The Social Security website crashes in this headline refer to a reported episode in March 2025, not a confirmed current outage. A Washington Post report reproduced in the Congressional Record said the site crashed four times in ten days and described retirees and disabled people having trouble accessing online accounts. That account linked the disruptions to a period of agency turmoil associated with DOGE, but the available sources do not establish that DOGE activity technically caused the crashes. As of October 8, 2026, Social Security Administration (SSA) status listings showed SSA.gov and the my Social Security web app operational.
What happened during the March 2025 Social Security website crashes?
Washington Post reporters Lisa Rein and Hannah Natanson reported that the website crashed four times in ten days in March 2025, with users unable to access online accounts. The report was reproduced in the March 31, 2025 Congressional Record. It is journalism about the disruptions, not an SSA incident log or technical postmortem.
The headline’s reference to “DOGE-linked disruption” describes the broader political and operational context in which the crashes were reported. The available account does not establish that DOGE caused each outage, identify a technical failure, or provide an SSA-confirmed explanation for the crashes.
What did SSA say about DOGE and agency operations?
On March 21, 2025, Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek addressed a temporary restraining order involving DOGE employees and activities at SSA. He said the agency would remain open and its employees and work would continue under the order. That statement concerned agency operations and the court order; it did not explain the website crashes.
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Read Dudek’s statement in the SSA March 21, 2025 announcement.
Is Social Security down now?
SSA’s web services status page listed both SSA.gov and the my Social Security web app as operational on October 8, 2026, with no incident reported that day. Check the SSA web services status page for the latest service information; a dated status snapshot does not guarantee that a service will remain available later.
SSA’s incident history also records a separate network disruption affecting the my Social Security web app on September 2, 2026. The interruption began at 10:46 a.m. ET and services were restored at approximately 4:34 p.m. ET, according to the SSA status history. This later incident shows that service interruptions can occur, but it is not evidence about the cause of the March 2025 crashes.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What can and cannot be concluded from later oversight?
In July 2026, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Ron Wyden published a letter seeking additional information about DOGE’s activities and information security at SSA. The letter records the senators’ concerns and requests; it is not an adjudicated finding about the March 2025 outage. See the July 22, 2026 letter.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →The SSA Office of the Inspector General listed an FY 2026 information security program and practices audit report dated September 24, 2026. The listing confirms the report’s existence and date, but does not by itself establish findings about the March 2025 website crashes or a DOGE connection. The SSA OIG audit reports page provides the report listing.
Quick Recap
What to do if you can’t log in to my Social Security
- Check the live status page. Look at SSA’s web services status page to see whether SSA.gov or the my Social Security web app is reporting a problem.
- Distinguish the site from the account app. SSA.gov and the my Social Security web app are listed separately, so one service’s status does not necessarily describe the other.
- Use another SSA contact channel if needed. SSA reported a 0.6-minute average speed of answer and nearly 99 percent answer rate for its National 800 Number in July 2026. Those are agency-reported phone-service measures for that month, not measures of website uptime or a guarantee of a particular wait. Consult SSA’s performance information for service details.
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