The Suffolk Social Security office will reduce its public hours beginning next month.

Effective Aug. 15, the office will be open to the public for face-to-face visits from 8:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., a reduction of 30 minutes each weekday.

Agency employees will continue to work their regular hours, but the shorter public window will reduce overtime, according to a press release from Earl Johnson, a public affairs specialist with Social Security.

“Congress provided Social Security with nearly $1 billion less than the president requested for the budget this fiscal year, which makes it impossible for the agency to provide the amount of overtime needed to handle service to the public as we have in the past,” Johnson wrote.

Most Social Security transactions do not require a visit to an office. People who need to apply for benefits, sign up for direct deposit, replace a Medicare card, obtain a proof of income letter or change their address or telephone number can do so at www.socialsecurity.gov or by calling 1-800-772-1213. The TTY number is 1-800-325-0778.