what is the social security administration ssa 
the social security administration ssa is a u s government agency that administers social programs covering disability retirement and survivors benefits among other services it s also responsible for issuing social security numbers and managing the program s finances and trust fund unlike most u s government agencies the ssa is headquartered in baltimore maryland rather than washington d c 1 the ssa has 10 regional offices six processing centers and approximately 1 230 field offices it employs almost 60 000 workers 2ssa programsthe ssa administers the social security program social security is vital to americans retirement income planning particularly as savings rates for retirement remain low 3 2 as of march 2024 3almost 68 million americans including retired workers disabled workers and survivors will receive social security monthly benefits in 2024 according to the ssa social security is one of the largest government programs in the world 4the benefits are funded with payroll taxes paid by employers employees and the self employed the tax revenue goes into two social security trust funds the old age and survivors insurance oasi trust fund for retirees and the disability insurance trust fund di for disability beneficiaries 5the ssa provides a wide range of services in addition to overseeing retirement and disability benefits programs and administering ssi including enrollment in parts a and b of the medicare program 6 it also issues the social security numbers ssns required to access numerous government and private sector services from credit financing and insurance coverage to hunting licenses 7supplemental security income ssi is distinct from social security and is not funded by payroll taxes it aids the disabled blind and elderly with limited income and resources 8