SSA Rushes Identity Checks to Thwart Phone Payment Scams
Published Date: 4/18/2025
Notice
Summary
The Social Security Administration is quickly asking for approval to collect new info that helps stop fraud when people change payment methods by phone. This change starts in April 2025 and means customers will need to prove who they are more carefully. While it might slow things down a bit, it keeps everyone’s money safer without extra costs.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 1 mixed.
New PIN required for phone payment changes
Starting in April 2025, SSA will require a Security Authentication PIN (SAP) to verify your identity before making payment-method changes by phone for flagged initial claims and post-entitlement/post-eligibility direct deposit actions. The PIN must be generated through a mySocial Security account and verbally provided to the SSA technician during the call.
Estimated public time cost and value of burden
SSA estimates 3,874,000 respondents will use the SAP process, with an average burden of 8 minutes per response and a total annual burden of 516,533 hours. The agency reports a theoretical average wage rate of $32.66/hour and a total annual theoretical opportunity cost of $63,262,420; there is no actual charge to respondents.
Must have mySocial Security account to use SAP
If the technician does not find a mySocial Security account for your SSN, SSA will instruct you to create one and call back before they can process payment changes by phone. The SAP code is generated immediately after you log into your mySocial Security account and click 'Generate PIN.'
In-person verification remains an option
If you are unable or unwilling to use the SAP process, SSA says you may visit your local field office to verify your identity in person to complete direct-deposit enrollments, updates, or cancellations. This provides an alternate way to complete payment-method changes without using the telephone SAP flow.
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Key Dates
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