The Social Security Statement Gets a Makeover –
The personal Social Security statement, created to help Americans understand the Social Security benefits they might be entitled to, has been redesigned for the first time.
The new statement is shorter, uses visual elements and plain language, and includes fact sheets tailored to a person’s age and earnings history.
Page one contains personalized estimates of retirement, disability, and survivor benefits, along with a bar chart showing projected monthly retirement benefits at nine different claiming ages – from age 62 to 70.
Page two has a year-by-year table of your work earnings for any job subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes, and how much you paid in those taxes. It also contains short descriptions of benefit calculations and notes on eligibility.
To access your statement, visit ssa.gov and sign up for a “my Social Security” account.
Once you have an account, you can view, save, and print an up-to-date version of your statement at any time.
If you don’t have an online account, you’ll receive your personal Social Security statement in the mail every year if you are age 60 or older and not currently receiving benefits.
But people of any age can request a paper statement by mail by filling out a form on ssa.gov or visiting their local Social Security office.
Checking your statement once a year for accuracy is a good idea and can provide insight into how Social Security benefits might fit into your overall financial plan.
