Social Security: 10002

8/14/2019 Social Security: 10002

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Your Social SecurityNumber And Card

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/



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w w w . s o c i a l s e c u r i t y . g o v

A

Social Security number isimportant because you need it

to get a job, collect Social Securitybenefits and receive some othergovernment services. Many otherbusinesses, such as banks and creditcompanies, also ask for your number.

If you are a noncitizen living inthe United States, you also may needa Social Security number. For moreinformation, see Social Security

Numbers For Noncitizens (PublicationNo. 05-10096). If you are temporarily inthe United States to work, see ForeignWorkers And Social Security Numbers(Publication No. 05-10107).

How do I get a numberand card?

To apply for a Social Security number

and card:• Complete an Application For A

Social Security Card (Form SS-5); and

• Show us original documents or

copies certified by the issuing agencyproving:

Your Social Security

Number And Card


http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10096.htm





http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10107.html




http://www.ssa.gov/online/ss-5.pdf











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— U.S. citizenship or immigrationstatus [including Department

of Homeland Security (DHS)permission to work in the UnitedStates];

— Age; and

— Identity.Then, take or mail your completed

application and documents to yourlocal Social Security office.

Citizenship or immigration status:We can accept only certain documentsas proof of U.S. citizenship. Theseinclude a U.S. birth certificate, U.S.consular report of birth, U.S. passport,Certificate of Naturalization orCertificate of Citizenship. If you arenot a U.S. citizen, Social Securitywill ask to see your current U.S.immigration documents. Acceptable

documents include your:• Form I-551 (includes machine-readable immigrant visa with yourunexpired foreign passport);

• I-94 with your unexpired foreign

passport; or• Work permit card from the

Department of Homeland Security(I-766 or I-688B).

International students mustpresent further documentation. For



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more information, see InternationalStudents And Social Security Numbers

(Publication No. 05-10181).Age: You must present your birth

certificate if you have it or can easilyobtain it. If not, we can consider other

documents, such as your passport toprove age.

Identity: We can accept only certaindocuments as proof of identity. Anacceptable document must be current

(not expired) and show your name,identifying information and preferablya recent photograph. Social Securitywill ask to see a U.S. driver’s license,state-issued nondriver identification

card or U.S. passport as proof ofidentity. If you do not have the specificdocuments we ask for, we will ask tosee other documents, including:

• Employee ID card;• School ID card;

• Marriage document;

• Health insurance card (not aMedicare card);

• U.S. military ID card;• Adoption decree; or

• Life insurance policy.









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All documents must be either originals or copies certified by the

issuing agency. We cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies of documents. We may use one documentfor two purposes. For example, we mayuse your U.S. passport as proof of bothcitizenship and identity. Or, we mayuse your U.S. birth certificate as proofof age and citizenship. However, you

must provide at least two separate

documents.We will mail your number andcard as soon as we have all of yourinformation and have verified yourdocuments with the issuing offices.

What does it cost?

There is no charge for a SocialSecurity number and card. If someone

contacts you and wants to chargeyou for getting a number or card,or for any Social Security service,please remember that Social Securityservices are free. You can report anyone

attempting to charge you by calling ourOffice of the Inspector General hotlineat 1-800-269-0271.



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Are there different types

of cards?We issue three types of Social

Security cards. All cards show yourname and Social Security number.

1. The first type of card showsyour name and Social Securitynumber and lets you work withoutrestriction. We issue it to:

— U.S. citizens; and

— People lawfully admitted to theUnited States on a permanentbasis.

2. The second type of card shows

your name and number and notes,“VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITHDHS AUTHORIZATION.” We issuethis type of card to people lawfullyadmitted to the United States on

a temporary basis who have DHSauthorization to work.

3. The third type of card shows yourname and number and notes, “NOTVALID FOR EMPLOYMENT.”

We issue it to people from othercountries:

— Who are lawfully admitted tothe United States without workauthorization from DHS, but witha valid nonwork reason for needinga Social Security number; or



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— Who need a number because ofa federal law requiring a Social

Security number to get a benefitor service.

How do I get my child a Social

Security number?It is a good idea to get the number

when your child is born. You can applyfor a Social Security number for your

baby when you apply for your baby’sbirth certificate. The state agency thatissues birth certificates will share yourchild’s information with us. We willmail the Social Security card to you.

Or, you can wait and apply at anySocial Security office. If you wait, youmust provide evidence of your child’sage, identity and U.S. citizenshipstatus, as well as proof of your identity.

We must verify your child’s birthrecord, which can add up to 12 weeksto the time it takes to issue a card. Toverify a birth record, Social Securitywill contact the office that issued it.

Anyone age 12 or older requestingan original Social Security numbercard must appear for an interview at aSocial Security office, even if a parent

or guardian will sign the application onthe child’s behalf.



www.socialsecurity.gov

(over)8

Adoption: We can assign youradopted child a number before theadoption is complete, but you maywant to wait. Then, you can apply forthe number using your child’s newname. If you want to claim your childfor tax purposes while the adoptionis still pending, contact the InternalRevenue Service for Form W-7A,

Application for Taxpayer IdentificationNumber for Pending U.S. Adoptions.

For more information, see SocialSecurity Numbers For Children(Publication No. 05-10023).

What if my name changed?

If you legally change your namebecause of marriage, divorce, courtorder or any other reason, you need totell Social Security so that you can get a

corrected card. If you are working, alsotell your employer. If you do not tell uswhen your name changes, it may:

• Delay your tax refund; and

• Prevent your wages from beingposted correctly to your SocialSecurity record, which may lowerthe amount of your future SocialSecurity benefits.

If you need to change your name onyour Social Security card, you mustshow us a recently issued document


http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw7a.pdf














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as proof of your legal name change.Documents Social Security may acceptto prove a legal name change include:

• Marriage document;

• Divorce decree;

• Certificate of Naturalization showing

a new name; or• Court order for a name change.

If the document you provide asevidence of a legal name change does

not give us enough information toidentify you in our records or if youlegally changed your name more thantwo years ago, you must provide SocialSecurity with additional documentation.

Marriage, divorce or annulment:In addition to showing us a legaldocument proving your marriage,divorce or annulment, you mustprovide an identity document. That

document must show your old name,as well as other identifying informationor a recent photograph. (We can acceptan expired document as evidence ofyour old name.)

Adoption, naturalization or othername change: In addition to showingus a legal document citing your newname, such as a court order, adoption

decree or Certificate of Naturalization,you must provide us with two identitydocuments, including:

• One identity document in your oldname (which can be expired); and

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• One identity document in your newlegal name, which must be current(unexpired).Both of these documents must show

identifying information or a recentphotograph.

Citizenship: Also, if you are a U.S.citizen born outside the United Statesand our records do not show you are acitizen, you will need to provide proofof your U.S. citizenship. If you are

not a U.S. citizen, Social Security willask to see your current immigrationdocuments.

Your new card will have the same

number as your previous card, but willshow your new name.

How do I make sure my recordsare accurate?

Each year your employer sendsa copy of your W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) to Social Security. Wecompare your name and Social

Security number on the W-2 with theinformation in our files. We add theearnings shown on the W-2 to yourSocial Security record.

It is critical that your name andSocial Security number on yourSocial Security card agree with youremployer’s payroll records and W-2so that we can credit your earnings toyour record. It is up to you to makesure that both Social Security’s recordsand your employer’s records are correct.

http://www.ssa.gov/employer







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If your Social Security card is incorrect,contact any Social Security office tomake changes. Check your W-2 formto make sure your employer’s recordis correct and, if it is not, give youremployer the accurate information.

If you are a worker age 25 and olderand not receiving benefits, you receivea Social Security Statement every yearthat summarizes your earnings. Reviewthis Statement to make sure that all

your earnings are included. If yourStatement does not include all yourearnings, let your employer and yourSocial Security office know about anyincorrect information.

What if my immigration statusor citizenship changed?

If your immigration status changedor you became a U.S. citizen, youshould tell Social Security so yourrecords can be updated. To get yourimmigration status or citizenship

corrected, you need to show docu-ments that prove your new status orcitizenship. Only certain documentscan be accepted as proof of citizenshipfor new and replacement cards. These

include your U.S. passport, a Certificateof Naturalization or a Certificateof Citizenship. If you are not a U.S.citizen, Social Security will ask to seeyour current immigration documents.

http://www.ssa.gov/mystatement













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What if my card is lost or stolen?

You can replace your card or yourchild’s card for free if it is lost orstolen. However, you are limited tothree replacement cards in a year and10 during your lifetime. Legal namechanges and other exceptions do notcount toward these limits. For example,changes in noncitizen status thatrequire card updates may not count

toward these limits. Also, you may notbe affected by these limits if you canprove you need the card to prevent asignificant hardship.

To get a replacement card, you will

need to:• Complete an Application For A

Social Security Card (Form SS-5);

• Present a recently issued document

to show your identity;• Show evidence of your U.S.citizenship if you were born outsidethe United States and did not showproof of citizenship when you got

your card; and• Show evidence of your current lawful

noncitizen status if you are not aU.S. citizen.

Your replacement card will havethe same name and number as yourprevious card.








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How can I protect my Social

Security number?You should treat your Social Security

number as confidential informationand avoid giving it out unnecessarily.

You should keep your Social Securitycard in a safe place with your otherimportant papers. Do not carry it withyou unless you need to show it to anemployer or service provider.

We do several things to protect yournumber from misuse. For example,we require and carefully inspect proofof identity from people who apply toreplace lost or stolen Social Security

cards, or for corrected cards. Onereason we do this is to prevent peoplefrom fraudulently obtaining SocialSecurity numbers to establish falseidentities. We maintain the privacy ofSocial Security records unless:

• The law requires us to discloseinformation to another governmentagency; or

• Your information is needed toconduct Social Security or othergovernment health or welfareprogram business.

You should be very careful about

sharing your number and card toprotect against misuse of your number.Giving your number is voluntary evenwhen you are asked for the numberdirectly. If requested, you should ask:

• Why your number is needed;

• How your number will be used;



• What happens if you refuse; and

• What law requires you to give yournumber.

The answers to these questions canhelp you decide if you want to give yourSocial Security number. The decision

is yours.

Contacting Social Security

For more information and to find

copies of our publications, visit ourwebsite at www.socialsecurity.gov or call toll-free, 1-800-772-1213 (forthe deaf or hard of hearing, call ourTTY number, 1-800-325-0778). We can

answer specific questions from 7 a.m.to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Weprovide information by automatedphone service 24 hours a day.

We treat all calls confidentially. Wealso want to make sure you receiveaccurate and courteous service. That iswhy we have a second Social Securityrepresentative monitor some

telephone calls.

Social Security AdministrationSSA Publication No. 05-10002ICN 45138Unit of Issue - HD (one hundred)October 2006 (Destroy prior editions)


