WIXLIB

Your Social SecurityNumber and CardSSA.gov

You need a Social Security numberto work. We use your Social Securitynumber to record your earnings anddetermine your eligibility for SocialSecurity benefits and certain governmentservices. Many financial institutions,such as banks and credit companies,also ask for your number when you openan account.If you are a noncitizen living in the UnitedStates, you also may need a SocialSecurity number. For more information,see Social Security Numbers forNoncitizens (Publication No. 05-10096).If you are temporarily in the UnitedStates to work, see Foreign Workers andSocial Security Numbers (PublicationNo. 05-10107).How do I get a number and card?To apply for a Social Security numberand card you must: Complete an Application for a SocialSecurity Card (Form SS-5). Show us original documents or copiescertified by the issuing agency. Wecannot accept photocopies or notarizedcopies. All of the following documentsmust be current (not expired):—U.S. citizenship or immigration status(including Department of HomelandSecurity (DHS) permission to work inthe United States).—Age.—Identity.1

You can mail your completed Applicationfor a Social Security Card (Form SS-5)along with your documents to your localSocial Security office.An in-person interview is required foranyone age 12 or older requesting anoriginal Social Security number and cardeven if a parent or guardian will sign theapplication on the child’s behalf.Citizenship or immigration status:We can accept only certain documentsas proof of U.S. citizenship. Theseinclude a U.S. birth certificate, a U.S.passport, Certificate of Naturalization orCertificate of Citizenship. If you are nota U.S. citizen, Social Security will askto see your current U.S. immigrationdocuments. Acceptable documents mayinclude your: Form I-551, Permanent ResidentCard (green card, includesmachine-readable immigrant visa withyour unexpired foreign passport). I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, withyour unexpired foreign passport. I-766, Employment Authorization Card(EAD, work permit).International students must presentfurther documentation. For moreinformation, see International Studentsand Social Security Numbers(Publication No. 05-10181).2

Age: If you are U.S. born, you needto present your U.S. birth certificate (ifone exists, you must submit it). If a birthcertificate does not exist, we may beable to accept one of the following: Religious record made before the ageof 5 showing your date of birth. U.S. hospital record of your birth. Passport.If you are foreign born, you need topresent your foreign birth certificate (ifyou have one, or can get a copy within10 business days). If you cannot getit, we may be able accept your foreignpassport and one of the following: I-551 Lawful Permanent Resident Card. I-94 Arrival/Departure Record.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 of identity. Ifyou don’t have the specific documentswe ask for, we’ll ask to see otherdocuments including: Employee ID card. School ID card. Health insurance card (not aMedicare card). U.S. military ID card.3

Adoption decree. Life insurance policy. Marriage document (only in namechange situations).All documents must be eitheroriginals or copies certified by theissuing agency. We can’t acceptphotocopies or notarized copies ofdocuments. We may use one documentfor two purposes. For example, wemay use your U.S. passport as proofof both citizenship and identity. Or, wemay use your U.S. birth certificate asproof of age and citizenship. However,you must provide at least twoseparate documents.We will mail your Social Security card assoon as we have all of your informationand have verified your documents withthe issuing offices.What does it cost?There is no charge for a Social Securitynumber and card. If someone wantsto charge you for getting a numberor card, please remember that theseservices are free. You can report anyoneattempting to charge you by contactingour Office of the Inspector General athttps://oig.ssa.gov.Are there different types of cards?We issue three types of Social Securitycards. All cards show your name andSocial Security number.4

The first type of card shows only yourname and Social Security number.People who have this type of card canwork without restriction. We issue it to:—U.S. citizens.—People with Lawful PermanentResident status. The second type of card showsyour name and number and notes,“VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITHDHS AUTHORIZATION.” We issuethis type of card to people lawfullyadmitted to the United States ona temporary basis who have DHSauthorization to work. The third type of card shows yourname and number and notes, “NOTVALID FOR EMPLOYMENT.” Weissue it to people from other countrieswho meet one of the following:—Are lawfully admitted to the UnitedStates without work authorizationfrom DHS, but with a valid nonworkreason for needing a SocialSecurity number.—Need a number because of afederal law requiring a SocialSecurity number to get a benefitor service.How do I get my child a SocialSecurity number?It is a good idea to get the number whenyour child is born. You can apply for aSocial Security number for your baby5

when you apply for your baby’s birthcertificate. The state agency that issuesbirth certificates will share your child’sinformation with us. We’ll mail the SocialSecurity card to you.Or, you can wait and apply at any SocialSecurity office. If you wait, you mustprovide evidence of your child’s age,identity, and U.S. citizenship status.You must show us evidence of yourrelationship to, or responsibility for thechild. You also must show us proofof your identity. We must verify yourchild’s birth record, which can add upto 12 weeks to the time it takes to issuea card. To verify a birth record, SocialSecurity will contact the office thatissued it.Adoption: We can assign your adoptedchild a number before the adoption iscomplete, but you may want to wait.Then, you can apply for the numberusing your child’s new name. If youwant to claim your child for tax purposeswhile the adoption is still pending,contact the Internal Revenue Service forForm W-7A, Application for TaxpayerIdentification Number for Pending U.S.Adoptions. For more information, seeSocial Security Numbers for Children(Publication No. 05-10023).What if my name changed?If you legally change your name becauseof marriage, divorce, court order or anyother reason, you need to tell Social6

Security so we can get a correctedcard. If you are working, also tell youremployer. If you do not tell us when yourname changes, it may: Delay your tax refund. Prevent your wages from being postedcorrectly to your Social Securityrecord, which may lower the amountof your future Social Security benefits.If you need to change your name onyour Social Security card, you mustshow us a document that proves yourlegal name change. Documents we mayaccept as proof of a legal name changeinclude: Marriage document. Divorce decree. Certificate of Naturalization showing anew name. Court order for a name change.If the document you provide as evidenceof a legal name change doesn’t give usenough information to identify you in ourrecords, or if you changed your namemore than two years ago (four yearsago if you are younger than age 18), youmust show us an identity document inyour old name (as shown in our records).We will accept an identity document inyour old name that has expired.If you don’t have an identity documentin your old name, we may accept anunexpired identity document in yournew name, as long as we can properlyestablish your identity in our records.(over)7

Your new card will have the samenumber as your previous card, but willshow your new name.How do I make sure my recordsare accurate?Each year your employer sends us acopy of your Form W-2 (Wage and TaxStatement). We compare your name andSocial Security number on Form W-2with the information in our records. Weadd the earnings shown on Form W-2 toyour Social Security earnings record.It is critical that your name and SocialSecurity number on your Social Securitycard agree with your employer’s payrollrecords and Form W-2 so that we cancredit your earnings to your record. It isup to you to make sure that your SocialSecurity records and your employer’srecords match. If your name or numberon the Social Security card is incorrect,contact any Social Security office tomake changes. Check your Form W-2to make sure your employer’s record iscorrect and, if it isn’t, give your employerthe accurate information.You can check your earnings recordwith a personal my Social Securityaccount. To review your earnings, go towww.ssa.gov/myaccount and createan account.8

What if my immigration statusor citizenship changed?If your immigration status changed oryou became a U.S. citizen, you shouldtell us so we can update your records.To get your immigration status orcitizenship corrected, you need to showdocuments that prove your new status orcitizenship. We can accept only certaindocuments as proof of citizenship fornew and replacement cards. Theseinclude your U.S. passport, a Certificateof Naturalization or a Certificate ofCitizenship. If you aren’t a U.S. citizen,Social Security will ask to see yourcurrent immigration documents.What if my card is lost or stolen?You can replace your or your child’sSocial Security card for free if it is lostor stolen. However, card holders arelimited to three replacement cards ina year and 10 during a lifetime. Legalname changes and other exceptionsdon’t count toward these limits. Forexample, changes in noncitizen statusthat require card updates may not counttoward 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 Social Securitycard, you must show us documentsproving your identity. You must also9

show us documents proving your ageand U.S. citizenship, if they’re notalready in our records.Your replacement card will have thesame name and number as yourprevious card.To get a replacement Social Securitycard, you’ll need to: Complete an Application for a SocialSecurity Card. Present an unexpired originaldocument with identifying information,and preferably, a recent photographthat proves your identity. Show evidence of your U.S.citizenship if you were born outsidethe United States and didn’t showproof of citizenship when you gotyour card. Show evidence of your current lawfulnoncitizen status if you are not aU.S. citizen.If you are a U.S. citizen, you maybe able to request a replacementcard online using your free, personalmy Social Security account atwww.ssa.gov/myaccount. Visitwww.ssa.gov/ssnumber for a listof participating states and otherrequirements.10