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It’s rare for a shopping holiday to affect office closures outside the industry, but you shouldn’t underestimate the power and appeal of Black Friday. While shoppers will be in shopping heaven on Nov. 25, those who personally need the services of the Social Security Administration (SSA) are out of luck.
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Although it is not listed as one of the 11 federal holidays on which offices are closed (including Thanksgiving Day on November 24), Social Security offices will not be open on Black Friday.
The only Social Security offices open on Black Friday are those that hold in-person hearings. So if you personally have a pending appeal hearing scheduled for Nov. 25, it’s still happening.
However, as the SSA points out, doing business with them online has never been easier. Numerous questions about retirement, disability, SSI, and Medicare benefits can be answered online through a client mine Social Security account and on the SSA website and the Social Security Matters blog.
To apply for mine A Social Security account opens up instant and easy access to important information and resources about your retirement benefits, whether you’re planning for your future or managing your current benefits.
Even if you don’t receive benefits, you can check the status of your application and receive estimates of pension benefits for you and your partner mine Social Security. If you are already receiving benefits, you can change your address or direct deposit information, access a Social Security 1099 (SSA-1099) form, print a verification letter, and switch to electronic notifications. And mine Social Security is the fastest way to get a replacement card. Online applications for retirement benefits take just 15 minutes to complete and submit.
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With the exception of essential services such as air traffic control and firefighters, most federal, state and local government offices are closed the day after Thanksgiving. Post offices are open (and carriers deliver), as are most banks and credit unions (if your state doesn’t consider Black Friday a holiday). Black Friday is a stock market holiday, but the exchanges are only open until 2 p.m. EST (the NYSE and Nasdaq close at 1 p.m. EST).
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