Linking your Services Online 

Account with Login.gov

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Access to Services Online requires enrolling in Login.gov, which is the Government’s secure login tool. Once 

you register your Services Online account with Login.gov, you will use your Login.gov credentials to sign-in to 

Services Online.

Step 1: Sign In

Visit https://www.servicesonline.opm.gov and click Sign in with LOGIN.GOV

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During the Login.gov registration process, after 15 minutes of inactivity, the 

current page will clear whatever information is entered into data fields.

Step 2: Create an Account

If you are a new Login.gov user, on the Login.

gov sign in screen, click Create an account.

Or, if you already have a Login.gov account, 

enter your credentials on this screen, click Sign 

In, and go to step 11.
Step 3: Enter Your Email 

Address

Enter your email address, select your 

language preference, click the check box that 

you have read the Login.gov rules of use, and 

click Submit.

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If you later decide to change your Login.

gov email address, follow the instructions 

located at https://www.login.gov/help/

manage-your-account/change-your-emailaddress/.

Step 4: Check Your Email

Login.gov will send an email to the email address you entered in step 3 to verify that you are the 

owner of that email address.
Step 5: Confirm Email Address

Check your email and open the email from no-reply@login.gov, with the subject line Confirm 

your email.

Click Confirm email address, or copy and paste the link into a web browser. A new window will 

open.

Step 6: Create a Password

Create a password. This password 

must be at least 12 characters 

long. If the password you enter is 

not strong enough, you will not 

be able to continue. Enter a strong 

password and click Continue..

The only requirement for a 

“strong” password for login.gov 

is that it is at least 12 characters. 

To encourage the user to create 

a longer, memorable password, 

login.gov allows spaces in the 

password.

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Step 7: Secure Your Account

Select an option to secure your account 

and click Continue.

Login.gov requires the completion of a 

user verification process to ensure the 

proper person is using those credentials.

Follow the instructions for the method 

you select.

Our example will follow text 

message authentication.

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Backup codes should only be used if none 

of the above methods are available to you, 

as they are single-use and recovering your 

account is difficult if you lose these codes. 

See How to Unlink Your Login.gov 

Account, step 1 on page 7 for directions 

to unlink your login.gov account. Login.

gov provides instructions for changing 

your authentication method at https://www.

login.gov/help/manage-your-account/addor-change-your-authentication-method/.

Step 8: Enter Your Phone 

Number

If you elect to use the text message 

method of authentication, enter the phone 

number you wish to enroll in login.gov. 

This authentication method will send a 

text message every time you use login.

gov, and can also be set to send a code via 

voice in a phone call.

Click Send code to generate the security 

code. 
Step 9: Security Code

Enter your security code and click 

submit. This code will be provided via 

the method you selected. The screenshot 

below illustrates the SMS phone method.

Step 10: Agree and Continue

You have created your login.gov account. 

Click Agree and continue to return to 

the Services Online website and complete 

your Services Online registration.

Step 11: Link Your Account

You are now taken to the screen in Services Online where you will link your account to login.gov. Enter 

your claim number and password and click Finish and sign in. You will only need to do this once.

If you need to unlink your 

Login.gov account from 

your Services Online 

account, go to Unlink step 

1 on page 7.

If you are directed back 

to this linking page in 

the future, you will need 

to enter a new Services 

Online password. Either 

use a new password 

supplied by the call 

center or click the Forgot 

your Services Online 

password? link and reset 

your password. 

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Step 12: Messages

You are now logged in to Services Online, with a message on the dashboard that your account is 

linked with Services Online, and that future logins will be completed with your login.gov account 

credentials.

Repeat this process for each Services Online account that you have. Since Login.gov requires separate 

email addresses for each account, the normal process is for a Services Online account holder to maintain 

separate email accounts for each retirement account. 

Perform a web search for “subaddressing” or “plus addressing” if you are interested in exploring an 

alternate solution to maintaining multiple email accounts, but this is a personal choice and Services 

Online help desk employees will not be able to assist you with questions about this solution. Login.

gov does currently support “plus addressing,” should you pursue this solution to maintain only one 

“delivery” email address for multiple Login.gov accounts.

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Proceed to the steps to unlink your account on the next page only if you intend to use the same Login.gov 

account with multiple Services Online accounts. Otherwise, this should complete the linking process.
How to Unlink Your Login.gov Account

If you want to link a different Services Online account to your login.gov account, perform the following steps:

Step 1: Profile

In Services Online, from the Login.gov tab on the Profile page, press the Unlink your Login.

gov Account button.

Step 2: Unlink Login.gov Account

When the Unlink Login.gov Account window opens, click the Unlink button. 

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Step 3: No Login Linked Message

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You will note that your account will now display the message No Login.gov email address linked 

to this account.

Step 4: Logout

You are now free to link a different Services Online account to your Login.gov account to. Click 

Logout and return to Step 1.