Don't get locked out of Social Security by using one wrong number!

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It was over 60 years ago when the phrase “Catch-22” became famous after Joseph Heller published his award-winning novel by that name in 1961. It describes a frustrating dilemma where solving one problem requires overcoming a second; however, the second cannot be overcome without solving the first.

A change implemented by the Social Security Administration on June 7, 2025, will likely lead to more individuals encountering their own catch-22s. Username and password are no longer adequate for accessing my Social Security accounts. All users will need to have an account with either Login.gov or ID.me, two Credential Service Providers selected by Social Security.

Here’s how that requirement waylaid a new client who was ready to tackle Medicare. She did her research so she could do everything right. However, she ran into a roadblock when trying to access her my Social Security account. Her username and password didn’t work because she had not transitioned to Login.gov.

So, she started the process to set up a Login.gov account. She answered the questions and uploaded photos of her driver’s license and a selfie. She got green checkmarks for successful submission but then came a message: her personal information did not match Social Security’s official information. Since she didn’t know what to do, she called Social Security. When she finally spoke to an agent, she learned that her telephone number was the culprit. He could not fix that so she would have to call Login.gov. After that call, she should be able to access her account and enroll in Part A and B online.

A few years ago, she gave up her home landline and now has only a cell phone, but she had never updated her my Social Security account. Here’s where she hit the catch-22. If this had happened prior to June 7 of last year, she simply could have logged into her account with username and password, and entered the new number. However, with the additional layer of security, the phone number in her Social Security file has to match her current number but, because she can’t get into her account to update the number, the information doesn’t match.

Thankfully, she started the enrollment process during the first week of her Initial Enrollment Period, giving her three months before her birthday to overcome any hiccups. If she had procrastinated, she could have experienced anxiety and maybe even missed the deadline.