Social Security website glitches when applying at FRA - can't complete application process

same thing happened to me last week!! so annoying. the website is ALWAYS down lately

I swear the SSA does this on purpose at the beginning of each month when everyone's trying to apply. My neighbor couldn't get through either yesterday. Try really early in the morning like 5am when the system isn't as busy.

This is a common issue with the SSA website, especially during high-traffic periods. A few things you can try: 1. Clear your browser cache and cookies completely 2. Try applying between 5-7am ET when server load is lowest 3. Make sure you're not using any browser extensions that might interfere 4. Try using a private/incognito browser window If none of those work, you can also call and request a telephone appointment to file. Just be aware that applications are effective the month you apply, so even with the technical issues, you won't lose benefits as long as you apply within the same month.

I work with SS recipients regularly and the website has been especially glitchy this past week during their system updates. Don't panic! As the previous poster mentioned, your benefits will be paid from the month you apply, even if there's a delay in submitting the application. One important thing to remember: the SSA counts your age attainment as occurring the day before your birthday, so if your husband just reached FRA yesterday, you're good to apply anytime this month without losing benefits. If the website continues to give you trouble, calling is your best option - though be prepared for long wait times. The average hold time to speak with an SSA representative is currently over an hour.

Try using Microsoft Edge browser. For some reason the SSA site works better with it than Chrome or Firefox. Had same issue last yr when applying for spousal benefits.

I had EXACTLY the same issue when trying to file for my retirement benefits last month!! The website is absolutely terrible. I wasted THREE DAYS trying to get it to work. Then I spent TWO FULL DAYS trying to get through on the phone - constant busy signals, disconnects, and hold times that went nowhere! Finally I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual SSA agent in about 30 minutes. It was such a relief after all that frustration. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. I was skeptical but desperate and it actually worked! The agent I spoke with was able to take my husband's application over the phone and we got confirmation in the mail about 10 days later.

We all need to contact our representatives about the terrible state of SS customer service! My aunt couldn't get through for WEEKS trying to fix an issue with her widow's benefits. The website is constantly malfunctioning and the phone lines are a joke. They're basically forcing people to use paid services just to access their earned benefits!!! This is NOT acceptable for a critical government service that millions of seniors depend on!

Just a quick update on the technical issues: SSA posted on their Twitter account that they're experiencing intermittent outages with the online application system and are working to resolve them. They expect the system to be fully operational within 48 hours. In the meantime, they recommend calling or scheduling an in-person appointment if you need immediate assistance. One important thing to note about filing at FRA: while it's good to file promptly, remember that your husband's first payment would typically arrive the month after filing anyway. So if he files anytime in May for example, his first payment would arrive in June regardless of whether he filed on May 1st or May 31st.

My brother just went through this last month. He ended up going to the local SS office in person and they helped him file right there. Took about 2 hours total with waiting but at least it got done!

One more thing to consider - since your husband is exactly at his FRA, there's no financial penalty for waiting a few days or even a week to file. Benefits are paid the month after filing, so as long as you file in May, the first payment will come in June regardless. The only time exact timing is critical is when you're filing: - In your birthday month to start benefits that same month - When turning exactly 70 to maximize delayed retirement credits - When coordinating spousal benefits with specific start dates Since he's already at FRA and you mentioned you planned for him to start exactly at FRA, a few days delay won't impact his benefit amount or payment schedule.

I'm dealing with a similar issue right now! I'm trying to help my mom apply for survivor benefits and the website keeps timing out during the document upload section. It's so frustrating because she's already gathered all the required paperwork. One thing that helped us get a little further was switching to a wired internet connection instead of WiFi - apparently the SSA site is really sensitive to any connection interruptions. We also found that disabling our antivirus temporarily (just for the SSA site) helped with some of the page loading issues. Still haven't gotten all the way through the application process yet, but wanted to share what's worked so far. Hang in there - sounds like a lot of us are dealing with the same technical problems!

I'm going through the exact same thing with my father-in-law! He turned 67 last week and we've been trying to file his application for three days now. The website keeps crashing right at the final review page - so close but so frustrating! We tried most of the suggestions here (different browsers, clearing cache, early morning attempts) but still no luck. What finally worked for us was calling the SSA phone line at exactly 8:00 AM when they open - we got through after about 45 minutes on hold which wasn't too bad compared to what others have mentioned. The representative was actually really helpful and walked us through the entire application over the phone. She said they're definitely aware of the website issues and getting a lot of calls about it. The whole phone application took about 30 minutes once we got connected. Just wanted to share that calling right when they open seems to be the sweet spot for shorter wait times. Good luck getting through - I know how stressful this is when you're trying to do everything right!

I'm experiencing the exact same problem! My wife just reached her FRA last week and we've been trying to submit her retirement application for the past three days. The website lets us get all the way to the final confirmation page, then it just spins forever or gives us an "unexpected error" message. We've tried everything - different devices, browsers, clearing cache, even tried from my work computer with a completely different internet connection. Nothing works! It's incredibly frustrating when you've been planning for this moment and the government's own website can't handle basic functionality. Based on what others have shared here, I think we're going to try calling right at 8 AM tomorrow. Really shouldn't have to jump through all these hoops just to access benefits we've been paying into for decades. The SSA really needs to get their act together with these technical issues - this is affecting way too many people trying to file legitimate applications.

I'm having the EXACT same issue! My husband hit his FRA two weeks ago and we've been battling with the SSA website ever since. It's maddening - we can log in fine, navigate through all the menus, but the moment we try to actually submit the retirement application, it either freezes completely or throws some generic error message. What's really frustrating is that we've been so careful about timing everything perfectly. We wanted to file right at his FRA to start benefits immediately, and now we're stuck dealing with their broken technology. I've tried all the usual fixes - different browsers, clearing cache, different devices, even went to the library to try their computers thinking maybe it was our internet connection. Nothing works! Reading through everyone's experiences here, it sounds like this is a widespread problem with their system right now. At least it's somewhat comforting to know we're not the only ones dealing with this mess. I think we're going to try the 8 AM phone call approach tomorrow based on the success others have had. Shouldn't have to jump through all these hoops just to file for benefits we've been paying into for 40+ years!

I'm so sorry you're all going through this! I just went through the exact same frustrating experience with my mother's application last month. The SSA website has been absolutely terrible lately - we spent four days trying to get through the online application process with the same freezing and error messages you're describing. What finally worked for us was a combination of calling right at 8 AM (we got through in about 50 minutes) and having all her documents ready beforehand. The phone representative was actually really helpful and said they're very aware of the website issues - apparently they're getting hundreds of calls daily about this exact problem. One thing that might help while you're waiting: make sure you have all the required documents gathered (birth certificate, W-2s, etc.) so if you do get through either online or by phone, you can complete everything in one go. Also, the representative told us that as long as you apply within the same calendar month that benefits should start, the exact day doesn't matter for payment timing. Don't give up! The 8 AM calling strategy really does seem to work better than trying later in the day. It's ridiculous that we have to work around their broken systems, but at least there are workarounds. You'll get through this!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! My dad just turned 66 and 4 months last week and we've been trying to submit his retirement application for three days straight. The website works perfectly fine for everything else - checking his earnings record, viewing his benefit estimate, updating contact info - but the moment we try to actually submit the retirement application, it crashes or gives us that dreaded "system error" message. We've tried literally everything: different browsers, clearing all cache and cookies, using incognito mode, trying from different devices, even went to the local library to use their computers thinking maybe it was our home internet. Nothing works! The furthest we've gotten is to the document upload page before it freezes completely. Based on everyone's experiences here, I think we're going to try calling right at 8:00 AM tomorrow morning. It's honestly ridiculous that a government website that millions of people depend on can be this unreliable. Thanks to everyone who shared their workarounds - at least now I know we're not crazy and this is definitely a system-wide problem!

I'm experiencing the exact same issue! Just turned 67 last week and have been trying to file my retirement application for the past four days. The SSA website lets me navigate everywhere else in my account perfectly fine, but crashes every single time I try to submit the actual retirement application. I've gotten error messages, infinite loading screens, and pages that just freeze completely. Like others here, I've tried everything - Chrome, Firefox, Safari, clearing cache, different devices, even used my daughter's computer with a completely different internet provider. Same result every time! It's so frustrating because I've been planning this timing carefully and now I'm stuck dealing with their broken technology. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both reassuring and maddening. Reassuring because clearly this is a widespread system problem and not something I'm doing wrong, but maddening because this affects so many people trying to access benefits we've earned. The fact that their website can handle checking benefit estimates and account management but crashes on the actual application submission shows how poorly designed their system is. I'm definitely going to try the 8 AM calling strategy tomorrow based on the success stories shared here. Shouldn't have to jump through these hoops, but at least there's a workaround. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it helps to know we're not alone in this mess!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this! As a newcomer to this community, I've been reading through everyone's experiences and it's clear the SSA website is having major issues right now. I'm actually facing a similar situation with my own application - I'm trying to help my elderly parents navigate this process and we've hit the same wall. What I've learned from reading everyone's posts is that this is definitely a system-wide problem, not something you're doing wrong. The 8 AM calling strategy that several people have mentioned seems to be the most successful workaround, with wait times around 45-60 minutes when you call right when they open. One thing I wanted to add that might help - I noticed someone mentioned that the SSA counts age attainment as the day before your actual birthday, so your husband is definitely in the right timeframe. Also, since benefits are paid the month after you apply regardless of the exact day within that month, you don't need to stress about losing money if it takes a few more days to get through. It's absolutely ridiculous that we need to find workarounds just to access benefits we've been paying into for decades, but at least there are solutions. Hang in there - you'll get through this! The phone route seems to be working much better than their broken website.

I'm so sorry you're going through this frustrating experience! As someone new to this community, I've been reading through all these posts and it's clear this is a widespread issue with the SSA website right now. You're definitely not alone - so many people are reporting the exact same problem where the website works fine for account access but crashes when trying to submit retirement applications. Based on all the success stories shared here, I'd strongly recommend trying the 8 AM calling strategy tomorrow. Most people are getting through in 45-60 minutes when calling right at opening time, which sounds much better than dealing with endless website crashes. Make sure you have all your documents ready beforehand so you can complete everything in one call. Also, try not to stress too much about the exact timing - several knowledgeable members here have explained that benefits are paid based on the month you apply, not the specific day. Since your husband just reached FRA, you have the whole month to file without losing any benefits. It's absolutely ridiculous that we need workarounds just to access benefits we've been paying into for decades, but at least there are solutions. The phone representatives seem to be understanding about the website issues and helpful with completing applications. You'll get through this - hang in there!

I'm experiencing the exact same issue! Just found this community while searching for help with the SSA website problems. My mom reached her FRA last week and we've been trying to submit her retirement application for three days now with no success. The website works perfectly for checking her account and benefit estimates, but completely crashes every time we try to actually submit the application. We've tried everything - different browsers, clearing cache, different devices, even went to my workplace to try their internet connection. Same crashes and error messages every time! It's incredibly frustrating when you're trying to do everything by the book and their own system won't cooperate. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both reassuring (knowing it's not just us) and infuriating (seeing how widespread this problem is). I'm definitely going to try the 8 AM calling strategy tomorrow based on all the success stories shared here. It shouldn't take a workaround just to access benefits we've been paying into for decades, but at least there seems to be a solution. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and tips - this community is incredibly helpful for navigating these bureaucratic nightmares!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this incredibly frustrating situation! As a newcomer to this community, I've been reading through all the experiences shared here and it's clear that the SSA website is having major technical issues right now affecting tons of people trying to file retirement applications. Your experience sounds exactly like what so many others are reporting - the website works fine for account access and checking information, but crashes consistently when trying to submit the actual retirement application. You're definitely not doing anything wrong - this appears to be a widespread system failure on their end. Based on all the success stories I've read in this thread, I'd highly recommend trying the 8 AM calling strategy tomorrow morning. Most people are reporting wait times of 45-60 minutes when calling right when SSA opens, which honestly sounds much better than dealing with endless website crashes. The phone representatives seem to understand the website issues and are helpful with completing applications over the phone. One thing that might help ease your stress: several knowledgeable members here have explained that since benefits are paid based on the month you apply (not the exact day), you won't lose any money as long as you file sometime this month. So while the technical issues are incredibly frustrating, at least there's no financial penalty for the delay. Make sure to have all your husband's documents ready before calling so you can complete everything in one go if you get through. It's absolutely ridiculous that we need workarounds just to access benefits we've been paying into for decades, but at least there are proven solutions. You'll get through this - hang in there!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this! I just joined this community because I'm having the exact same problem with my father's application. He turned 66 and 8 months last week and we've been battling the SSA website for three days straight. It's so frustrating - we can access his account perfectly fine, check his benefit estimates, view his earnings history, but the moment we try to submit the actual retirement application, the page either freezes or gives us some unhelpful error message. We've tried all the usual troubleshooting steps - different browsers, clearing cache and cookies, trying from different devices, even used my work computer thinking maybe it was our home internet connection. Nothing works! The website seems designed to handle everything except the one thing we actually need to do. Based on all the helpful advice shared in this thread, I think we're going to try calling at exactly 8:00 AM tomorrow morning. It's encouraging to hear that so many people have had success with that approach, even if it means waiting on hold for an hour. That still sounds better than endless website crashes! Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences and solutions here - it really helps to know this is a widespread system problem and not something we're doing wrong. The SSA really needs to fix their technology issues, but at least there are workarounds for now.