Social Security in 2025: Layoffs, Backlogs, and Delays
6.5 min read
If you rely on Social Security, you're not alone in feeling frustrated this year. Major staffing cuts at the Social Security Administration (SSA) are causing long delays, phone line issues, and processing errors in 2025. While your benefits are still being paid, getting help—or getting approved—is now harder than ever.
But knowledge is power, and we're here to make sure you're feeling as powerful as possible in the wake of these massive policy changes.
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Key Takeaways:
Layoffs and office closures mean fewer people are available to process claims
More Americans are applying for benefits as Baby Boomers age
Recent policy changes and anti-fraud measures slowed down processing
The agency’s tech systems are outdated, and the tech team is being cut in half
What’s happening with Social Security staff?
In 2025, the SSA is making big changes to how it runs. With prodding from the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the agency is cutting about 7,000 jobs, shrinking its workforce from 57,000 to 50,000. Most of the cuts come from retirements and buyouts, but more layoffs are expected.
Local vs. Regional Offices
Local offices are where people go to apply for benefits, get help with payments, or update their info. These offices are seeing the biggest cuts—some have lost up to 50% of their staff, and a few have closed.
Regional offices oversee and support local offices. The SSA is cutting these from 10 to 4, which may slow down training and operations behind the scenes.
At the same time, the SSA’s tech team is being cut in half, even as system outages and online delays are getting worse. Also, the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity is closing entirely.
How does this affect your benefits?
Even though your monthly Social Security payments haven’t changed, actually applying for benefits—or fixing a problem—is getting a lot harder in 2025. Here’s what that looks like for most people.
1. Longer wait times than ever before
Getting approved for benefits is taking much longer than it used to. In 2025, the average wait for an initial disability decision is about 232 days, or 8 months—almost twice as long as it was before the pandemic.
If your disability claim is denied, expect to wait another 15 months for an appeal decision. That means some people are waiting over two years to get a final answer.
The retirement benefit backlog is growing fast too. As of May 2025, nearly 600,000 retirement claims are still pending—up from less than 350,000 just a few months ago.
2. It’s harder to get help
In 2025, accessing assistance from the Social Security Administration (SSA) has become increasingly challenging due to staffing cuts, office closures, and new identity verification policies.
Longer Phone Wait Times: Callers to the SSA's national helpline are experiencing extended hold times, often exceeding two hours. Some individuals report being disconnected after lengthy waits, making it difficult to resolve issues over the phone.
Website Outages: The SSA's online portal has suffered multiple outages, with five reported in March alone. These disruptions have hindered millions of retirees and disabled Americans from accessing their online accounts.
Mandatory Appointments for In-Person Visits: Since Jan. 6, 2025, the SSA requires individuals to schedule appointments for service at local field offices. Walk-in visits are no longer permitted, even for urgent matters.
In-Person Identity Verification Requirements: The SSA required in-person visits, but quickly backpedaled, making exceptions for certain groups of people.
Office Closures: The SSA has closed several field offices across the country, including locations in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky, and North Carolina. These closures have increased travel distances for many seeking in-person assistance.
These changes have made it more difficult for many Americans, particularly older adults and those without reliable internet access, to obtain the help they need from the SSA.
3. More mistakes—and more bills
The slowdown has also led to a rise in errors with payments. In 2025, the SSA reported about $1.1 billion in incorrect payments, including both underpayments and overpayments.
What’s worse? The SSA is now demanding repayment, even when the mistake was theirs. Some people are being told to repay thousands of dollars from benefits they received years ago—without warning.
Policy missteps have made things worse.
Some recent SSA policies added fuel to the fire:
In-person ID checks for retirement benefits caused confusion and delay before being dropped in May 202
Since December 2024, walk-ins have been banned—appointments are now required for all in-person help
The SSA’s new push to collect previous overpayments has led to hardship for many
What’s being done to fix these problems?
The SSA is trying to make things better, but the fixes are slow:
Remaining staff are being reassigned to key customer service roles—but they need training first
SSA leadership called for a “sprint” to process more retirement claims by asking workers to boost output by 10%
The agency is working on recommendations from the Inspector General to fix errors and reduce the backlog
What can you expect moving forward?
Social Security is still running—but just barely. If you’re in the system, stay alert. Here’s the good news and the bad news:
Your benefits are still being paid—there are no cuts to the amount
But you may face longer delays, errors, and difficulty getting help
Experts say more funding is needed to avoid deeper problems in the future
What can you do?
If you’re applying for Social Security or dealing with an issue:
Apply as early as possible—don’t wait until the last minute
Keep good records of all communications, notices, and payments
Check your SSA account regularly for updates or changes
Speak up if you’re hit with an overpayment—many people can appeal