Login.gov & ID.me:
Set Up Your Government Login Before You Need It
Published August 2026 · Last verified August 2026
Social Security retired its old usernames — everyone now signs in through Login.gov or ID.me, and the IRS, VA, and Medicare are on the same path. Done calmly, it's a one-hour job you do once. This page walks you through it, snags and all.
Social Security retired its old usernames — everyone now signs in through Login.gov or ID.me, and the IRS, VA, and Medicare are on the same path. Done calmly, it's a one-hour job you do once. This page walks you through it, snags and all.
What's inside this guide
The printable PDF walks through 21 short chapters, in plain language. It also includes at-a-glance pictures.
- The Government Retired Your Old Password
- If You Only Read One Page, Read This One
- Login.gov or ID.me — Choosing Without Agonizing
- One Person, One Account — No Exceptions
- What Identity-Proofing Actually Asks For
- The Five Common Snags — and Why None of Them
- Login.gov Plan B: A Letter — or a Post Office Counter
- ID.me Plan B: A Live Video Call
- A Helper Can Assist — But YOU Must Be Present
- Login.gov and ID.me, One Table
- Gather This First — Then It's Easy
- Step by Step: Creating Your Login.gov Account
- Step by Step: The Identity Check
- Landing in Your My Social Security Account
- The Same Key Opens More Doors
- What to Write Down — and What Never Leaves Your
- Your Setup Checklist
- Every New Login Brings Its Impostors
- Questions I Hear at Kitchen Tables
- The Jargon, Translated
- My Login, On One Page
Get the printable guide
Everything above is a quick summary. The full, printable guide — the same words, laid out to read and keep by the computer — is a free PDF.
Last verified August 2026.
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One $99 flat-rate visit: we set up your Login.gov or ID.me account together at your kitchen table — documents, photos, codes, and the written-down cheat sheet. 30-day follow-up included, so round two of questions is already paid for.
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