Social Security website login loop fix - incognito mode worked when nothing else did

thx for posting this!! been dealing with EXACT same issue for a week. tried edge & firefox with no luck but never thought about incognito mode. gonna try it right now

I had a similar problem but on Firefox. For me the solution was clearing my cookies and cache, then restarting my browser. I think there's something about the way SSA's site handles session cookies that gets messed up. Super frustrating when you're just trying to check your benefits or application status!

This is a known issue with the MySocialSecurity portal that happens periodically, especially during high-traffic periods (like after COLA announcements or tax season). The incognito mode works because it doesn't load any cached cookies or session data that might be corrupted. Alternative solutions include: 1. Clearing browser cache and cookies (as mentioned) 2. Using a different browser entirely 3. Trying at non-peak hours (early morning or late evening) 4. Disabling browser extensions that might interfere with the login process If you absolutely need to speak with someone at SSA about your disability application and can't get through on the phone, remember that you can also schedule appointments online for many services now.

OMG THANK YOU!!!! I've been locked out for TWO WEEKS trying to check my survivors benefits that I need to pay rent. Was going to have to take the bus to the SS office tomorrow but your incognito trick worked perfectly!!!

If anyone is still struggling to get through to a human at Social Security after trying these browser fixes, I recently discovered a service called Claimyr that helped me tremendously. I was trying for days to get through about my SSDI review and kept getting disconnected. Claimyr got me connected to an actual agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. Seriously saved me so much frustration when I needed to talk to someone about my disability review.

I appreciate you sharing this solution. As someone who works in IT (not for SSA), I can explain why this happens. The SSA website uses security tokens in cookies that sometimes conflict with existing stored data in your browser. Incognito mode creates a clean session without any existing cookies or cached data. For anyone still having issues, here's a more detailed fix: 1. Clear ALL cookies specifically from ssa.gov domain 2. Delete browser cache completely 3. Restart your browser 4. Try logging in with no other tabs open 5. If still failing, then try the incognito approach The SSA's authentication system was updated in late 2024 with additional security measures, which is why these issues have become more common recently.

ok so I JUST got off the phone with SSA after 3.5 HOURS on hold and the rep told me that they're aware of the login issues and are "working on a fix" which could take WEEKS. she suggested exactly what you did - incognito mode! she said their IT department is recommending this as a workaround. so this is officially SSA approved advice lol

Just wanted to update and say I've been able to log in successfully for 3 days straight using the incognito method. Still annoying to have to use incognito every time, but at least I can check my disability application status now. Currently shows "medical review in process" which I guess means more waiting... 🙄

This is super helpful! I've been having the exact same login loop issue for about a week now. I tried clearing cookies and cache like others mentioned but it didn't work for me. Just tried the incognito mode trick and it worked immediately! It's crazy that such a simple workaround fixes what seems like a major technical issue on their end. Really appreciate you taking the time to share this - saved me from having to drive to the local office too. Hopefully they get this fixed soon because having to use incognito mode every time is pretty annoying for something as important as checking Social Security benefits.

Just wanted to add another data point - I'm a federal employee who works with government websites regularly, and this type of session management issue is unfortunately pretty common across many agencies. The SSA site's authentication system has been particularly problematic since their security updates last year. For what it's worth, I've found that Firefox's private browsing mode also works just as well as Chrome's incognito for this specific issue. Also, if you're on mobile, clearing the browser app's data completely usually fixes it too. It's frustrating that taxpayers have to figure out workarounds for basic government services, but at least we have solutions that work while they hopefully fix the underlying problem.

This saved my sanity! I've been dealing with this login loop nightmare for over a week trying to check my retirement benefits estimate. Called the 1-800 number multiple times but could never get through - just endless hold music. The incognito mode fix worked perfectly on my first try! For anyone else struggling with this, I also noticed that once you're logged in through incognito mode, you can bookmark specific pages (like your benefit statement page) and access them directly next time instead of going through the main login portal. Not a permanent solution obviously, but it saves a few clicks while we wait for them to fix their broken website. It's honestly embarrassing that a government agency responsible for millions of Americans' benefits has such basic technical issues. But thank you OP for sharing this workaround - you probably saved hundreds of people from unnecessary trips to local SSA offices!

This is incredibly helpful! I've been banging my head against the wall for the past 5 days trying to log into my MySocialSecurity account to check on my benefits verification letter that I need for my housing application. I tried everything - different browsers, clearing cache, even restarting my computer multiple times. The endless login loop was driving me absolutely crazy! Just tried your incognito mode suggestion and it worked like a charm on the first attempt. I can't believe something so simple fixed what felt like an impossible technical problem. You literally just saved me from having to take time off work to visit the local SSA office, which would have been a huge hassle. It's really disappointing that we have to resort to these kinds of workarounds for such a basic government service, but I'm so thankful for people like you who take the time to share solutions when they find them. This community is a lifesaver when the official support channels are completely overwhelmed. Hopefully SSA gets this fixed soon, but at least now I know what to do if it happens again!

This is such a timely post! I've been struggling with the exact same login loop issue for about 2 weeks now trying to access my account to update my direct deposit information. I tried everything - clearing cookies, different browsers, even tried from my work computer thinking it might be a home network issue. Nothing worked and I was getting so frustrated. Just tried the incognito mode trick and it worked immediately! I can't believe something so simple solved what felt like a major technical crisis. You definitely saved me from having to take a day off work to drive to the SSA office. What really bothers me is that this seems to be affecting so many people based on all these comments, yet there's no notice or acknowledgment on their website about the issue. For people who depend on accessing their benefits information regularly, this kind of outage without communication is really problematic. But thank you so much for sharing this workaround - you're helping a lot of people who were probably at their wit's end like I was!

This is exactly what I needed to see! I've been locked out of my MySocialSecurity account for almost 2 weeks trying to check my SSDI payment schedule. I was getting so frustrated with that endless login loop - I'd enter my credentials, it would seem to accept them, then just dump me right back to the login page with no explanation. I tried everything I could think of - different passwords, clearing my browser history, even tried using my phone instead of my computer. Nothing worked and the phone lines have been impossible to get through on. I was literally planning to drive to my local SSA office tomorrow morning, which is a 30-minute drive each way and means missing work. Just tried your incognito mode suggestion and I'm in! First try, no issues at all. I can't believe something so simple fixed what felt like a major technical disaster. You probably just saved dozens of people from unnecessary office visits. It's really frustrating that we have to figure out these workarounds ourselves for such basic government services, especially when people are trying to access critical benefit information. But I'm so grateful you took the time to share this solution. This community is invaluable when the official support systems are completely overwhelmed!

This is incredibly helpful! I've been dealing with this exact same login loop issue for about a week now trying to access my account to check my benefit statement. I tried clearing cookies and cache multiple times, used different browsers, even tried from my phone - nothing worked. The endless loop was so frustrating, especially since I need to verify my benefits for a loan application. Just tried the incognito mode trick and it worked perfectly on the first try! I can't believe such a simple workaround fixed what seemed like a major technical problem. You just saved me from having to take time off work to visit the local SSA office. It's really concerning that so many people are experiencing this issue based on all these comments, yet there's no acknowledgment or status update on the SSA website. When people depend on accessing their benefits information for important financial decisions, having to figure out browser workarounds shouldn't be necessary. But I'm so grateful for this community where we can share solutions when the official support channels are overwhelmed. Thank you for taking the time to post this fix!

This is such a lifesaver! I've been having the exact same login loop problem for over a week trying to check my Medicare enrollment status. I must have tried logging in at least 20 times - it would accept my username and password then immediately kick me back to the login screen without any error message. So incredibly frustrating! I was getting ready to call the 1-800 number again (already wasted 4+ hours on hold with no success) when I saw your post. Just tried the incognito mode trick and I'm finally in! Can't believe something so simple solved what felt like an impossible technical problem. It's honestly ridiculous that we have to figure out these workarounds ourselves for basic government services that millions of people depend on. The fact that there's no notice on their website about this widespread issue is really poor communication on SSA's part. But I'm so grateful you shared this solution - you probably saved me (and clearly many others) from unnecessary trips to local offices. Thank you for taking the time to help the community!

This is exactly what I needed to see! I've been completely locked out of my MySocialSecurity account for almost 2 weeks now trying to access my earnings record for tax preparation. The login loop has been driving me absolutely crazy - I'd enter my credentials, see it accept them, then get dumped right back to the login page with zero explanation. I tried everything I could think of - different browsers, clearing all my data, even borrowed my neighbor's computer thinking it was something wrong with mine. Nothing worked and I've spent probably 8+ hours total on hold trying to reach someone at the 1-800 number with no luck. Just tried your incognito mode suggestion and I'm finally in! First attempt, worked perfectly. I honestly can't believe such a simple fix solved what felt like a major crisis. You just saved me from having to drive to the SSA office and take a whole day off work. It's really frustrating that taxpayers have to crowdsource solutions for basic government website functionality, especially when people need this information for important things like taxes and benefit applications. But I'm incredibly grateful you took the time to share this workaround - based on all these comments, you've helped dozens of people who were probably at their breaking point like I was. Thank you!

This is such valuable information! I've been struggling with this exact login loop issue for the past 6 days trying to access my account to check my SSI payment schedule. I tried everything - different browsers, clearing cache and cookies, restarting my computer multiple times - absolutely nothing worked. It was so frustrating because I need to verify my payment dates for budgeting purposes. Just tried your incognito mode suggestion and it worked immediately! I can't believe such a simple workaround fixed what seemed like an impossible technical problem. You literally just saved me from having to take public transportation to the SSA office, which would have been a whole day ordeal for me. Reading through all these comments, it's clear this is affecting tons of people trying to access really important information - disability payments, Medicare enrollment, benefit verifications, tax documents. It's honestly unacceptable that we have to figure out browser tricks to access essential government services, and the complete lack of any official notice about this widespread issue on their website is really poor customer service. But I'm so grateful for this community and people like you who take the time to share solutions when they find them. You've probably saved hundreds of people unnecessary trips to local offices. Thank you so much for posting this fix!

This is incredibly helpful, thank you so much for sharing! I've been dealing with this exact same login loop issue for about 10 days now trying to check on my retirement benefit estimate. I tried clearing cookies, different browsers, even used my work computer - nothing worked. The endless loop was so frustrating, especially since I need this information for financial planning with my advisor next week. Just tried your incognito mode suggestion and it worked perfectly on the first try! I can't believe such a simple workaround solved what felt like a major technical crisis. You just saved me from having to drive 40 minutes to my local SSA office and wait in line for who knows how long. It's really disappointing that so many people are experiencing this issue based on all these comments, yet there's no official notice or status update anywhere on the SSA website. When people depend on accessing their benefits information for important financial decisions and life planning, having to figure out browser workarounds shouldn't be necessary. But I'm so grateful for communities like this where we can share solutions when the official support channels are completely overwhelmed. This is exactly why community forums are so valuable - real people helping real people with practical solutions that actually work!