A U.S. government agency created in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the SSA administers the social insurance programs in the United States. The agency covers a wide range of social security services, such as disability, retirement and survivors' benefits. Previously operating under the Department of Health and Human Services, the SSA has operated as a wholly independent agency since 1994.

Unlike the majority of U.S. federal government agencies, the SSA is not headquartered in Washington D.C. Instead, the agency is based in the city of Woodland, which is a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland. The SSA has seen numerous name changes and operational revisions in its lifetime as different administrations shaped the agency into their desired forms. The SSA provides a wide range of services, including (at the time of writing) determining citizen eligibility and premium payments for the Medicare program.