How To Set Up A New TSP Login

The Thrift Savings Plan is undergoing some major modernization and changes, and as part of this program, they’ve updated their online account portal. As a result, you’re going to need to set up a new TSP login. It isn’t hard but there are quite a few steps, and for some people, you may need to wait for a passcode to be snail-mailed to you via the regular US postal service. So it’s better to go ahead and do this now instead of waiting until you have a need to get into your account.

I decided to screenshot the process so you’ll be prepared when you get started. There are a LOT of pictures here, so be patient as you scroll down.

Here’s how to set up your new TSP login:

First, go to the TSP website at tsp.gov.

The website will have this banner across the top. It’s actually the second banner – the first one says that they are having higher than usual call volume. That doesn’t seem surprising given all these changes! There’s also a disclosure at the bottom that you may or may not have to close.

So, obviously, you’re going to click on the button that says “Set up new login.” That will take you to this page. I had to do it in multiple screenshots. The first screenshot shows the option to have a one-time passcode mailed to you. Then you scroll down – the second screenshot shows the option to answer additional questions. (I feel like a bad Buzzfeed article, explaining what the screenshots say. But maybe it helps someone!)

Obviously, it’s faster to answer the additional questions if you can get that process to work for you. It does seem that it is not working for some people, possibly because they didn’t have an accurate telephone number attached to their old TSP account. Once you decide how you want to proceed (for the first time – it comes back around), click the blue “Get Started” button:

Identifying Yourself to TSP

The next part of the new TSP login setup is to validate who you are.

Once you enter your personally identifying information, then you’ll have to (again!) tell them whether you want a one-time passcode through the regular US mail, or verifying another way.

This is where you need to have an accurate phone number attached to your TSP account.

The text verification code came quite quickly.

Then You Set Up Your New TSP Login

There are a surprising number of steps to set up your new account. You’ll need to create a new username, but they let you use the old one. So that’s helpful. 

And, of course, a new password. I use a password manager to create hard passwords and then remember what they are.

Then you update your contact information. Please use your personal email and phone numbers, not your duty email and phone numbers. Those change far too often!

Seems like you might be done now, right? Oh, no. There are two more steps…which are really like four more steps.

The first “next” step is to set up a PIN to use when you call TSP on the telephone. Even if you never intend to call them on the telephone.

Then you set up security questions. I didn’t like them, but I rarely do.

And then, you have to set up multi-factor authentication. You can’t skip this step.

Your options are text message, voice call, or downloading a specific app.

I chose text message because it seems like the easiest option to me. I don’t need any more apps on my phone. So then there had to be a trial text message.

It’s a little bit like “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie…”

At last, just 15 minutes and 16 screenshots later, it’s done!

Now, if the online verification won’t work for you, you’ll need to have a passcode mailed to you. That may take a few weeks. And if your physical mailing address is wrong, you might need to call the very-busy phone number to get that sorted out.

So go ahead and give the process a try today, so you will have time to sort out any kinks before you actually NEED to get into your account.