Forgot Your Social Security Username or Password?

Identify Which Social Security Account You Use

Social Security username-and-password sign-in was discontinued in 2025. To access a personal my Social Security account now, you must sign in through Login.gov or ID.me. An old Social Security username cannot be recovered or used to sign in.

Open {site}, select Sign In, and look at the available provider choices. Choose Login.gov or ID.me based on the account you previously used. If you already use either provider for another government service, try that existing account instead of creating a duplicate.

Both providers normally use an email address as the account identifier. Check saved passwords, earlier verification messages, and email inboxes for messages from Login.gov or ID.me. Those clues can show which provider and email address you used.

Searches such as “i forgot my social security username” or “social security forgot username” often refer to the discontinued Social Security credential. The correct recovery process now belongs to the sign-in provider shown on the account page.

Recover a Forgotten Social Security Username

There is no current recovery process for an old Social Security username. If you forgot your Social Security username, select your provider and identify the email address attached to that provider account.

For Login.gov, your email address takes the place of a username. Try personal email addresses you regularly use, checking carefully for spelling errors. A notice that an account already exists for an address is a useful sign that you should reset that account instead of opening another one.

ID.me also uses the email address associated with your ID.me Wallet. Check past ID.me messages in every inbox you may have used. If you cannot determine the address, or no account is found for an address you expected to work, use that provider’s official Help Center.

Recovery messages may arrive in your email inbox, spam or junk folder. Depending on the problem, the provider may ask you to confirm the account email, use an established authentication method, or complete identity verification. Follow only the prompts displayed by the selected provider.

Reset a Forgotten Password

1. Open {site}, select Sign In, and choose the provider connected to your account.
2. On the provider’s sign-in screen, enter the account email address.
3. Select the option labeled Forgot password or Forgot your password.
4. Request the recovery message and check the correct email account, including spam and junk folders.
5. Use the newest reset message and follow its instructions. Do not forward that message to anyone.
6. Create a strong, unique password that you do not use for email, banking, or another account.
7. Return to the sign-in process and complete any authentication or identity checks requested by the provider.

Login.gov and ID.me control their own password resets. Social Security representatives do not know your provider password and cannot tell it to you. If a reset succeeds but you cannot complete the next security step, use the provider’s recovery instructions for that specific authentication problem.

What to Do If You Forgot Both

If you forgot my Social Security username and password, first identify the provider and account email; then reset the password. A password reset cannot reach you until you enter the email address connected to the correct Login.gov or ID.me account.

1. Confirm whether you previously selected Login.gov or ID.me.
2. Find the likely account email by checking old messages and saved sign-in details.
3. Submit one password-reset request through that provider.
4. Wait for the message and check filtered folders before requesting another.
5. Set the new password, complete the provider’s security check, and return to Social Security.

Do not keep guessing passwords, repeatedly request codes, or create several accounts. Repeated failed attempts can trigger a temporary restriction or lock. If you searched “i forgot my social security username and password,” remember that the old Social Security username is no longer the credential you need.

Fix Common Recovery Problems

• Missing message: Recheck the email spelling, spam, junk, promotions, and forwarded-email inboxes. Search for the provider’s name. Request another message only through the provider’s recovery screen and use the newest one.

• Outdated email or phone: Use another authentication method already attached to the account if one is offered. If you cannot access the registered email or any authentication method, follow the provider’s account-recovery Help Center instructions.

• Verification failure: Read the error before retrying. Check that your entries match the requested records and that any submitted image is clear. Use only the alternative verification choices displayed by the provider.

• Locked account: Stop making attempts. Follow the unlock notice or provider Help Center directions instead of guessing again or opening a duplicate account.

• Sign-in loop: Update a supported browser, enable required browser features, and clear its cache and cookies. Then begin again from Social Security and choose the same provider. Switching providers midway may lead to the wrong account.

People who say “forgot social security username and password” may actually have recovered the provider login but failed to reconnect to Social Security. If you can sign in to Login.gov or ID.me yet cannot reach the correct Social Security account, the issue may require Social Security assistance rather than another password reset.

Contact Social Security for Login Help

Contact official Social Security support when your provider sign-in succeeds but the Social Security account remains unavailable, when electronic access is blocked, or when the Social Security page repeatedly returns an account error. Contact Login.gov or ID.me instead for a forgotten provider password, inaccessible provider email, authentication-method problem, or provider identity-verification failure.

Have your name, the provider you selected, the email address associated with it, the exact error wording, and a brief description of what happened ready. You may also note the device and browser used. Do not send a password, one-time security code, backup code, or full Social Security number in an ordinary message.

No legitimate support agent needs your password. Never approve an unexpected authentication request or give a security code to someone who contacts you. Use only the official contact choices displayed by Social Security, Login.gov, or ID.me.