Make an appointment with social security for retirement

Local Social Security offices are offering more in-person appointments and have resumed in-person service for people without an appointment1.

As we expand in-person service, we expect our offices to be very busy. We strongly encourage you to continue to go online, call us for help, and schedule appointments in advance.

How to Get Help

• The best way for people with access to the internet to get help from Social Security is online at ssa.gov.
• If you cannot use our website, call our National 800 Number (1-800-772-1213) or your local Social Security office for help. For quicker access to a representative at our National 800 Number, try calling early in the day (between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. local time) or later in the afternoon (between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time). We are also less busy later in the week (Wednesday to Friday) and later in the month.
• If we are unable to help when you call our 800 number or local office, we will schedule an appointment for you by phone or in-person.
• We may need to schedule you for an appointment at a later date or call you back to provide the service you are requesting.
• The number of people a local office can help in person will depend on local health conditions and other factors.

What you should know before you visit

If you visit an office, please keep these very important points in mind:

• You must complete a self-assessment checklist to see if it is safe for you to enter an office.
• Everyone must wear a mask. We will provide a mask if you do not have one.
• Hand sanitizer is available.
• You may need to wait outside because space in our offices may be limited. Please plan for the weather.
• If you do not have an appointment, you should expect long lines, especially during the busiest times in our offices: Mondays, the morning after a Federal holiday, and the first week of the month.

1 See if your office is only available by phone or only open for appointments

View a list of offices closed to in-person service (telephone only) or providing in-person service only by appointment at our Office Closings and Emergencies webpage.

What to know about hearings

If you are thinking about appealing a decision, or you have an appeal pending, we want you to know you have options that could help you have your hearing sooner.

• We resumed offering some in-person hearings and we continue to offer hearings by online video and by phone. Online video hearings and telephone hearings are convenient, safe, and secure. Learn more about hearings options.
• We continue to increase the number of in-person hearings. As our capacity grows, we will move to a more normal scheduling process.

Additional Resources

Is it time for your COVID-19 vaccine booster? Find free vaccines near you at www.vaccine.gov.