President Trump Just Walked Back 1 of His Key Social Security Rule Changes

President Donald Trump's policy changes continue to come at a rapid-fire pace. Even if you prefer to ignore the news, you might find that difficult, especially if you're on Social Security.

The president set his sights on overhauling the program shortly after taking office in January. Many of the changes his administration has made thus far involve administrative procedures that affect all seniors applying for benefits, making changes to their accounts, or even just calling to ask a question about their checks.

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April was set to see the introduction of new, more stringent rules designed to "enhance the security" of the program's services. But shortly before they were due to take effect, Trump scaled them way back. Here's a closer look at what's happened over the last few weeks and where things stand now.

Trump announced new identity verification requirements

On March 18, 2025, the Social Security Administration announced it would be implementing new identity verification procedures to "further safeguard Social Security records and benefits for millions of Americans against fraudulent activity." Under the new rules, those who were not able to apply for benefits or make account changes through their online my Social Security account were supposed to visit a local field office, where a government employee would verify their identity before their application or account change could proceed.

This change was originally supposed to take effect on April 1, 2025, but the Trump administration announced on March 26, 2025, that it was pushing back the start date by two weeks to April 14, 2025. It also stated that under this updated policy, those applying for Social Security disability benefits, Medicare, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) would be able to complete their applications over the phone after this date. However, others would still have to visit a field office if they choose not to use their my Social Security account.

A third change came on April 14, 2025. This time, the Social Security Administration announced that all applicants and beneficiaries would be able to apply for benefits and make account changes over the phone. However, there would be enhanced technology that would allow the government to "identify suspicious activity in telephone claims by analyzing patterns and anomalies within a person's account." If the technology picks up on irregularities, then the person would need to visit a field office so an employee could verify their identity. That's where things stand now.

What this means for your Social Security benefits

These Social Security changes may not affect you if you use your my Social Security account to apply for benefits or update your bank account information. These accounts require you to go through an identity verification procedure when you first set them up. After you've completed this, you'll be able to set a username and password you can use to log in the next time.

This is often the fastest way to make account changes and apply for retirement benefits. However, you can't do everything this way. For example, you can't apply for Social Security survivors benefits online. You must call the Social Security Administration or visit a local field office to do this.

Now that the Trump administration has walked back its rules about in-person identity verification, you'll likely be able to complete your application or request an account change over the phone if this is more comfortable for you. However, this may take longer because you'll have to call and schedule an appointment and then complete the application process at a later date with a government employee.

If you'd prefer to visit a field office, or you're told you need to due to irregularities detected on your account, you can use the Social Security Administration's Field Office Locator tool to find one near you.

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