Social Security says national call waits have fallen to eight minutes as disability backlog drops 30%
The Social Security Administration says people using its services are seeing shorter waits by phone and at field offices, while the agency has reduced its initial disability-claims backlog by more than 30% during fiscal year 2026 to date.
In an anniversary update issued Aug. 1, 2026, the agency said the average speed of answer on its national 800 number had fallen to eight minutes. That compares with an average wait of 34 minutes in 2024, according to the administration.
SSA also reported completing 385 million online transactions during fiscal 2026 to date. Its my Social Security portal, which provides online access to agency services, had more than 100 million accounts, the agency said.
Faster phone and field-office service
The reported phone improvement is one of several customer-service measures highlighted by the agency. SSA said field-office wait times declined by 30%, although the update did not provide a state-by-state breakdown of that figure.
The changes affect several groups that rely on the federal benefits system, including people applying for benefits, current beneficiaries and people seeking disability determinations. For those who need help with an account, payment or claim, shorter reported waits could reduce the time spent trying to reach the agency or complete a transaction in person.
The eight-minute figure is an average for the national 800 number. It does not mean every caller will wait exactly that long, and individual experiences can vary.
Disability backlog falls but remains substantial
SSA said the number of initial disability claims pending fell from nearly 1.3 million in 2024 to 853,000. The agency described that as a reduction of more than 30% during fiscal 2026 to date.
Initial disability claims are applications awaiting an initial determination. The reported reduction indicates that fewer such claims were pending than in 2024, but it does not by itself establish how quickly individual cases were decided or whether decisions were accurate.
The backlog figure also concerns initial claims. It should not be read as proof that all disability-processing delays have ended or that every person seeking a determination will experience the same timeline.
A large system serving millions
SSA said it sends approximately 75 million payments each month, with those payments totaling $1.6 trillion annually. The scale of those operations means that changes in telephone access, online services, field-office waits and claims processing can affect people across the United States.
The agency’s reported online activity suggests that digital services are a significant part of how people interact with Social Security. More than 100 million accounts on the my Social Security portal and 385 million online transactions in fiscal 2026 to date represent the measures SSA used to describe that activity.
SSA presented the figures in its Aug. 1 anniversary update as measures of agency performance. The update did not include an independent audit of the figures or explain in detail how each measure was calculated. It also did not provide a state-by-state comparison of service levels.
For now, the agency’s next reported benchmark is continued service during fiscal 2026. The update gives national figures for phone access, online transactions, field-office waits and initial disability claims, but does not set out a separate deadline for further reductions in the backlog.
Sources
- Celebrating 91 Years of Social Security, Social Security Administration
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