By: Mayra Salazar
Public Affairs Specialist, Social Security Administration

We’re in the dead of winter. In many areas of the country, that means that we could be in for some rough weather. When severe weather strikes, parents of young children are well aware that they need to check for school closings as they prepare for the day. But sometimes inclement weather can be severe enough to close down government buildings and offices as well — including Social Security.

If the weather outside is frightful, you should check our website before making a trip to a Social Security office. The place to go to find out about emergency office closings is www.socialsecurity.gov/emergency. Social Security’s office closings and emergency page provides information on specific offices that are closed due to weather and emergencies, as well as reminders about upcoming Federal holidays during which government offices are closed.

We also provide information about alternatives to visiting an office, helpful even when offices are open. For example, many of our most popular services are available online at www.socialsecurity.gov.

Find out what types of benefits you may be eligible for by using our benefits eligibility screening tool and then apply online. If you are already getting benefits, you can use our website to sign up for direct deposit so that your payments won’t be interrupted during weather emergencies. You can learn about these and other services available on our secure website by visiting our Online Services page at www.socialsecurity.gov/onlineservices.

If you’d like to be alerted to office closings, that’s easy to do. Just visit www.socialsecurity.gov/emergency and subscribe to the page by selecting the “Get email updates” link next to the red envelope. Then you’ll get an email alert any time there is a change, such as an office closing.