Never EVER underestimate the value of US Social Security Contributions

It's possible to get access to both an online IRS & online SS account by using id.me without having a US mailing address. It's a bit of a convoluted process but it does work and certainly helps having on-line access. More details here:

https://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=99944.0

Read the whole thread - it requires an online zoom interview - but it works - I went through it as have others. Good luck

I went through the process as well. Long and tedious but it worked.

It is certainly true that you can't get an online SS account unless you have a US address although once you have that account you no longer need that address.  When I first opened an online SS account they used a US cell phone number for security codes which would have sucked once back in the UK, however they got plenty of pushback from US residents who don't have texting facilities so they modified it to use a security code sent to your registered email account, and that works well for those of us now without a US cell phone.

I went through the process as well. Long and tedious but it worked.

It is certainly true that you can't get an online SS account unless you have a US address although once you have that account you no longer need that address.  When I first opened an online SS account they used a US cell phone number for security codes which would have sucked once back in the UK, however they got plenty of pushback from US residents who don't have texting facilities so they modified it to use a security code sent to your registered email account, and that works well for those of us now without a US cell phone.

As I recall - I got my on-line SS account without a US address or telephone - just using Id.Me.