Key Takeaways. Social Security benefits provide partial replacement income for qualified retirees and disabled individuals, as well as for their spouses, children, and survivors. An individual must pay into the Social Security program during their working years and accrue 40 credits in order to qualify for benefits.

In all other instances, use the Inquiry Response Benefit Verification screen or the paper Form SSA-2458 (Report of Confidential Social Security Benefit Information) to manually generate a BEVE letter or respond to benefit and payment questions.

Types of Social Security Benefits. There are four basic types of benefits based on the person receiving them. The types are retirement, disability, survivors and supplemental benefits.

See full answerDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, we are asking the public to first try to use our online services before calling us.Although our offices are not providing service to walk-in visitors, our employees are answering your calls. You can find the phone number for your local office by using our Field Office Locator and looking under Social Security Office Information. The toll-free Office number is your local office.You may also call our National 800 Number, where you may be able to take care of your business by using one of our automated telephone services without having to wait for a telephone agent. If you need to speak with an agent, be aware that wait times may be longer than usual, which is why we encourage you to try our online services or call your local office first.

While our offices are not providing service to walk-in visitors due to COVID-19, we remain committed to providing ongoing benefits and vital services. You can still get our help by using our online services or calling us. If you have a critical situation that we cannot help you with by phone or online, we may be able to schedule an in-office appointment for you.

An SSA-1099 is a tax form we mail each year in January to people who receive Social Security benefits. It shows the total amount of benefits you received from Social Security in the previous year so you know how much Social Security income to report to IRS on your tax return.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) began life as the Social Security Board (SSB). The SSB was created at the moment President Roosevelt inked his signature on the Social Security Act (August 14, 1935 at 3:30 p.m.).

Go to www.ssa.gov/mystatement/ and open an account with Social Security to view your statement. (You can no longer request a printed statement either using Form SSA 7004.)