Social Security Announces New Enhancements to Online Retirement Estimator

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that the online Retirement Estimator, available at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator, now can provide immediate and personalized benefit estimates to people who have enrolled in Medicare but have not yet filed for Social Security benefits.  Previously, these “Medicare only” beneficiaries would need to contact a local office in order to obtain an estimate of their benefits.  Currently, about a half-million people file for Medicare each year and delay filing for Social Security benefits.

“Social Security’s Retirement Estimator has been a huge success – with the agency providing over four million personalized retirement estimates to Americans since its launch last year,” Commissioner Astrue said.  “With more people delaying retirement beyond the Medicare eligibility age, it is critical that they also have access to this easy-to-use online tool.”

The Retirement Estimator is interactive and allows users to compare different retirement options.  For example, a person can change retirement dates or expected future earnings to better determine the impact on their future benefits and decide the best time to retire.  The Retirement Estimator presently is the highest-rated government online service in customer satisfaction and, according to the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index, it exceeds the ratings of private sector online innovators like Netflix and Amazon.

Commissioner Astrue also announced next year the Retirement Estimator will be the first of Social Security’s online services, and the first in all of government, to be made available in Spanish.  “Social Security serves a diverse population and we already offer services by phone and in-person in a variety of languages,” Commissioner Astrue noted.  “Offering the Retirement Estimator in Spanish will be an important step in making our online services even easier for everyone to use.”

To learn more about the Retirement Estimator go to www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator.

# # #

SSA Press Office  440 Altmeyer Building  6401 Security Blvd.  Baltimore, MD 21235
410-965-8904  FAX 410-966-9973

Related posts:

  1. The Cast of The Patty Duke Show Reunites to Tell Americans About New Online Medicare Application Commissioner of Social Security, today joined award-winning actress Patty Duke and the cast of her hit 1960s sitcom, The Patty Duke Show, to unveil Social Security’s newest online service – an application for Medicare benefits. This new online application, which takes less than 10 minutes to complete, is for people reaching the Medicare eligibility age of 65 who want to delay filing for Social Security retirement benefits. Currently about a half million Americans enroll in Medicare each year without applying for monthly benefits....
  2. MedicareCard.com Finds Social Security Releases Open Government Plan Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that the agency has released its Open Government plan.  The plan, available at www.socialsecurity.gov/open, reflects the agency’s commitment to increase transparency, expand opportunities for citizen participation and collaboration, and make open government sustainable at Social Security.  Three flagship initiatives are highlighted in the plan — the Spanish-Language Retirement Estimator, […]...
  3. Social Security Releases Open Government Plan – Medicare Card Information Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that the agency has released its Open Government plan. The plan, available at www.socialsecurity.gov/open, reflects the agency’s commitment to increase transparency, expand opportunities for citizen participation and collaboration, and make open government sustainable at Social Security. ...
  4. Social Security Holds Disability Hearing Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today hosted the agency’s fifth public hearing on Compassionate Allowances. Commissioner Astrue was joined by Philip Wang, M.D., Dr. P.H., National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, and Social Security executives. They heard testimony from some of the nation's leading experts on schizophrenia about possible methods of identifying and implementing Compassionate Allowances for young adults with schizophrenia....
  5. Social Security Files Statement of Interest Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that the Department of Justice, on behalf of the Social Security Administration, has filed a “Statement of Interest” inUnion of American Physicians and Dentists v. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California , which is currently pending in a state trial court in California. The Union of American Physicians and Dentists includes employees of the California Disability Determination Services Division (DDSD), Department of Social Services, who evaluate Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income claims. The Federal government fully pays for the salaries and overhead costs for these employees....
  6. 3 Million Disability Applicants Each Year For Social Security Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced the agency is providing helpful health care information and website links to the more than three million individuals who apply each year for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits. ...
  7. Mounting Disability Claims – Social Security Help Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that the agency’s first Extended Service Team (EST) is open for business in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Little Rock EST will make disability decisions for state Disability Determinations Services (DDSs) that are most adversely affected by the flood of new initial disability claims resulting from the economic downturn and from counterproductive furloughs of employees at the state level...
  8. Information to Over 3 Million Disability Applicants Each Year – Medicare Card, Social Security to Provide Helpful Health Care Commissioner of Social Security, today announced the agency is providing helpful health care information and website links to the more than three million individuals who apply each year for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits. The website links take disability applicants to two U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) websites – www.healthfinder.gov where they will find information and tools to help them better understand and cope with their conditions; and www.healthfinder.gov/rxdrug where they may be able to get help paying for prescription drugs....
  9. Medicare – Social Security Adds 38 New Compassionate Allowance Conditions Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that the agency is adding 38 more conditions to its list of Compassionate Allowances. This is the first expansion since the original list of 50 conditions - 25 rare diseases and 25 cancers - was announced in October 2008. The new conditions range from adult brain disorders to rare diseases that primarily affect children. The complete list of the new Compassionate Allowance conditions is attached....
  10. Social Security Helps States with Mounting Disability Claims Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that the agency’s first Extended Service Team (EST) is open for business in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Little Rock EST will make disability decisions for state Disability Determinations Services (DDSs) that are most adversely affected by the flood of new initial disability claims resulting from the economic downturn and from counterproductive furloughs of employees at the state level. Later this year, Social Security will open additional ESTs in Madison, Mississippi; Roanoke, Virginia; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The ESTs are in states that have a history of high quality and productivity, as well as the capacity to hire and train significant numbers of additional employees. “The strategy behind ESTs builds on our success with National Hearing Centers, where cases are handled electronically from all over the country,” Commissioner Astrue said. “These centralized units have reduced the hearings backlog and improved processing times at some of the hardest-hit hearing offices. This approach clearly works and extending it in this way can help us meet the challenge of unprecedented growth in our disability workloads.” Social Security expects to receive more than 3.3 million applications for disability benefits this fiscal year (FY), about 700,000 more than in FY...
  11. Social Security Hearings Backlog Down Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that for the first time since 1999, the agency has ended the year with fewer disability hearings pending than in the prior year. Social Security ended fiscal year (FY) 2009 with 722,822 hearings pending compared to 760,813 hearings pending at the start of the year, a reduction of more than 37,000 cases. Over the same period, the average processing time for these cases improved from 514 days in FY 2008 to 491 in FY 2009....
  12. SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS PLANNER – www.ssa.gov/planners SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS PLANNER - www.ssa.gov/planners...
  13. Information and Instructions to Verify Social Security Numbers Online There are two Internet verification options you can use to verify that your employee names and Social Security numbers match Social Security's records. You can: Verify up to 10 names and SSNs (per screen) online and receive immediate results. This option is ideal to verify new hires....
  14. Internet Retirement Insurance Benefits Application Internet Retirement Insurance Benefits Application...
  15. Need a Replacement Card? Order a Medicare Card by Phone or Online Need a Replacement Card? Order a Medicare Card by Phone or Online...