The official Social Security website has unveiled some new tools that can help workers better prepare for retirement and help retirees better manage their online accounts.
These three new features are all accessible via your “mySocialSecurity” account. They are:
A new retirement calculator
This tool allows you to compare retirement benefit estimates based on your selected date or age when you will begin receiving benefits.
You can receive estimates for either age 62 — which is generally the earliest age at which you can start receiving benefits — or at your full retirement age.
A new representative payee portal
Use this tool to allow a representative payee to manage direct deposit, wage reporting and annual reporting on behalf of Social Security recipients.
A representative payee is a person or an organization that receives Social Security benefits for anyone who can’t manage or direct the management of his or her benefits, according to the Social Security Administration.
A new feature in the Message Center
You can now use the Message Center to opt out of receiving notices by mail that are available online. This includes:
- Annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs)
- Income-related monthly adjustment amount benefit rate increases notices
The notice about the exact amount of 2020 COLAs will be available in December, as we reported in “Modest 2020 Social Security Bump Sure to Disappoint Retirees.”
To log in to your mySocialSecurity account or to create an account, visit ssa.gov/myaccount.
If you haven’t yet signed up for a mySocialSecurity account, you probably should — even if you have yet to retire. Doing so can help protect workers and retirees alike from becoming victims of identity theft.
We explain this further in “Don’t Overlook This Way to Protect Your Social Security From Identity Thieves.”
And if you simply need help sorting through your Social Security claiming options, consider turning to the experts at Social Security Choices. This Money Talks News partner offers low-cost help that can help you claim thousands of additional dollars in benefits over your lifetime.
Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson explains the benefits of this type of help in “Ask Stacy: Where Can I Get Social Security Advice?“
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