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Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

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A lock or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Why isn’t my email or password working?

How to reset your password

  1. Go to https://secure.login.gov.

  2. Select the “Forgot your password?” link near the bottom of the page.

  3. On the next screen, enter your email address.

  4. Click the “Continue” button.

  5. Check your email for a message from Login.gov.

  6. Click the “Reset your password” button in the message. This will take you back to the Login.gov website.

  7. Enter your new password.

    • To help prevent identity theft, consider strengthening your password by using:
      • Unique phrases that only you recognize
      • Multiple words with spaces to get to 12 characters
      • Numbers and special characters
    • Your password must have 12 or more characters and avoid combinations such as:
      • Common phrases or repeated characters, like abc or 111
      • Parts of your email address or personal dates, like your birthday
      • The same password, or parts of it, that you use for other accounts, such as your bank account or email

  8. Click the “Change password” button.

When you reset your password, you’ll need your personal key to access your information.

  1. Once you have reset your password, sign in using your new password.
  2. You will see a message on your account page alerting you that your account was recently deactivated due to a password reset.
  3. Select “Reactivate your profile now.”
  4. Select “I have my key.”
  5. Enter your most recent personal key. If you’ve reset your password in the past, you may have a new personal key.
  6. Re-enter your password.
  7. Be sure to save your new personal key after you reset your password.

My email or password isn’t working

If you don’t have access to the email you used to create your account and you do not remember your password, you need to create a new account with an email address you have access to and re-verify your personal information. To create a new account, use a different email address than you did when you created your first account.

For urgent matters — for example, to check the status of an in-progress application — directly contact the government agency.

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