What the Federal Government Shutdown Means to Your Clients
Date:
Dear Colleague,
Congress failed to reach an agreement on funding beginning October 1, 2025. As a result, the federal government is shut down until further notice. We recognize that your organization plays a critical role, and we want to provide you with information to help you guide the people you serve.
We want you to know that during the federal government shutdown, payments to all people who currently receive Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will continue with no change in payment dates. Your clients will still receive their payments on time.
To help manage their benefits and access important services, please encourage your clients to create an online my Social Security account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount/. With a personal my Social Security account, your clients can view benefit estimates, request a proof of income letter, apply for benefits, request a replacement Social Security card or Medicare card, and much more. It’s easy, convenient, and secure.
Our local offices will remain open to the public but will provide reduced services. During this time, your clients can still:
- Apply for benefits
- Request an appeal
- Change their address or direct deposit information
- Report a death
- Verify or change their citizenship status
- Replace a lost or missing Social Security payment
- Obtain a critical payment
- Change a representative payee
- Make a change in their living arrangement or income (SSI recipients only)
- Obtain a new or replacement Social Security card
Hearings offices remain open to conduct hearings before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). Please be aware that we may not be able to assist with all in-person service requests at this time. For example, we cannot provide proof of benefits letters, or update or correct earnings records. These in-person services will resume when the federal government is operating normally.
When the shutdown ends, we will post updates on our official social media accounts, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram. For more information on the government shutdown, visit www.ssa.gov/agency/shutdown.
Please share this information widely within your networks.
Sincerely,
Nick Perrine
Chief Communications Officer
External.Relations@ssa.gov