Social Security Call Wait Times Improve, But Changes Could Increase Delays

Upcoming workflow and appointment scheduling updates at the Social Security Administration may help or hurt beneficiary service.

Published on Feb. 6, 2026

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The Social Security Administration (SSA) has significantly reduced wait times for beneficiaries calling its national 800-number over the past two years, from an average of 30 minutes in fiscal year 2024 to just 14.6 minutes in fiscal year 2025. However, upcoming changes to how the agency handles help requests could either speed things up or make wait times worse again for those seeking assistance.

Why it matters

Social Security is the largest anti-poverty program in the United States, and many lower-income and senior beneficiaries rely on timely and accurate payments to cover daily essentials like housing, food, and health care. Service delays can quickly translate into financial hardship for these vulnerable populations.

The details

Next month, the SSA is transitioning employees from working only on local claims and cases to handling them nationwide, in an effort to even out the workload for agents. The agency is also rolling out a new system that beneficiaries can use to schedule in-person appointments. While the SSA says these changes will "strengthen [its] ability to provide Americans with expanded opportunities to schedule appointments and improve staff efficiency," some workers worry the moves will actually increase their workload at a time when the agency has already cut over 7,000 positions, or about 12.5% of its staff.

  • In fiscal year 2024 (Oct. 1, 2023 - Sept. 30, 2024), the average wait time for the SSA's national 800 number was about 30 minutes.
  • In fiscal year 2025 (Oct. 1, 2024 - Sept. 30, 2025), the average wait time was cut in half to 14.6 minutes.
  • In July 2025, the average wait time was about 7.5 minutes after the SSA shifted more agents to answering the phones.
  • In the first three months of fiscal year 2026, the SSA says it kept phone wait times at an average of 9 minutes.

The players

Social Security Administration

The federal agency that administers the Social Security program, the largest anti-poverty program in the United States.

Ed Weir

A former manager of a Las Vegas Social Security field office.

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What they’re saying

“This ... may have evened out the workload a little bit. But that's before they cut over 7,000 positions. So all bets are off now.”

— Ed Weir, former manager of a Las Vegas Social Security field office (Investopedia)

“Historically, if [beneficiaries] call their local office, they know to call back to the local office. They got at least an idea of where it's being taken care of. I think that's going to be an issue. [Beneficiaries' claims] are going to get lost in the shuffle.”

— Ed Weir, former manager of a Las Vegas Social Security field office (Investopedia)

What’s next

The SSA says the upcoming changes are intended to improve service and efficiency, but some workers worry the moves could actually increase wait times for beneficiaries seeking assistance. The agency will need to closely monitor the impact of these changes in the coming months.

The takeaway

While the SSA has made progress in reducing call wait times for beneficiaries, the agency's workforce challenges and upcoming policy changes create uncertainty about whether this improvement will continue. Vulnerable Social Security recipients who rely on timely assistance could face renewed delays and hardship if the changes do not go as planned.