How do I appeal a Social Security decision?
Last updated Jul 19, 2026
Reviewed by Jason Burns, Editorial Steward
Published by Senior Direct Answers · Licensed under Citation License 1.0
After an initial determination, SSA's administrative review process offers three appeal steps — reconsideration, a hearing before an administrative law judge, and review by the Appeals Council — and you generally have 60 days from receiving each decision (receipt presumed 5 days after the date on the notice) to request the next step. If you disagree with SSA's final decision, you may then file a civil action in federal district court, also generally within 60 days. The 60-day deadlines are set by regulation and do not change annually, though SSA periodically updates procedures (e.g., reconsideration was restored in all states in 2019) and you can now file most appeals online.
What the government has said, on the record
“Our administrative review process for deciding claims for benefits consists of four levels: (1) initial determination; (2) reconsideration determination; (3) hearing before an ALJ; and (4) review by the Appeals Council (AC). ... If the claimant completes our administrative review process and is dissatisfied with our final decision, he or she may seek review of that final decision by filing a complaint in Federal district court”
— Glenn Sklar, Deputy Commissioner for Disability Adjudication and Review, Social Security Administration, Statement for the Record, Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Health Care and Entitlements, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 2013-06-27 (source)
Editor's note: Statement for the record (written congressional testimony) rather than oral testimony; ellipsis joins two separately verified verbatim sentences from the same document; the 60-day deadline is not in the quote itself.
Who said this
Glenn Sklar — Deputy Commissioner for Disability Adjudication and Review, Social Security Administration (current).
Also asked as
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Last verified: 2026-07-18