The Social Security Administration will resume sending paper copies of its benefit statements to working Americans, although it saved millions of dollars when it stopped doing so annually in 2011.
Carolyn Colvin, acting commissioner of Social Security, announced this week that those who have not yet signed up for an online account to view their personal Social Security statements will receive a paper copy every five years – at ages 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 about three months after their birthdays. After age 60, people will receive a mailed statement each year. According to the SSA, it expects to mail approximately 48 million statements annually.
"We have listened to our customers, advocates, and Congress; and renewing the mailing of the statement reinforces our commitment to provide the public with an easy, efficient way to obtain an estimate of their future Social Security benefits," Colvin said.
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That said, she also encouraged "everyone to create their own secure my Social Security account to obtain immediate access to their statement online, anytime."
The process of sending paper statements ended in 2011 in a cost-cutting move that saved the agency about $70 million each year.
Critics said that the website didn't allow people to stay adequately informed about the value of their Social Security benefits. However, the agency has seen Congress cut its budget in 14 of the last 16 years, forcing it to suspend mailing statements as well as make staff reductions across the country.
But the critics had a point. Only about 6 percent of all workers, around 10 million, have actually signed up for the online accounts. Many who will be most dependent on Social Security benefits are those least likely to be able to access the Internet to track them, or find the task easy.
Statements not only tell workers how much they might expect at retirement based on their current rate of earnings, but also how benefits are calculated and provide a history of their earnings that have been subject to the Social Security tax.
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