Your Social Security 

Number and Card

SocialSecurity.gov
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A Social Security number is important 

because you need it to get a job, collect 

Social Security benefits and receive 

certain government services. Many other 

businesses, such as banks and credit 

companies, also ask for your number.

If you are a noncitizen living in the United 

States, you also may need a Social 

Security number. For more information, 

see Social Security Numbers for 

Noncitizens (Publication No. 05-10096). 

If you are temporarily in the United 

States to work, see Foreign Workers and 

Social Security Numbers (Publication 

No. 05-10107).

How do I get a number and 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 agency. 

We cannot accept photocopies or 

notarized copies. All documents must 

be current (not expired):

—U.S. citizenship or immigration 

status [including Department 

of Homeland Security (DHS) 

permission to work in the United 

States];

—Age; and

—Identity.
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You may mail your completed 

Application for a Social Security 

Card (Form SS-5) along with your 

documents or complete your application 

electronically and submit documents at 

your local Social Security office.

An in-person interview is required for 

anyone age 12 or older requesting an 

original Social Security number and card 

even if a parent or guardian will sign the 

application on the child’s behalf.

Citizenship or immigration status: 

We can accept only certain documents 

as proof of U.S. citizenship. These 

include a U.S. birth certificate, a U.S. 

passport, Certificate of Naturalization or 

Certificate of Citizenship. If you are not 

a U.S. citizen, Social Security will ask 

to see your current U.S. immigration 

documents. Acceptable documents 

include your:

• Form I-551, Permanent Resident 

Card (green card, includes 

machine-readable immigrant visa with 

your unexpired foreign passport);

• I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, with 

your unexpired foreign passport; or

• I-766, Employment Authorization Card

(EAD, work permit).

International students must present 

further documentation. For more 

information, see International Students 

and Social Security Numbers

(Publication No. 05-10181).
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Age: If you are U.S born, you need to 

present your U.S. birth certificate. (If 

one exists, you must submit it). If a birth 

certificate does not exist, we may be 

able to accept your:

• Religious record made before the age 

of 5 showing your date of birth; or

• U.S. hospital record of your birth; or

• Passport.

If you are foreign born, you need to 

present your foreign birth certificate (if 

you have one, or can get a copy within 

10 business days). If you cannot get it, 

we may be able accept your:

• Foreign passport;

• I-551 Permanent Residence Card; or

• I-94 Arrival/Departure Record.

Identity: We can accept only certain 

documents as proof of identity. An 

acceptable document must be current 

(not expired) and show your name, 

identifying information, and preferably 

a recent photograph. Social Security 

will ask to see a U.S. driver’s license, 

state-issued nondriver identification card, 

or U.S. passport as proof of identity. If 

you don’t have the specific documents 

we ask for, we’ll ask to see other 

documents including:

• Employee ID card;

• School ID card;

• Health insurance card (not a 

Medicare card);

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

• Life insurance policy; or

• Marriage document (only in name 

change situations).

All documents must be either 

originals or copies certified by the 

issuing agency. We can’t accept 

photocopies or notarized copies of 

documents. We may use one document 

for two purposes. For example, we 

may use your U.S. passport as proof 

of both citizenship and identity. Or, we 

may use your U.S. birth certificate as 

proof of age and citizenship. However, 

you must provide at least two 

separate documents.

We will mail your number and card as 

soon as we have all of your information 

and have verified your documents with 

the issuing offices.

What does it cost?

There is no charge for a Social Security 

number and card. If someone contacts 

you and wants to charge you for getting 

a number or card, please remember 

that these Social Security services 

are free. You can report anyone 

attempting to charge you by calling our 

Office of the Inspector General hotline 

at 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 your name and 

Social Security number.

• The first type of card shows your 

name and Social Security number 

and lets you work without restriction. 

We issue it to:

—U.S. citizens; and

—People lawfully admitted to the 

United States on a permanent 

basis.

• The second type of card shows 

your name and number and notes, 

“VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH 

DHS AUTHORIZATION.” We issue 

this type of card to people lawfully 

admitted to the United States on 

a temporary basis who have DHS 

authorization to work.

• The third type of card shows your 

name and number and notes, “NOT 

VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT.” We 

issue it to people from other countries:

—Who are lawfully admitted to 

the United States without work 

authorization from DHS, but with a 

valid nonwork reason for needing a 

Social Security number; or

—Who need a number because of 

a federal law requiring a Social 

Security number to get a benefit or 

service.
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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 apply for a 

Social Security number for your baby 

when you apply for your baby’s birth 

certificate. The state agency that issues 

birth certificates will share your child’s 

information with us. We’ll mail the Social 

Security card to you.

Or, you can wait and apply at any Social 

Security office. If you wait, you must 

provide evidence of your child’s age, 

identity, and U.S. citizenship status. 

You must show us evidence of your 

relationship to, or responsibility for a 

child. You also must show us proof 

of your identity. We must verify your 

child’s birth record, which can add up 

to 12 weeks to the time it takes to issue 

a card. To verify a birth record, Social 

Security will contact the office that 

issued it.

Adoption: We can assign your adopted 

child a number before the adoption is 

complete, but you may want to wait. 

Then, you can apply for the number 

using your child’s new name. If you 

want to claim your child for tax purposes 

while the adoption is still pending, 

contact the Internal Revenue Service for 

Form W-7A, Application for Taxpayer 

Identification Number for Pending U.S. 

Adoptions. For more information, see 

Social Security Numbers for Children

(Publication No. 05-10023).
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What if my name changed?

If you legally change your name because 

of marriage, divorce, court order or any 

other reason, you need to tell Social 

Security so that you can get a corrected 

card. If you are working, also tell your 

employer. If you do not tell us when your 

name changes, it may:

• Delay your tax refund; and

• Prevent your wages from being posted 

correctly to your Social Security 

record, which may lower the amount 

of your future Social Security benefits.

If you need to change your name on 

your Social Security card, you must 

show us a document that proves your 

legal name change. Documents Social 

Security may accept to 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 as evidence 

of a legal name change doesn’t give us 

enough information to identify you in our 

records, or if you changed your name 

more than two years ago (four years 

ago if you are younger than age 18), you 

must show us an identity document in 

your old name (as shown in our records). 

We will accept an identity document in 

your old name that has expired.
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If you don’t have an identity document 

in your old name, we may accept an 

unexpired identity document in your 

new name, as long as we can properly 

establish your identity in our records.

Your new card will have the same 

number as your previous card, but will 

show your new name.

How do I make sure my records 

are accurate?

Each year your employer sends a copy 

of your W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) 

to Social Security. We compare your 

name and Social Security number on the 

W-2 with the information in our files. We 

add the earnings shown on the W-2 to 

your Social Security record.

It is critical that your name and Social 

Security number on your Social Security 

card agree with your employer’s payroll 

records and W-2 so that we can credit 

your earnings to your record. It is up to you 

to make sure that both Social Security’s 

records and your employer’s records are 

correct. If your Social Security card is 

incorrect, contact any Social Security office 

to make changes. Check your W-2 form 

to make sure your employer’s record is 

correct and, if it isn’t, give your employer 

the accurate information.
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You also can check your earnings 

record on your Social Security 

Statement. The Statement is available 

online to workers age 18 and older. 

To review your Statement, go to 

www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount

and create an account.

What if my immigration status 

or citizenship changed?

If your immigration status changed or 

you became a U.S. citizen, you should 

tell Social Security so we can update 

your records. To get your immigration 

status or citizenship corrected, you need 

to show documents that prove your new 

status or citizenship. We can accept only 

certain documents as proof of citizenship 

for new and replacement cards. These 

include your U.S. passport, a Certificate 

of Naturalization or a Certificate of 

Citizenship. If you aren’t a U.S. citizen, 

Social Security will ask to see your 

current immigration documents.
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What if my card is lost or stolen?

You can replace your or your child’s 

Social Security card for free if it is lost 

or stolen. However, card holders are 

limited to three replacement cards in 

a year and 10 during a lifetime. Legal 

name changes and other exceptions 

don’t count toward these limits. For 

example, changes in noncitizen status 

that require card updates may not count 

toward these limits. Also, you may not 

be affected by these limits if you can 

prove you need the card to prevent a 

significant hardship.

To get a replacement Social Security 

card, you’ll need to:

• Complete an Application for a Social 

Security Card;

• Present an unexpired original 

document with identifying information, 

and preferably, a recent photograph 

that proves your identity;

• Show evidence of your U.S. 

citizenship if you were born outside 

the United States and didn’t show 

proof of citizenship when you got your 

card; and

• Show evidence of your current lawful 

noncitizen status if you are not a 

U.S. citizen.
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If you are a U.S. citizen, live in 

selected states or the District of 

Columbia, you may now be able to 

request a replacement card through 

the my Social Security portal at 

www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount. 

Visit www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnumber

for a list of participating states and other 

requirements. To get a replacement

Social Security card, you must show us 

documents proving your identity. You 

must also show us documents proving 

your age and U.S. citizenship, if they’re 

not already in our records.

Your replacement card will have the 

same name and number as your 

previous card.

How can I protect my Social 

Security number?

You should treat your Social Security 

number as confidential information and 

avoid giving it out unnecessarily. You 

should keep your Social Security card 

in a safe place with your other important 

papers. Don’t carry it with you unless 

you need to show it to an employer or 

service provider.
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We do several things to protect your 

number from misuse. For example, we 

require and carefully inspect proof of 

identity from people who apply to replace 

a lost or stolen Social Security card, 

or apply to correct a card. One reason 

we do this is to prevent people from 

fraudulently obtaining Social Security 

numbers to establish false identities. We 

maintain the privacy of Social Security 

records unless:

• The law requires us to disclose 

information to another government 

agency; or

• Your information is needed to conduct 

Social Security or other government 

health or welfare program business.

You should be very careful about 

sharing your number and card to protect 

against misuse of your number. Giving 

your number is voluntary even when 

you’re asked for the number directly. 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 

your number.

The answers to these questions can 

help you decide if you want to give your 

Social Security number. The decision 

is yours.
Contacting Social Security

The most convenient way to contact 

us anytime, anywhere is to visit 

www.socialsecurity.gov. There, you 

can: apply for benefits; open a my

Social Security account, which you 

can use to review your Social Security 

Statement, verify your earnings, print a 

benefit verification letter, change your 

direct deposit information, request a 

replacement Medicare card, and get 

a replacement 1099/1042S; obtain 

valuable information; find publications; 

get answers to frequently asked 

questions; and much more.

If you don’t have access to the 

internet, we offer many automated 

services by telephone, 24 hours a 

day, 7 days a week. Call us toll-free at 

1-800-772-1213 or at our TTY number, 

1-800-325-0778, if you’re deaf or hard 

of hearing.

If you need to speak to a person, we can 

answer your calls from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 

Monday through Friday. We ask for 

your patience during busy periods since 

you may experience higher than usual 

rate of busy signals and longer hold 

times to speak to us. We look forward to 

serving you.

Social Security Administration

Publication No. 05-10002

ICN 451384 | Unit of Issue — HD (one hundred)

January 2017 (Recycle prior editions)

Your Social Security Number and Card

Produced and published at U.S. taxpayer expense

Printed on recycled paper