As of Tuesday you can now get your full Social Security Statement online. It includes your lifetime earnings history and estimates of disability benefits you could receive should you become disabled. It also lists benefits your family could receive if something were to happen to you. It provides much more information that was previously available online.
Last year the government stopped mailing the statements, which saved $70 million dollars. Statements will be mailed again, but only to individuals who are over 60.
Getting the online Social Security Statement is very easy; I got mine in about six minutes. Go to https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/ and click on the button that says “Sign In or Create an Account.”
You will need to:
* set up an account by creating a log in id and password
* set up a few questions and answers in case you forget your password
* put in your basic information such as name, address, phone number, date of birth
* answer multiple choice questions to verify your identity, (for example; who is the lender on your mortgage, what is the make and model of your car, etc.)
When your statement pops up you can print it or save it as a PDF.
Keep your login id and password in a secure place, you will want to review your Social Security statement on an annual basis to make sure that the earnings information is correct and use the retirement benefit estimate figures when doing your retirement planning.