Social Security Administration

No parking, an hour wait with no place to sit, and it smells like the inside of a worn out tennis shoe. Your government at work.

Going to this place is like watching a remake of The Wire set in East Germany. Long waits, smelly, uncomfortable seating, security guards yelling at you for using your phone. And the people who have helped me have been surprisingly surly about getting details right like my address or the spelling of my name.
Pro tip: place opens at 9, but you can get there at least 30 minutes early to register, so you’re at the front of the line when they start calling numbers.

God… Never losing my social security card again after having the misfortune of visiting this shit hole.
I went on my hour long lunch break, knowing I’d be pushing it, but thought it wouldn’t be too bad. Haaaa. Try an 1.5 hr wait.
On top of that, everyone here was sketch as hell. There was this one lady who kept talking to herself and smiling at people SUPER creepy and guess what… HOMEGIRL CAME AND SAT BY ME. She kept talking under her breath and was talking about my clothes (not mean, just in a weird descriptive way) and I nearly had a god damn heart attack. I moved as swiftly as possibly after being still for probably three minutes… I hear if they can’t see you move, they don’t know you’re there.
I finally got called up and explained my situation, and was done with the process in about 5 minutes. The guy that I had was rude and had an attitude for no reason.
The two stars is for the security guards — they’re all really nice.

I can’t complain about the staff. They are friendly and professional with all the colorful people that come through.
It’s the actual logistics. I’m not sure what the groups mean, but group A moved 1 number every 15 minutes and I was more than 10 numbers away…
Some days are longer than others, so be wary of Thursdays for sure!
Their hours are extended to 4 now, but still closed on Wednesday after Noon.
Be ready for 2 hour waits, but 45 minutes is possible if you’re lucky.
Tip: Only some elevators go to the 9^th floor. Check before going up!

This is one of the worst experiences of the federal system that one could have. One of the guards shouted at people to pay attention to their numbers saying that he wasn’t there to do it for them. The place was hot and full of people waiting. The numbering system was so confusing (letters and numbers that were randomly called) that you had no idea of when, if ever, your number would be called. I waited an hour or more and finally left as my parking meter was running out and I had no clue when my number might be called. All I needed was to turn in some forms, but there was no way to do so without waiting in line. What a disgraceful «system»!

I came into the social security office to get a replacement social security card and I didn’t have an I.D. on me since my wallet was stolen so one of the guards informed me that I needed to be escorted up and then gave me directions to stand and wait on the other side of the metal detector near the other guards. I grabbed my belongings and stood there waiting. Two guards were looking at me like I was stupid. They then looked back at each other rolling their eyes and shaking their heads. Uhhh, did I do something wrong? I stood there looking at them waiting for one of them to speak up and after 30 secs of getting weird looks, one of the guards finally asked me what I was doing. I told him what the other guard told me to do then he rolled his eyes and looked at the guard across from him and said «go sit on the couch or something.» with an attitude. Rude much?! This is one of the reasons why people hate going here.

I went there to replace my Social Security card and I was expecting a long wait and bad customer service. I was happy to receive good service from both security and the lady who assisted me. The wait was only about 45 minutes, which I think is very reasonable for an infrequent need (this is the first time I’ve lost my card and I’m over 35) and for not having an appointment. The staff was especially professional considering that many fellow patrons seemed to not be very sharp or good at following simple directions.
It’d be nice if the federal government could do a few more things to make the place feel less like MINIPLENTY; however the Brutalist architecture of the building would make that a tall order.

Life is not always easy.
Andrew Snyder makes mine a lot more manageable, he is always so helpful.
Communication is the key to success with your Social Security account.

Humiliating, disrespecting and unprofessional!
Avoid the Philipino lady if you could because she literally told me she had to go take her break before finishing assisting me. She told me to get another ticket and wait from the start! After waiting for more than hour, she wanted me to wait all OVER AGAIN This is the worst customer service I have ever had.

I went there today and realized that they had moved to 2^nd Ave long time ago. Don’t waste your time assuming that they have two offices at the moment.

Zero stars if I could give it… had the worst experience ever…
First of all, the location has changed to 915 2^nd Ave in the main federal building downtown. But you won’t find that info anywhere else unless you show up at the door of the old location and see a sign saying they’ve moved. Even the security guards at the new office said there’s no other way to find out…
I came in for a simple name change after getting married which turned out to be a 2+hour fiasco which lasted 2 days (and counting) mainly due to people who don’t care enough about their jobs to do the right thing.
The wait was about 30 minutes. which was to be expected. Long story short, the lady at the counter originally informed me that I couldn’t keep my maiden name as part of my middle name because it wouldn’t fit. I find out later when I called the office that it was complete b.s. The character limit is 16 and my new name would have only taken 10. They told me over the phone to come back in the next day because I had to do it in person. So I took yet another lunch break, drove downtown, paid for parking, only to be told that they couldn’t process this request until my new card came in the mail and because I only had a temporary driver’s license issued to me. Doesn’t matter that they processed it just fine the day before with the temp license. Oh and yes, she confirmed that my name really could have fit when I was specifically told NO just the day before…
So at this point, after two trips and multiple phone calls, nothing was accomplished. I have to wait for my faulty card to arrive in the mail and look forward to another trip to the social security office. Although I think I will travel a few more miles north and try my luck at another location.

Long wait times and the «officer» on duty was a little short with people. He really has that little man syndrome. The lady that helped me with getting a replacement social security card was fairly nice, but the mood had already been ruined.

I actually rate this zero stars because the interaction over the telephone was such an incredible waste of time. I am paid to assist an elderly couple to put their information together for their CPA. The husband has dementia and is a group home. The wife lives in a retirement home. There hasn’t been a 1099 for the husband’s Social Security benefits because his address hasn’t been changed from when their house was sold three years ago. We were only trying to change the address so as to receive a 1099, the monthly payments going to their credit union account was to stay the same. The person on the phone was very unhelpful and wouldn’t make the change requiring the elderly wife to physically go to a Social Security office which probably won’t happen because she is elderly. I was trying to assist but she refused to take any information from me, even with the wife’s permission. VERY UNHELPFUL and costly for this couple.

I went in after a stressful day at the courthouse processing my divorce and was in and out with a name change in 10 minutes. I visited right as they were closing.
Just be mindful of their new closing hours which are posted on a handwritten note on the door.

I needed an income verification letter from SSA. I went to the office this morning expecting to be there for a long, long time, as I have in the past. It was unbelievably easy. I got there at 9:25 and left at 9:32! The woman who helped me wasn’t particularly friendly, although I sensed that she might have been not feeling well, but she was extremely efficient. I am so tired of people bitching about the waste and inefficiency of government, when the private sector is glutted with greed and opportunism! Anyway, don’t dread the SSA.

I absolutely dreaded coming to the social security office to get a new card with my married name. I put it off for… well, I’ll use the «we moved!» excuse. But a lot time on top of that.
I came in the afternoon, not hard to find but a small office. An officer immediately asked my reason for visiting and prompted me to use the computer sign in system. I was also able to fill out the form while waiting, so that when my number was called (just like the DMV) I was ready.
The woman I worked with was very nice and the process was quite simple. I presented my marriage license and she didn’t say anything about the time gap. She just said «Congratulations,» and told me the new social security card would arrive by mail within two weeks. Total time was 20 minutes, at most.
My card actually came within a few days! Also, I didn’t even need to present my original card, just provide my number.

It only took about 30 minutes in and out; not bad for a government run facility!
When I went in, it was a little disorienting because the building looks a lot bigger from the outside. It is divided in two and you come up a ramp in the middle. The security guard saw my bewildered face, asked me what I needed and directed me to the «number station.» He was super friendly, he even told me to just come back at 2 when there is NO line. But, I had already paid for parking so I wasn’t about to let the city make free parking money off of me! Speaking of parking– plenty of parking around the building!
I just received my card in the mail (all in all it only took a week and a half)!

I would say its a toss up of which is more busy the DMV or the SSA office. I arrived for a replacement SSN card at 1:15 and finally left at 2:32

We moved. I lost track of my SS card. Normally I have a pocket of amusement for people who lose their personal identity documents (specifically birth records) and all of a sudden I’m one of them. Empathy now!
My visit to the SSA rated much higher than my recent visit to the DMV, probably because I chose a non-​peak time to go in. I’m the 3^rd in a small line just before 9 AM on a Friday morning. The first guy in line starts yanking on the door. d00d. That’s not going to make them open up any faster! Promptly at 9 AM a security guard opens the door and the guy practically runs in. He grabs a number but the guy in front of me decides to bypass the number machine and go to the empty counter. I’m thinking «Whatever» and choose a service and get a number. Somehow, I’m the first number they call up. Mr. Door Yanker somehow didn’t get a number and the guy who skipped the # line was kicked back. All told, I’m in and out of there in under 10 minutes. Sweet.

I had not had a SS card for years. I needed one, because some govt. agency made it mandatory.
As I recall, my old one got stolen along with my bag while I was dining in Mexico City — along with my wallet (ten bucks in pesos) and 3000 in Traveler’s checks. I cried. I had no money, no ID. I knew I had to file a police report. Went to the nearest police station. The cops were gabbing with a girl who came in with a pet garter snake around her neck. I waited, patiently.
They finally wrote me up a police report in Spanish. Thank god. I needed that to get back my Barclays TC’s. The Barclays agent in the US was such a mean bee-​ach that I never used their checks again. But I got a refund, at least.
Seattle’s Social Security office has some pretty mean clerks. They’re like the welcoming crew at the gates of Hell. It also has a security guard in case you feel like strangling one of them. You will, trust me. I’d rather get a root canal than go thru this again.
It reminded me of being at Army Basic Training. I had all my paperwork. Kept my mouth shut. Yes ma’am. No ma’am. I just want the goddamn card. I’ll do anything at this point.
Some idiot guy accompanied by his GF told one of the clerks «You don’t have to get snippy.» Lordy. What a dumbass. Just shut up. You’re lucky your GF finally got her card. Idiot.