How Satisfied Are Retirees with the Social Security Claiming Process?

Retiring baby boomers are increasing the demand for Social Security Administration (SSA) services at a time when budget constraints and retiring staff are limiting the agency’s capacity to deliver them. Online services offer a way for SSA to meet increased demand with fewer resources. However, even as SSA has shifted more personalized information and services online to its my Social Security platform, research shows that many people still do not use this tool to view their Social Security Statement or apply for benefits. As such, this brief explores recent retirees’ satisfaction with the claiming process amidst the shift to online tools and the continued desire by some for in-person or phone services. The discussion proceeds as follows. The first section describes the CRR’s 2021 survey on individuals’ claiming process, which is the source of data for this analysis. The second section documents survey respondents’ reported claiming satisfaction and finds that it is generally high, with some small differences by race/ethnicity and claiming process (i.e., online vs. offline). The third section explores the extent to which a claimant’s degree of satisfaction with the process is associated with their reasons for contacting SSA. The fourth section describes survey respondents’ open-ended suggestions for improving the claiming process. The final section concludes that, overall, recent retirees report being very satisfied with their experience and that continued improvements in online services could potentially further boost satisfaction for those who prefer to use online tools.