Will Social Security benefits stop if I don't create a Login.gov account by end of 2025?

This is EXACTLY why I still get paper checks!!! The government FORCING us to use these complicated online systems is ridiculous when half of us seniors aren't comfortable with this technology. My neighbor had the SAME PROBLEM with Login.gov identity verification and ended up having to take a bus 22 miles to the nearest SSA office!! And that was after THREE WEEKS of trying to get through on the phone. I don't trust any of it. First they pushed us to direct deposit, now this login.gov nonsense. What happens to elderly people who don't have computers or smartphones??? Do they just lose benefits they EARNED??? The whole system is designed to frustrate people until they give up!!!

You don't need to worry about losing your benefits. This is a common misunderstanding circulating right now. Login.gov is becoming an alternative way to access your my Social Security account online, but it will NOT be required to continue receiving your monthly Social Security payments. Your benefits are established independently from how you access your account information. The SSA is gradually adding Login.gov as an option for online access, not as a requirement for benefit eligibility. Direct deposits and paper checks will continue regardless of whether you use the online portal. If you're having technical difficulties, you could try: 1. Using a different browser 2. Trying from a different device (like a tablet or different computer) 3. Having a trusted family member help with the technical steps But again, your monthly benefits will continue regardless of whether you successfully create a Login.gov account.

i heard about this too but i think they keep pushing back the deadline. first it was 2023, then 2024, now 2025? who knows if it will ever actually happen. ssa can barely keep their regular systems working

To add some factual clarity here: The Login.gov transition is primarily about online account access security, not benefit eligibility. SSA is indeed moving toward using Login.gov as the authentication method for the my Social Security portal, but this only affects how you access your information online. Your monthly Social Security retirement benefits are established by law and continue based on your eligibility, not your ability to access an online account. Many beneficiaries have never created online accounts at all and receive their benefits without issue. That said, if you need to resolve your Login.gov verification issues, there's a faster way to reach SSA than waiting on hold for hours. I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once you reach an agent, ask specifically about scheduling an in-person appointment to verify your identity for Login.gov purposes. Bring multiple forms of ID to that appointment including your Social Security card, driver's license, passport (if you have one), and a recent utility bill.

@profile5 - Yes, it's legitimate. It doesn't access any of your Social Security information - it just helps you get through to an actual SSA representative on the phone more quickly. They just call SSA for you and then connect you when an agent answers. I was skeptical too, but after spending days trying to get through myself, it was worth it. The SSA representatives themselves often suggest using callback services because they know how overwhelmed their phone systems are.

my grandpa had this same prob with login.gov but he just kept using his regular my social security account and his $$ still comes every month no problem

I work at a senior center and we've been helping many people with exactly this situation. The SSA is transitioning to Login.gov for online account access, but this will NOT affect whether you receive your benefits. I've helped dozens of seniors through this process. Here's what I've found works: 1) Try the Login.gov verification at different times of day - their system gets overloaded 2) Make sure your phone is receiving texts if using that verification method 3) For photo ID verification, use a very well-lit room and place ID on dark background 4) If all else fails, visiting an SSA office in person is unfortunately the most reliable solution But please don't worry about losing benefits - that's simply not accurate information.

I think most of the confusion is coming from that misleading Fox News article from last month that made it sound like benefits would stop without Login.gov access. That's just not true. The article was talking about online account access, not actual benefit payments, but they made the headline super scary to get clicks.

I've been through this exact same frustration! After struggling with Login.gov verification for weeks, I finally got it working by using my local library's computer instead of my home laptop. Sometimes the issue is with browser settings or internet connection rather than the ID itself. But here's the most important thing - multiple people here are absolutely right that your benefits will NOT stop if you can't get Login.gov working. I confirmed this directly with an SSA representative when I finally got through. The Login.gov requirement is only for accessing your online account to check statements, update contact info, etc. Your actual monthly payments continue regardless. If you're still having trouble with the phone verification, try requesting the verification code via voice call instead of text message - that worked for me when texts weren't coming through. And for the photo ID, make sure you're taking the picture in bright natural light (near a window during daytime) with the ID laying flat on a solid dark surface. Don't lose sleep over this - your retirement income is secure!

As someone who went through this exact same panic last year, I can confirm what others have said - your benefits will absolutely NOT stop if you can't get Login.gov working. I spent months worrying about this after seeing similar articles online. I eventually got my Login.gov account set up, but it took multiple attempts and a lot of patience. What finally worked for me was using a different email address (my old one seemed to have some kind of block) and doing the identity verification during off-peak hours - early morning worked best. But the key point is that I was receiving my Social Security payments the entire time I was struggling with the online account. The two things are completely separate. Login.gov is just for accessing your account information online - it has nothing to do with your actual benefit eligibility or payments. If you're still having trouble with the phone verification, you might want to check if your phone company is blocking automated calls/texts. Mine was, and I had to temporarily disable that feature to receive the verification codes. Don't stress about this - your monthly checks will keep coming regardless of whether you ever get the online account working!

I went through this exact same worry earlier this year! After reading several alarming articles online, I was convinced I'd lose my disability benefits if I couldn't get Login.gov working. Spent weeks stressing about it until I finally spoke with an SSA representative who explained that Login.gov is ONLY for online account access - it has absolutely nothing to do with your actual benefit payments. Your monthly Social Security payments are based on your eligibility under the law, not whether you can log into a website. Think about it - millions of beneficiaries have never even created online accounts and they receive their benefits just fine through direct deposit or paper checks. For what it's worth, I did eventually get my Login.gov account working by clearing my browser cache completely and trying the verification process in an incognito/private browsing window. Sometimes the issue is just cached data interfering with the process. But please don't lose any more sleep over this - your retirement checks are secure regardless of any website issues!

I'm so glad I found this discussion! I've been having the exact same worries after seeing those scary headlines about Login.gov being "mandatory" for Social Security benefits. Reading everyone's experiences here has been incredibly reassuring. I'm in a similar boat - I've tried setting up Login.gov three times now and keep running into issues with the identity verification step. My state ID photo keeps getting rejected even though it's clear and current. I was starting to panic that I might lose my disability benefits over this technical glitch. It's such a relief to hear from so many people confirming that the benefits continue regardless of whether you can access the online portal. That makes complete sense when you think about it - there are probably millions of beneficiaries who don't use computers at all. I'm definitely going to try some of the tips mentioned here, like using a different browser, trying during off-peak hours, and checking if my phone carrier is blocking the verification texts. The incognito browser suggestion sounds promising too. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and helping ease this anxiety. It's frustrating how these misleading articles can cause so much unnecessary stress for people who are just trying to access services we've earned!

I'm new here but wanted to share my experience since I went through this exact same panic just a few months ago! I saw those same scary headlines and was convinced my benefits would stop if I couldn't get Login.gov working. After weeks of struggling with the identity verification (my passport kept getting rejected for some reason), I finally called SSA and waited on hold for over 3 hours. The representative was very clear that Login.gov is ONLY for accessing your online account - it has absolutely no impact on your actual benefit payments whatsoever. She explained that your monthly Social Security payments are guaranteed by law based on your work history and eligibility. Whether or not you can log into a website has zero bearing on those payments continuing. Many beneficiaries don't even have computers! I eventually got my Login.gov account working by borrowing my daughter's newer phone for the verification process - apparently my older Android wasn't compatible with their photo verification system. But even during all those weeks when I couldn't access my online account, my direct deposits came through exactly as usual. Don't let these misleading articles stress you out - your benefits are completely secure regardless of any website issues!

I'm new to this community and just wanted to thank everyone for this incredibly helpful discussion! I've been having the exact same fears after reading those misleading articles about Login.gov being "mandatory" for benefits. Like many others here, I've been struggling with the identity verification process - it keeps rejecting my driver's license photo and I haven't been able to get the phone verification codes to come through. I was genuinely scared that my retirement benefits might be cut off because of these technical issues. Reading all of your experiences has been such a huge relief. It makes perfect sense that the actual benefit payments would be separate from website access - there are so many seniors who don't use computers at all but still receive their monthly checks just fine. I'm definitely going to try some of the suggestions mentioned here, like using incognito browsing mode, trying during off-peak hours, and checking with my phone carrier about blocked automated messages. Even if none of those work, at least I can stop losing sleep over potentially losing my benefits! Thank you all for taking the time to share your stories and reassure those of us who were panicking. This kind of community support is exactly what people need when dealing with confusing government systems and scary media headlines.

I'm new to this community but wanted to add my voice to everyone else's reassuring messages! I went through this exact same panic about 6 months ago when I first heard about the Login.gov transition. After struggling with the verification process for weeks (it kept saying my phone number was "invalid" even though it's worked fine for years), I was convinced I'd lose my Social Security benefits. The stress was keeping me up at night! Finally got through to an SSA representative who patiently explained that Login.gov is ONLY for online account access - your actual monthly payments are completely unaffected. She said they get calls about this all the time because of how the media has been reporting on it. What eventually worked for me was using my local library's computer and having the librarian help with the photo verification. Turns out my home internet connection was too slow for their system. But honestly, I was receiving my direct deposits the entire time I was struggling with the website. Don't let these scare tactics ruin your peace of mind - your benefits are secure regardless of any website issues! The government can't legally stop paying benefits you've earned just because of technical problems with their online systems.

I'm new here and this discussion has been incredibly helpful! I've been dealing with the exact same Login.gov verification issues and was terrified about potentially losing my benefits after reading those scary articles online. I've tried the identity verification process multiple times with my driver's license but it keeps getting rejected as "unclear" even though the photo looks perfectly fine to me. The phone verification hasn't worked either - I never receive the text codes they're supposed to send. Reading everyone's experiences here has been such a relief. It's reassuring to know that so many people have confirmed with SSA representatives that the benefits continue regardless of website access issues. That makes complete sense - Social Security payments are based on eligibility, not whether you can log into a computer system. I'm definitely going to try some of the troubleshooting tips mentioned here, like using a different browser, trying during off-peak hours, and checking if my phone carrier is blocking the verification texts. The suggestion about using a library computer is really smart too - I hadn't considered that internet speed might be affecting the process. Thank you all for sharing your stories and helping ease this anxiety. It's frustrating how misleading headlines can cause so much unnecessary stress for people just trying to access services we've earned. This community support means a lot!

I'm new to this community and wanted to share my experience since I just went through this exact same panic! I saw those same misleading headlines about Login.gov being "mandatory" and was convinced I'd lose my disability benefits if I couldn't get the verification working. After struggling for weeks with the identity verification (my state ID kept getting rejected and I wasn't receiving verification texts), I finally managed to get through to an SSA office by phone. The representative was very clear that Login.gov is ONLY for accessing your online account - it has absolutely no impact on your actual benefit payments. She explained that your Social Security benefits are guaranteed by federal law based on your eligibility, not whether you can access a website. Many beneficiaries have never created online accounts at all and receive their payments just fine through direct deposit or paper checks. What finally worked for me was borrowing my nephew's newer smartphone for the verification process - turns out my older phone wasn't compatible with their photo system. I also had to contact my phone carrier to temporarily disable spam blocking so I could receive the verification codes. But the most important thing is that during all those weeks when I couldn't access my online account, my monthly payments continued exactly as usual. The two systems are completely separate! Don't let these fear-mongering headlines stress you out - your benefits are secure regardless of any website technical issues!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share my experience since I just went through this exact same situation! Like so many others here, I was absolutely panicked after reading those misleading headlines about Login.gov being "mandatory" for Social Security benefits. I struggled with the identity verification for over a month - my driver's license photos kept getting rejected and the phone verification codes never came through. I was genuinely terrified that my retirement benefits would be cut off because of these technical glitches. Finally got through to an SSA representative (after many attempts) who confirmed what everyone here is saying - Login.gov is ONLY for online account access, not for your actual benefit payments. She said they receive countless calls about this because of how poorly the media has reported on this transition. What eventually worked for me was using my daughter's tablet instead of my old laptop, and making sure to take the ID photo in bright natural light against a dark background. I also had to call my phone provider to allow verification texts through their spam filter. But most importantly, during all those weeks of struggling with the website, my monthly direct deposits never missed a beat. Your benefits are based on federal law and your eligibility - they can't legally stop payments just because of website technical issues. Don't lose sleep over this like I did - your retirement income is completely secure regardless of any Login.gov problems!

I'm new to this community and want to add my voice to everyone's reassuring messages! I had the exact same panic about Login.gov after seeing those scary headlines claiming benefits would stop without it. After weeks of struggling with identity verification (my passport kept getting rejected and verification texts weren't coming through), I was losing sleep thinking I might lose my Social Security payments. Finally spoke with an SSA representative who confirmed what everyone here is saying - Login.gov is ONLY for online account access, not for actual benefit eligibility or payments. What worked for me was using my local senior center's computer during their tech help hours - the staff there are used to helping people with these government websites. Turns out my home Wi-Fi was too slow for the photo verification system. But the key point is that throughout all my technical struggles, my monthly payments never stopped coming. The representative explained that benefits are guaranteed by federal law based on your work history - website access has nothing to do with payment eligibility. These misleading headlines have caused so much unnecessary stress for seniors! Your monthly checks will keep coming regardless of whether you ever get the online portal working. Focus on your peace of mind first, troubleshoot the website second if you want online access for convenience. Thanks to this community for all the helpful tips and reassurance!

I'm new to this community and wanted to share my experience as well! I went through this exact same panic just last month after reading those terrifying headlines about Login.gov being "mandatory" for Social Security benefits. Like so many others here, I struggled endlessly with the identity verification - my driver's license kept getting rejected and I never received verification codes. I was genuinely scared I'd lose my disability benefits over a website glitch! After reading this entire discussion, I feel so much better. It's incredibly reassuring to see so many people confirm with SSA representatives that Login.gov is ONLY for online account access, not for actual benefit payments. The fact that everyone's monthly payments continued throughout their technical struggles really drives this point home. I'm definitely going to try some of the great troubleshooting tips mentioned here - using a different device, trying during off-peak hours, checking with my phone carrier about blocked texts, and maybe visiting my local library for their faster internet connection. But most importantly, I can finally stop losing sleep over potentially losing my benefits! It's clear that these misleading media headlines have caused unnecessary panic for so many of us. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and creating such a supportive community for navigating these confusing government systems. Your stories have been incredibly helpful for a newcomer like me who was genuinely terrified about this whole situation!