes people make online are: 1. Not understanding the earnings test if you're still working 2. Missing out on spousal benefit coordination opportunities 3. Not realizing how the month you select for benefits to begin affects your payment 4. Forgetting to report non-covered employment that might trigger WEP/GPO The system does help prevent errors, but it doesn't necessarily optimize your strategy. If you're just nervous about the technical process though, it's quite user-friendly.

Yes, having a government pension from non-covered employment is absolutely a complicating factor that could trigger the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and/or Government Pension Offset (GPO). These provisions can significantly reduce your Social Security benefits. In your case, I would strongly recommend an in-person appointment to ensure everything is properly accounted for. The online system asks about non-covered employment, but doesn't fully explain the implications or help you calculate the potential reduction. While waiting for your appointment, you can use the WEP calculator on the SSA website to get an estimate of how your pension might affect your benefits: https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/anyPiaWepjs04.html

my sister tried to call the social security office to ask questions before applying online and she was on hold for like 4 hours and then got disconnected lol. she ended up just doing the online thing and it worked out fine. just make sure you print out everything before you submit. oh and they send you a confirmation number so write that down somewhere safe

I had similar fears about applying online last year!! But in the end I did it and it was actually fine. One tip - have all your docs ready beforehand. They asked for marriage dates, employment history, etc. I got stuck halfway through because I couldn't remember exact dates for a job from 10 years ago and had to dig through old tax returns. Also my internet crashed halfway through but the system saved my progress thank goodness!

My two cents - I applied online but had a question partway thru so I called the SSA. The rep actually told me something different than what the website said about how my benefits would be calculated! So I ended up starting over and doing it in person. Just saying the online system isnt always in sync with what the actual rules are.

Just to address your complicating factors - with a government pension where you didn't pay into Social Security, you definitely want to speak with someone directly. The WEP/GPO provisions are complex, and the online system doesn't give personalized guidance on how these will affect your specific benefit amount. The good news is that while you're waiting for your in-person appointment, you can still create a my Social Security account online and review your earnings history. This gives you time to identify any errors in your record and gather documentation to correct them if needed. Sometimes old employers aren't properly recorded or earnings are missing, and fixing these issues before you apply can increase your benefit amount.

I was in a similar situation last year - really nervous about applying online but didn't want to wait months for an appointment. I ended up doing a hybrid approach that worked well for me. I started the online application just to see what information they were asking for, then printed out all the questions and gathered my documents. I didn't submit it though. Instead, I called the national number (1-800-772-1213) early in the morning around 8 AM when wait times are shorter and had them walk me through the trickier parts over the phone. Then I went back online and completed it with confidence. The phone rep was actually really helpful and caught a mistake I would have made about my benefit start date. Might be worth trying this approach while you're waiting for your in-person appointment - gives you a backup plan if you decide you're comfortable enough to proceed online!