Cinco de Mayo is May 5, a time to celebrate Mexican heritage and pride.
Why not join the celebration by visiting Social Security’s Spanish website, where you’ll find a number of useful services and a wealth of information in Spanish? Just visit segurosocial.gov.

Perhaps the most impressive thing you can accomplish on our website-in Spanish-is to apply for Social Security retirement benefits! You can apply quickly and easily on your personal computer. The online application takes as little as 15 minutes. Once you complete the online application and “sign” it with the click of a mouse, your application is complete. In most cases, there are no documents to submit or additional paperwork to fill out. Online is the easiest way to apply and you can do it in English or Spanish.

In addition to applying for Social Security retirement benefits, you also can apply for Medicare in Spanish in as little as 10 minutes, from start to finish.

If you are not ready to apply for benefits now, there are still a number of reasons to visit the Social Security website. You can find a lot of information and a number of online services that allow you to complete your Social Security business online, in English or Spanish. One of the most popular is our Retirement Estimator, which provides an instant, personalized estimate of your future Social Security benefits. Using the actual wages posted in your Social Security record, the estimator will give you a good picture of what benefits you may receive. It protects your personal information by providing only retirement benefit estimates-it does not show the earnings information used to calculate the benefit estimate, nor does it reveal other identifying information. You can plug in different retirement scenarios and future wage amounts to get estimates for different situations. Try it out at socialsecurity.gov/espanol/calculador.

If you already are entitled to Medicare and are having trouble with the cost of prescription drugs, you might qualify for Extra Help from Social Security. The Extra Help can save you as much as $4,000 each year on your prescription drug costs.

You can learn all about it and apply online at socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp/index_sp.htm.

On the right side of the website, under the Frequently Asked Questions, you will find a red envelope. Select it to receive email updates on the latest Social Security news and information. You can get your updates in English at socialsecurity.gov or in Spanish at segurosocial.gov .

Whether you prefer to do business online in Spanish or English, our website is the place for you. Visit segurosocial.gov or socialsecurity.gov during Cinco de Mayo, or anytime.

Ken Hess was the public affairs specialist for Northern Wisconsin. He has retired. Contact Social Security at Social Security.gov, or call them toll-free at (800) 772-1213.