Social Security number


In the United States, a Social Security number is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents under section 205 of the Social Security Act, codified as. The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent agency of the United States government. Although the original purpose for the number was for the Social Security Administration to track individuals, the Social Security number has become a de facto national identification number for taxation and other purposes.
A Social Security number may be obtained by applying on Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Number Card. Form SS-5 is also used to request a replacement, or to update/correct the Social Security number record.

History

Social Security numbers were first issued by the Social Security Administration in November 1936 as part of the New Deal Social Security program. Within three months, 25 million numbers were issued.
On November 24, 1936, 1,074 of the nation's 45,000 post offices were designated "typing centers" to type up Social Security cards that were then sent to Washington, D.C. On December 1, 1936, as part of the publicity campaign for the new program, Joseph L. Fay of the Social Security Administration selected a record from the top of the first stack of 1,000 records and announced that the first Social Security number in history was assigned to John David Sweeney, Jr. of New Rochelle, New York. However, since the Social Security numbers were not assigned in chronological order, Sweeney did not receive the lowest Social Security number, 001-01-0001. That distinction belongs to Grace D. Owen of Concord, New Hampshire.
Before 1986, people often did not obtain a Social Security number until the age of about 14, since the numbers were used for income tracking purposes, and those under that age seldom had substantial income. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 required parents to list Social Security numbers for each dependent over the age of 5 for whom the parent wanted to claim a tax deduction. Before this act, parents claiming tax deductions were simply trusted not to lie about the number of children they supported. During the first year of the Tax Reform Act, this anti-fraud change resulted in seven million fewer minor dependents being claimed. The disappearance of these dependents is believed to have involved either children who never existed or tax deductions improperly claimed by non-custodial parents. In 1988, the threshold was lowered to two years old, and in 1990, the threshold was lowered yet again to one year old. Today, an SSN is required regardless of the child's age to receive an exemption. Since then, parents have often applied for Social Security numbers for their children soon after birth; today, it can be done on the application for a birth certificate.

Purpose and use

The original purpose of this number was to track individuals' accounts within the Social Security program. It has since come to be used as an identifier for individuals within the United States, although rare errors occur where duplicates do exist. A few duplications did occur when prenumbered cards were sent out to regional SSA offices and post offices.
Employee, patient, student, and credit records are sometimes indexed by Social Security number.
The U.S. Armed Forces have used the Social Security number as an identification number for Army and Air Force personnel since July 1, 1969, the Navy and Marine Corps for their personnel since January 1, 1972, and the Coast Guard for their personnel since October 1, 1974. Previously, the United States military used a much more complicated system of service numbers that varied by service.
Beginning in June 2011, the DOD began removing the Social Security number from military identification cards, replacing them with a unique DOD identification number, formally known as the EDIPI.

Non-universal status

was originally a universal tax, but when Medicare was passed in 1965, objecting religious groups in existence prior to 1951 were allowed to opt out of the system. Because of this, not every American is part of the Social Security program, and not everyone has a number. However, a Social Security number is required for parents to claim their children as dependents for federal income tax purposes, and the Internal Revenue Service requires all corporations to obtain SSNs from their employees, as described below. The Old Order Amish have fought to prevent universal Social Security by overturning rules such as a requirement to provide a Social Security number for a hunting license.
Social Security cards printed from January 1946 until January 1972 expressly stated that people should not use the number and card for identification. Since nearly everyone in the United States now has an SSN, it became convenient to use it anyway and the message was removed.
Since then, Social Security numbers have become de facto national identification numbers. Although some people do not have an SSN assigned to them, it is becoming increasingly difficult to engage in legitimate financial activities such as applying for a loan or a bank account without one. While the government cannot require an individual to disclose their SSN without a legal basis, companies may refuse to provide service to an individual who does not provide an SSN. The card on which an SSN is issued is still not suitable for primary identification as it has no photograph, no physical description, and no birth date. Instead, a driver's license or state ID card is used as an identification for adults.

Use required for federal tax purposes

section 6109 provides: "The social security account number issued to an individual for purposes of section 205 of the Social Security Act shall, except as shall otherwise be specified under regulations of the Secretary , be used as the identifying number for such individual for purposes of this title ."
The Internal Revenue Code also provides, when required by regulations prescribed by the secretary of the treasury or their delegate:
  • Inclusion in returns: Any person required under the authority of this title to make a return, statement, or other document shall include in such return, statement, or other document such identifying number as may be prescribed for securing proper identification of such person.
  • Furnishing number to other persons: Any person with respect to whom a return, statement, or other document is required under the authority of this title to be made by another person or whose identifying number is required to be shown on a return of another person shall furnish to such other person such identifying number as may be prescribed for securing their proper identification.
According to U.S. Treasury regulations, any person who, after October 31, 1962, works as an employee for wages subject to Social Security taxes, Medicare taxes, or U.S. federal income tax withholdings is required to apply for "an account number" using Form SS-5. As of March 2025, automatic issuance of SSNs via the Enumeration Beyond Entry program has been discontinued. Applicants must now attend in-person appointments at SSA offices to receive their SSNs, regardless of selection during USCIS form submission.
A taxpayer who is not eligible to have a Social Security Number must obtain a Taxpayer Identification Number.

Types of Social Security cards

Four different classifications of Social Security cards are issued. Such cards are issued by geographic location to:
  1. persons of natural birth within the territorial boundaries of any one of the member States of the United States of America;
  2. persons who become U.S. citizens by oath, or birth within the exclusive legislative or territorial jurisdiction of the U.S. government;
  3. persons who become U.S. permanent residents;
  4. persons with certain restrictions.
There are two restricted types of Social Security cards:
  • One reads "not valid for employment." Such cards cannot be used as proof of work authorization, and are not acceptable as a List C document on the I-9 form.
  • The other reads "valid for work only with DHS authorization", or the older, "valid for work only with INS authorization." These cards are issued to people who have temporary work authorization in the U.S. from the Department of Homeland Security -- the nation's border agency. They can satisfy the I-9 requirement, if they are accompanied by a work authorization card.
The cards commonly display the cardholder's name and number.
Note: As of 2025, individuals must request their SSN in person at a Social Security Administration office, even if they applied for one through USCIS forms like I-765 or N-400. Automatic issuance is no longer supported.
In 2004 Congress passed The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act; parts of which mandated that the Social Security Administration redesign the SSN card to prevent forgery. From April 2006 through August 2007, the SSA and Government Printing Office employees were assigned to redesign the Social Security number card to the specifications of the Interagency Task Force created by the commissioner of Social Security in consultation with the secretary of Homeland Security.
The new SSN card design utilizes both covert and overt security features created by the SSA and GPO design teams.

Suspension of the Enumeration Beyond Entry (EBE) Program

In March 2025, the Social Security Administration quietly suspended the Enumeration Beyond Entry program, which previously enabled automatic issuance of SSNs to applicants for work authorization or naturalization. Under EBE, applicants would receive their SSNs via mail without needing to visit SSA offices.
With this suspension, individuals must now schedule in-person appointments at SSA offices to obtain an SSN—even if they selected the SSN option on USCIS forms. This change impacts new green card holders, work permit recipients, and naturalized citizens who cannot legally work, open bank accounts, or obtain state IDs without an SSN.
SSA estimated that the automatic issuance cost was approximately $8, while the current in-person issuance process now costs $55.80 per request. Staffing cuts of 12% and the closure of 47 SSA offices have exacerbated appointment backlogs, affecting over 3.24 million I-765 applicants in 2024 alone.
Individuals experiencing delays are advised to document the impact on employment, housing, or financial access and consult immigration counsel as necessary.