The USAGov Contact Center helps people find information on federal agencies, programs, benefits, services, and more by phone and chat in both English and Spanish. Each month, we do a deep dive to analyze what kind of information users are looking for, so we can learn about them and their needs.
This data helps us inform our agency partners. And it allows us to continuously revise and improve the ways we’re providing services to our audience, not just through the USAGov Contact Center, but also online at USA.gov, USAGov en Español, and through our outreach and social media.
Between May 2019 and May 2020, we analyzed more than 48,000 chats and phone calls in English and Spanish. And we identified some common themes.
The Five Most Popular Topics in English
Immigration, Travel, and Vital Records
- How do I get, renew, or expedite a passport for an adult or minor?
- How do I get a replacement or copy of vital records, such as birth, marriage, and death certificates?
- How do I find out about the status of an immigration case?
- How do I immigrate to the U.S. and how do I find a job once in the U.S.?
- What kind of license do foreign nationals need to drive in the U.S.? Can they use their driver’s license from their home country?
- How do I apply for a U.S. visa? How do I apply for and get the status of my participation in the Diversity Visa Lottery?
Taxes
- When will I receive my tax refund?
- How do I verify that a check I received from the Department of the Treasury is real?
- How do I file my taxes?
- How can I request tax transcripts from previous years?
Government Benefits and Financial Help
- Can I get financial help to repair a house?
- How do I get financial help with rent and other bills? Some people have reported being homeless or on the verge of becoming homeless.
- Social Security-related questions such as:
- How do I apply for Social Security benefits?
- How do I get my case status?
- Where do I get a copy of my Social Security award letter to apply for rental assistance?
- How do I report that I didn’t receive my Social Security benefits on time?
- Where do I report the death of a Social Security beneficiary?
Consumer Issues
- How do I submit a complaint against a landlord?
- How can I report poor services performed by transportation providers (especially airlines), banks, freight companies, car rentals, internet and phone providers, and mortgage and loan companies?
- How can I tell if someone who contacts me saying they’re from Social Security, the IRS, or the U.S. military overseas is actually a scammer?
Voting
- How do I check or change my party affiliation?
- How can I get a voter registration card? How can I get a copy of a lost or out of date ID?
- What do I have to do to be able to vote?
- Can I vote at a different polling place?
The Five Most Popular Topics in Spanish
Immigration, Travel, and Vital Records
- How long can I stay in the U.S. as a tourist if the U.S. immigration officer did not stamp an exit date on my passport?
- Can I travel using a passport that will expire in less than six months?
- How and where do I renew or expedite a passport?
- Where do I get a permission form for a minor traveling alone, with one parent, or with a family member?
- How do I get a visa (mainly work and student visas), and where do I find out about the Diversity Visa Lottery?
- Where can I learn about the I-94 form and other forms for visitors entering or exiting the U.S?
- How do I check the status of an immigration case?
- What personal items can visitors bring to the U.S.?
Government Benefits and Financial Help
- How do I get financial help for paying rent and other bills?
- How do I get affordable rental housing?
- Social Security-related questions such as:
- What’s the retirement age?
- How do I check eligibility?
- How do I report that I didn’t receive my Social Security benefits on time?
- Where do I report the death of a Social Security beneficiary?
- How do I receive my benefits if I’m living in another country?
COVID-19
- How do I receive and check my status on receiving benefits from “the stimulus package”? How do I get other coronavirus-related financial assistance?
- How do I report issues filing for unemployment?
- What are the COVID-19-related travel restrictions and how do I extend a visa?
Consumer Issues
- Where and how do I complain about landlord disputes and about poor service offered by internet and phone providers, car dealers, travel agencies, and banks?
- How can I tell if someone who contacts me saying they’re from Social Security, the IRS, or the U.S. military overseas is actually a scammer?
Taxes
- How do I file my tax return?
- When will I receive my tax refund?
