Social Security phone helpline wait times at record low

Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano told Congress on Wednesday that the agency has improved an old pain point for people who contact it: long phone wait times for a toll-free helpline.

Bisignano said SSA’s average “response rate,” or the time it takes for an agent to answer an incoming call, is “the lowest in a decade.” written statement Hearing of the House Ways and Means subcommittee on Social Security and Labor and Welfare.

In May, average response speed was under five minutes, Bisignano said; this was an 89% reduction from the all-time high of 42 minutes in fiscal 2024.

“We are now answering 90% of calls to our 800 number and have reduced the average wait time to five minutes, a 75% improvement,” Bisignano said in a statement Wednesday. he said.

The Social Security Administration will have more than 800 million customer interactions this year as a result of its record-breaking performance, according to Bisignano.

The agency currently serves more than 300 million Americans, Bisignano said. It currently provides Social Security benefits to approximately 71 million people and provides other services, such as the issuance of Social Security cards.

Bisignano’s statement came more than a year after he was sworn in to lead the Social Security Administration in May 2025. Bisignano was tapped to also serve as CEO of the IRS in October.

President Donald Trump names Bisignano, who was previously chairman and CEO of the global payments provider fiservBringing a business approach to leading SSA. His appointment follows changes made by the Trump administration through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.waste, fraud and abuse“in the federal government.

Before Bisignano’s leadership, SSA said In February 2025, it planned to reduce the number of staff by 7,000 to a total of 50,000 employees. The agency lost more than 8,000 workers between January 2025 and April 2026, according to a report. new report Data from the Office of Personnel Management was cited by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research and policy institute.

These staff losses have raised concerns among some lawmakers and advocates that the agency’s services at both its field offices and its 800 number could be compromised.

In December, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General issued a release. report information about the agency’s 800 number was provided in response to a request for an audit from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who expressed concerns about its performance.

The SSA OIG report noted that the agency’s reported 800 number measurement was “accurate” and that overall phone service performance improved in fiscal 2025. According to the report, the organization served 68 million callers directly through an employee or automation; This represents a 65% increase over the previous financial year. SSA improved these metrics through a new telecommunications platform and staff reorganization, the report said.

During the hearing, some lawmakers pressed Bisignano about waiting times.

Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wisc., said constituents are experiencing long wait times and that the quality of service they receive varies depending on when they call because of the agency’s staff turnover.

Responding to Moore, Bisignano said the Social Security Administration has increased staffing to handle calls during certain hours and is focusing on “having the right amount of staff in the right places.”

Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., asked whether the data improvements extend to callers who choose the callback option and could therefore be considered zero-minute wait times. OIG data showed average wait times of two hours for those who chose the callback option, he said.

“The answer is yes, and that is an industry standard,” Bisignano said about counting callback requests as zero-minute waits. The OIG disputed the report results and said the average wait time for a callback was less than 30 minutes.

The agency said it hasn’t stopped sharing data on service performance: “We have more metrics on the web than ever before.”