The Social Security Administration (.gov) (SSA) stopped mailing annual paper statements to most workers around 2011–2017 to save money, shifting to online, on-demand access via my Social Security accounts. Currently, paper statements are only mailed to individuals age 60 and older who do not have an online account and have not yet claimed benefits.
For several years, the Social Security Administration (SSA) mailed these statements every five years to people starting at age 25, but due to budgetary concerns, the SSA has stopped mailing Social Security Statements to individuals under age 60.
Although SSA stopped mailing the Statement in March 2011 for budgetary reasons, the Joint Explanatory Statement to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 directed SSA to develop a plan that would “include a significant restoration of the mailing of statements.” Instead of restoring the previous dissemination ...
If you get SSI payments
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments aren't taxed. If SSI is the only payment you get from us, we won't issue you a tax form.
If you would like to receive your Social Security Statement by mail, please print and complete a "Request For Social Security Statement" (Form SSA-7004) and mail it to the address provided on the form. You should receive your paper Social Security Statement in the mail in four to six weeks.
Social Security Statement
An SSA-1099 is a tax form we mail each January to people who receive Social Security benefits. It shows the total amount of benefits you received from us in the previous year. It also tells you how much Social Security income to report to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on your tax return.
If you did not receive your SSA-1099 from Social Security, also called a Social Security Benefit Statement, you can request one online with a my Social Security account. Replacement SSA-1099s are available beginning February 1 for the previous year.
If you misplace your SSA-1099/SSA-1042S or you didn't receive the form in January, you can get a replacement online by signing in to your personal my Social Security account. Select the “Replace Your Tax Form SSA-1099/SSA-1042S” link.
Yes, The Social Security Administration sends out the form SSA-1099 in mid to late January each year.
The dollar amount increase to checks will vary depending on a person's benefit amount, but the average Social Security Retirement benefit, $2,008.31 in July 2025, will grow by about $56.
Social Security checks have gone paperless. As of Sept. 30, 2025, the government has mandated that all federal benefit payments, including Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits transition exclusively to electronic methods.
Beneficiaries will have access to their SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S tax form for any of the past 6 years for which benefits were paid. The current SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S (most recent tax year's benefit statement) is available after January 31 of the current year.
No, Login.gov is not your Social Security Number (SSN) or benefit account, but it's a secure U.S. government sign-in system that the Social Security Administration (SSA) now requires you to use to access your "my Social Security" online account, replacing older SSA usernames for most users. Think of Login.gov as a universal key for various federal sites, while your "my Social Security" account holds your specific benefit information, and you use Login.gov to securely unlock it.
The SSA stopped mailing most paper statements in 2011 in response to budget cuts, and saved the SSA $70 million annually — about 50 cents per mailed statement.
Social Security recalculates benefits primarily in January, applying increases from the previous year's earnings or Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) retroactively to January, with earnings reviews happening annually after the prior year's income is reported, often in late summer/fall. While the annual COLA hits in January, earnings-based recomputations for increased benefits (due to working past FRA) also get reflected in the January payment, retroactively to the start of that year.
SSA automatically mails paper Statements annually to any individual who (1) is aged 60 or older, (2) has not yet claimed benefits, and (3) has not created a "my Social Security Account." A Statement is mailed three months before an individual's birthday. Individuals can also request mailed paper Statements at any time.
The SSA does use email for certain informational purposes: Annual Statement Reminders: The SSA will send an email reminder once a year, about three months before your birthday, to prompt you to review your online Social Security Statement.
The extra $144 added to Social Security usually comes from the Medicare Part B Giveback benefit, offered by some Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans, which pays back some or all your Part B premium, showing up as extra money in your check if it's deducted from your Social Security. To qualify, you need Original Medicare (Parts A & B), pay your own Part B premium, live in a plan's service area, and enroll in a specific Medicare Advantage plan that offers this "rebate," with the amount varying by plan and location.
Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA):
For the January to March 2025 period, there won't be an increase, as the CPI showed a small dip over the last three months. But don't worry—over the past year, benefits have still grown by 2.0%, helping seniors keep pace with rising living costs.