You’ve probably heard Social Security is running out, but that may not mean what you think. If Congress does nothing to fix Social Security, the Trust Fund will run dry by 2034, but recipients will still get 75% of their estimated benefits. The Social Security Administration has a website where you can log in and look at your earnings, updated annually.


Many people misunderstand Social Security but that doesn’t mean you want to rely on it to fund your retirement. Still, it’s worth knowing what your own benefits will be. If you want to learn more about how Social Security works, check out our primer on the topic. You can also sign up for a My Social Security account to look at your own records, though. You’ll see how much you’ve earned over the years, how close you are to being eligible for benefits, and how much you can expect to receive based on your earnings history. It’s worth signing up just to check this info for accuracy.


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Of course, you’ll need to submit personal information to sign up for an account, and as the SSA explains, you’ll also notice a soft inquiry on your credit report:

We use the information you give us to verify your identity against our records. We also use an external Identity Services Provider to verify your information against their records. We do not share your Social Security number with them, and they keep your information only for the period of time permitted by federal laws, regulations, or guidelines. We use their fraud prevention services to assist in protecting you from identity theft. When you make a verification request to establish your account, our Identity Services Provider may use information from your credit report to help verify your identity. As a result, you may see a “soft” inquiry entry on your credit report with the Identity Services Provider, indicating that the Social Security Administration

To sign up for yourself, head to the link below, then check out Bankrate’s post to see what else you can do from the SSA website.

My Social Security via Bankrate

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