Guide · Checked Against ssa.gov, October 2026

Which Social Security Office Serves Your ZIP Code?

To find your Social Security office by ZIP code, enter your ZIP in the Which Office Serves My ZIP? tool or in SSA's Field Office Locator at ssa.gov/locator. Each office record lists the ZIP codes SSA assigns to it, so the result is your field office, not just the closest building. The tool also names the hearing office that handles appeals for that field office, using SSA office data updated March 9, 2026 and checked against SSA's locator on October 1, 2026.

Reviewed by SS Office Location Editorial Team ·October 6, 2026

An older man and woman sit together on a gray sofa, looking something up on a laptop — Photo: Gustavo Fring / Pexels

Your Social Security office is not simply the nearest one. SSA ties each field office to a set of ZIP codes, and the office that covers your ZIP is the one that handles your claims, records and appeal requests. That office, in turn, sends appeals to one hearing office. Knowing all three before you call or travel saves a wasted trip.

This guide shows how the assignment works, how to look yours up in under a minute, and what each type of office can and can’t do for you.

How SSA Matches Your ZIP Code to One Office

Every Social Security office record carries a list of ZIP codes SSA assigns to it. When you search by ZIP, you are asking which office’s list contains your code. That office is your servicing field office.

The assignment does more than set a mailing address:

Claims and changes go through that office. It is the office that holds your local file and schedules your in-person visit.
Appeal requests start there too. SSA says requests for reconsideration, hearings and Appeals Council reviews should, in general, go through your local field office.
Your hearing office follows from your field office. Each field office sends hearings to one hearing office, so your ZIP decides that as well.

This directory lists 1,231 offices from SSA’s data across 56 states and territories, and names the hearing office for 1,114 of them. The office details come from SSA’s data updated March 9, 2026, and the list was checked against SSA’s Office Locator on October 1, 2026.

You have two quick ways to look up a Social Security office by ZIP code. Both are free and take less than a minute.

Use the ZIP Tool on This Site

Open Which Office Serves My ZIP?.
Type your five-digit ZIP code.
Read the result: your assigned field office and the hearing office that handles its appeals.
Open the office page for the weekly hours grid, the full list of ZIP codes it serves and a map.

The tool answers two questions at once, which SSA’s own tools split across two locators: where your field office is and where a hearing would be handled.

Use SSA’s Field Office Locator

SSA’s own tool lives at ssa.gov/locator. Many people still search for the “SSA office locator” or follow the older link at secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp. That old address now opens the same Field Office Locator.

The locator searches by address, city, state or ZIP code. It shows each office’s hours, contact numbers and directions, and flags card centers and limited-service offices. If your ZIP sits on a boundary, search your full street address for the most exact match.

Use the result before you go. SSA’s locator itself advises making an appointment before you visit. The appointment guide walks through the options, including video appointments.

A search for the “nearest Social Security office” sorts by distance. SSA’s locator shows how many miles away each result is. Mileage tells you how far a building is. It doesn’t tell you whether that office covers your ZIP code.

The two often differ for three reasons:

ZIP lines don’t follow straight-line distance. A ZIP code near a county or state line can belong to an office farther away than one just across the line.
The closest result may be a card center. In seven cities, a card center can be the nearest Social Security location. It handles card work only.
The closest result may offer limited services. SSA labels some offices “Limited services,” which means they don’t handle card replacements or updates.

Here is how the chain from ZIP to hearing office plays out for real offices in this directory:

Field office	Hearing office for its appeals
Denton, TX	Dallas, TX (North)
Litchfield, IL	St. Louis, MO
Susanville, CA	Sacramento, CA
Holland, MI	Grand Rapids, MI
Kissimmee, FL	Orlando, FL

Litchfield shows why this matters. It is an Illinois field office, but its appeals go to the hearing office in St. Louis, Missouri. If you live in a Litchfield ZIP, that is where your hearing would be handled.

Field Offices, Resident Stations, Card Centers and Hearing Offices

SSA runs several kinds of offices, and your ZIP lookup may point you to more than one. This table shows what each one does.

Office type	How many are listed	What it handles	Who should go
Field office	1,188	Benefit claims, record changes, appeal requests and, unless labeled limited, card work	Anyone whose ZIP it serves
Resident station	36	Listed in SSA’s office data alongside field offices, with its own address, hours and ZIP codes	Anyone whose ZIP it serves
Card center	7	Express card services: new or replacement cards, updates to personal information, visits at an employer’s request	People with card-only tasks in its city
Hearing office	159, plus 4 satellite offices	Disability and other hearings before an administrative law judge	People whose appeal reached the hearing level

A few points the table can’t hold:

Resident stations count as your office when your ZIP maps to one. Check the station’s hours on its office page before you go, since a small office’s schedule can differ from the larger field offices nearby.
Card centers are in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan in New York, plus Philadelphia, Orlando and the Twin Cities. SSA’s locator says not to contact a card center for benefits applications or appeals. If you live in one of those cities and only need card work, SSA directs you to the card center, such as the Brooklyn card center. The card center guide covers the difference in detail.
Hearing offices come into the picture only after an appeal. SSA says hearing requests should, in general, go through your field office. SSA notes that judges may travel to other sites to hold hearings when needed.

How Your Field Office Decides Your Hearing Office

When you appeal a denied claim and ask for a hearing, the request goes through your field office. That field office belongs to one hearing office’s territory, so the hearing office is fixed by where you live.

Some hearing offices cover large areas. These six serve the most field offices in this directory:

Hearing office	Field offices served
Milwaukee, WI	21
Boston, MA	20
Billings, MT	18
Baltimore, MD	16
Des Moines, IA	15
Seattle, WA	15

The directory lists 159 hearing offices, along with 4 satellite hearing offices and 5 national hearing centers. National hearing centers don’t have a field office territory of their own in this directory.

To find yours, look up your ZIP, open your field office page, and follow the hearing office link. The hearing office guide explains the appeal levels, and the full list is on the hearing offices page.

What to Do if Your Office Moved or Closed

Offices relocate, and some close to the public for a time. A ZIP lookup is only as good as the day it was checked, so confirm before you travel.

Check SSA’s closings page. SSA’s Office Closings and Emergencies page lists, by office name and ZIP code, the offices that are temporarily appointment-only or closed to the public.
Re-run the lookup. If your office is listed, enter the ZIP shown there in SSA’s locator to confirm the address and see which office is serving people instead.
Call before going. SSA says it can often help by phone and save you a trip. Use the number on your office page or SSA’s national line.
Plan around federal holidays. All Social Security offices close on federal holidays.

The office closed or moved guide covers what to do when your office closes for a time or moves for good.

Look Up Office Numbers Yourself

Scammers count on people searching for a “Social Security office near me” in a hurry. SSA warns that scammers spoof official government phone numbers, and that Social Security will never ask for sensitive or personal information through social media, email or text.

Protect yourself with one habit: get the office phone number from your office page or SSA’s locator, never from a caller, text or message. If someone contacts you claiming to be from your local office and pressures you to pay or share details, hang up and call the office back at the number you looked up. Report scams to SSA’s Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov/report.

When You Don’t Need Your Office at All

Finding your office is step one, but many tasks never require a visit. SSA says its website is the best way to get help, and that if you can’t use it, you can call the national 800 number or your local office.

Before you plan a trip, run Do I Need to Visit an Office?. It takes the task you have in mind and tells you whether SSA handles it online, by phone or in person. If you do need to go, you’ll already know which office serves your ZIP code, which hearing office stands behind it, and whether a card center is the better stop. Browse every office from the home page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Old secure.ssa.gov ICON Office Locator Link Still Work?

Yes. The old address, secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp, now opens SSA's Field Office Locator at ssa.gov/locator, where you can search by address, city, state or ZIP code.

Can a Card Center Help With a Retirement or Disability Claim?

No. SSA's locator says a card center offers express card services only and should not be contacted for benefits applications or appeals. For those, use the field office assigned to your ZIP code.

What Does Limited Services Mean in SSA's Locator?

SSA labels some offices Limited services. That label means the location does not handle Social Security card replacements or updates. For card work, look for a full-service field office or, in the seven cities that have one, a card center.

How Many Social Security Offices Are There?

This directory lists 1,231 offices from SSA's data: 1,188 field offices, 36 resident stations and 7 card centers, across 56 states and territories. It also lists 159 hearing offices, 4 satellite hearing offices and 5 national hearing centers.

I Live Outside the United States. Which Office Serves Me?

U.S. ZIP codes map to domestic offices only. SSA's locator links a separate page for offices outside the United States, which lists the service points for people abroad.

Can the Same ZIP Code Be Served by Two Offices?

Each office page on this site lists the ZIP codes SSA assigns to it. If your ZIP shows up on more than one page, use the full street address in SSA's locator, which can match an exact address, and go with that result.

Which Social Security Office Serves Your ZIP Code?