The employer enters the name, SSN, date of birth, and alleged citizenship/alien status from DHS Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification into the E-Verify system. To make the world smarter, happier, and richer. By that time, some 35million SSNs had been issued at a cost of $5.7million (SSA1990, 1; McKinley and Frase1970, 372). You will rarely need to show it. Anything as important as your Social Security card deserves a home. Although SSA has made the card counterfeit-resistant, the card does not contain information that would allow it to be used as proof of identity. We'll run through the major use cases here, so you can understand how to take advantage of its benefits as soon as you arrive: Employment and taxes The primary reason why a SSN is important is its role in employment and taxation. Committee on the Judiciary Serial No. Each Numident record can contain up to 300Numident entries (iterations) representing an addition or change to the Numident information for a person. The Social Security number (SSN) was created in 1936 for the sole purpose of tracking the earnings histories of U.S. workers, for use in determining Social Security benefit entitlement and computing benefit levels. In 2022, for every dollar you pay in Social Security payroll tax, 85 cents goes towards the Social Security trust fund that pays monthly benefits to current retirees and their families (and. When and Why You Need a Social Security Number, When Opening an Account with Any U.S. Financial Institution, When Applying for Certain Types of Public Assistance, When to Avoid Using Your Social Security Number, What Is a SSN? In 49 states and the District of Columbia, a Social Security card isnt required to request a Real ID. Please read our factsheet, How You Can Help Us Protect Your Social Security Number and Keep Your Information Safe, for more information. Fay, JosephL., and MaxJ. Wasserman. Up to 1,600panels were then hung on each rack (Staruch1978, 29). Combating identity theft: A strategic plan. On November18, 2008, President GeorgeW. Bush issued EO13478 rescinding the 1943EO requiring all federal agencies to use the SSN as an identifier. /august1965.pdf. The Post Office Department had 45,000facilities and over 350,000employees at that time (Wyatt and Wandel1937, 52). Unfortunately, this universality has led to abuse of the SSN. Finally, on June2, 1936, the Board decided to keep the 9-digit scheme, although using the fourth and fifth digits to represent the month of birth was abandoned. You should always ask why your number is needed, how it will be used, and what will happen if you refuse. If you need a replacement Social Security card, we make it easy. 109th Cong., 2d sess. MILITAR. For over 20years, Bureau field offices assigned SSNs, using blocks of prenumbered Social Security cards furnished to each office. SSA is currently working with DoS and DHS on expanding the EaE process to additional noncitizens. You will need it often throughout your life for things like . PDF Meaning of the Social Security Number - The United States Social A 1937 publication recounts, "A recent news account states that the Fred Smiths of New York City have had so much trouble in being identified by their creditors, the courts, and even their friends, that they have joined together in forming the 'Fred Smiths, Incorporated,' to serve as a clearing house for their identification problems." Available at www.socialsecurity.gov/history/corson538.html. If you are born in the United States, your SSN will be assigned shortly after your birth. Employers who participate in E-Verify, a program to make sure employees can legally work in the U.S., also must obtain your Social Security number before you can begin work. /ssnreport.html. It plays an important part in your everyday and financial life when it comes to things like . How to Apply for a Standard License without a Social Security Number or Ineligibility Letter.. The SSN was created in 1936 as part of The New Deal. Keep the number in your head and the card locked up at home. Keep that number in mind and use it to determine your ideal filing age. Identity theft and your Social Security number. If you file for Social Security at FRA, you'll get the exact monthly benefit your earnings record entitles you to. The Baltimore Records Office used a nine-step process to create a permanent master record and to establish an earnings record for each individual.10 One hundred applications and office record cards, numbered consecutively, were sent through each operation together with a control unit of nine cards (one for each step). SSA interpreted this provision as calling for consideration of techniques that could link the card to the assigned number holder, such as including identifying information about the card holder on the card itself, or adding the number holder's picture, fingerprint, biometric identifier, or some combination of such features in or on the card (Donnelly 1999). Invest better with The Motley Fool. Congress has also considered legislation that would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to use an alternative to the SSN as the Medicare claim number. The Importance of Social Security Benefits to the Income of the Aged Audit report A-08-08-18058. 2008. You may be able to use a personal my Social Security account to request a replacement on our website. Postal regulations stated that this privilege could only be used if an individual was not required by law to submit the information. Visit our Social Security Number and Card page to learn more about your Social Security card. There are a number of ways to initiate the application process. 1 In addition, effective January1, 1937, workers attaining age65 could apply for a lump-sum payment (equal to 3.5percent of wages earned after December31, 1936) in lieu of monthly benefit payments. Age 70 is when credits for delaying your benefits stop accruing. Government benefits Social Security Social Security Learn about Social Security, including retirement and disability benefits, how to get or replace your Social Security card, and more. A few examples are described below. The SSN Verification Service (SSNVS) is a free Internet-based system that can be used by registered employers for SSN verification prior to wage reporting. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Your FRA hinges on the year you were born. 2008. On April15, 1974, SSA implemented evidence requirements (age, identity, and citizenship/alien status) for applicants for an original SSN who are foreign-born, or are U.S.-born and age18 or older. The author also wishes to thank the many employees in the Office of Income Support Programs and the Office of Earnings and Enumeration and Administrative Systems who reviewed the article for technical correctness. Thus, issuing duplicate SSNs was possible. Ask Larry. The Most Important Social Security Number You Need to Know Plan for Medicare., U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. For your security, we do not have access to private information in this venue. It says that even banks and credit companies usually cant require you to provide a Social Security number if you dont have one. Based on SS-4 information, the post offices delivered Form SS-5s to the employers the following week for distribution to employees (McKinley and Frase1970, 368). Federal law basically lets anyone ask for your Social Security number, but that doesnt mean you need to give it out. 60. Step 2: Complete the Social Insurance Number application. In early November1935, the Social Security Board adopted an identifier composed of 3alphabetic characters representing geographic areas and 5numeric characters. The task force was formed in January2006 and included several other agencies, such as the FBI, the DoS, and the Government Printing Office. . Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press. Also, when disclosure laws allow, many federal and state agencies use an SSA verification system to verify SSNs. What should I do if I get a call claiming there's a problem with my In September1992, SSA began to annotate Social Security cards for aliens with temporary work authorization "valid for work only with INS [now DHS] authorization.". From account number to benefithow we operate. We hope this helps. The E-Verify program (previously known as the Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification System), administered by DHS with SSA's support, can be used by employers to verify the SSN and confirm employment authorization under immigration law for newly hired employees. We are sorry to hear that. SSA has instituted numerous evidentiary requirements to further safeguard and preserve the integrity of the SSN and to ensure assignment of SSNs and issuance of cards only to eligible individuals. That number could be the difference between reducing your monthly benefit in retirement or enjoying a higher income stream for life. Also, in 1979 SSA created an electronic file called MULTX from a set of punch cards identifying multiple SSNs that was maintained by SSA's Office of Earnings Operations. www.socialsecurity.gov/employer/stateweb.htm, www.socialsecurity.gov/history/ssb36.html, www.socialsecurity.gov/history/pubaffairs.html, www.socialsecurity.gov/history/jackforal.html, www.socialsecurity.gov/history/fay638.html, www.socialsecurity.gov/history/ssa/yourss55.html, www.socialsecurity.gov/history/candlerops.html, www.socialsecurity.gov/history/corson538.html, www.socialsecurity.gov/legislation/testimony, www.socialsecurity.gov/history/ssa/usa1964-3.html, edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-12831.pdf, www.socialsecurity.gov/history/court.html, www.socialsecurity.gov/history/ssn/misused.html, www.socialsecurity.gov/history/ssn/ssnchron.html, Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, Application for an employer identification number, Evidence of identity required of applicants aged55 or older for original, Evidence required establishing age, true identity, and citizenship or alien status of, Evidence required establishing age, identity, and citizenship or alien status of. You can, First, realize that you may not need a replacement card. Once microfilmed, the original SS-5 is destroyed.15. Immigration and welfare reform legislation enacted in August1996 (P.L. Below are some other common scenarios where youll need to provide your Social Security number. The best way to Guard Your Card is to keep it in a safe place and share it only when required, which is rare. The Social Security Board issued releases at various times assuring the public that the information on the application would be kept confidential, with access limited to government employees for whom job duties under the Social Security Act required it (Wyatt and Wandel1937, 57). Why is FRA important? Please call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for assistance. A sole proprietorship or sole trader is an unincorporated business with a single owner who pays personal income tax on business profits. The Purpose of Having a Social Security Number - Investopedia Your employer will also use it for state income tax reporting, unless your state doesnt have an income tax. If that's the case, you can delay your filing past FRA and boost your benefits by 8% a year up until age 70. Since 1970, the federal government has required banks to obtain customers Social Security numbers or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). Maybe you're still working, or maybe you have a healthy enough retirement savings fund that you're doing just fine without that extra money. As a result, additional security features were added to the card in 2007. Please be aware our call volume is higher than normal. Assigned at birth, the SSN enables government agencies to identify individuals in their records and businesses to track an individual's financial information. Social Security numbers are comprised of nine-digits, which can be broken down into three groups: the area number, the group number, and the serial number. Prepared testimony before the House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims. The extent of that reduction will depend on how early you file. 2006. Meaning of the Social Security number. Why Is The Social Security Number Important? When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Assigning responsibility for the vast registration process was a real problem. One or more area numbers were allocated to each state based on the anticipated number of SSN issuances in the state.3 Prior to 1972, the numbers were issued to local offices for assignment to individuals; it was thought this would capture information about the worker's residence. No dated. Social Security numbers: Social Security number chronology. Then, on May15, 1978, SSA began requiring evidence of age, identity, and citizenship/alien status from all applicants for original SSNs, and evidence of identity for replacement Social Security cards. Instead, keep the card in a secure place at home or in a safe deposit box at the bank. 1964. SSA is a member of the Identity Theft Task Force and will continue to work with other members to protect, to the maximum extent possible, the integrity of the SSN. It's simple. The appropriate control card was removed at the end of a step and sent to a control file to track the status of each block (McKinley and Frase1970, 375). You can call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for assistance. E-Verify automatically matches this information against SSA's Numident, as well as DHS immigration records if the hire is a noncitizen. This article explores the history and meaning of the SSN and the Social Security card, as well as the Social Security Administration's (SSA's) SSN master file, generally known as the Numident. In August1958, SSA began converting the Flexoline index to microfilm and began capturing new SSN records on magnetic tape, using a special machine to then transcribe the code directly from magnetic tape into a readable microfilm record (Staruch1978, 2930). Social Security Administration. 98-21). In 2007, the President's Identity Theft Task Force (2007, 3) included among its SSN recommendations that "federal agencies should reduce the unnecessary use of SSNs, the most valuable commodity for an identity thief.". Policy Guidance Regarding Inquiries into Citizenship, Immigration Status and Social Security Numbers in State Applications for Medicaid, State Childrens Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Food Stamp Benefits., Social Security Administration. Available at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10064.html. The Social Security Board supplied these centers with Office Record Form OA-702, in blocks of 1,000, with the account number preprinted. Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the Agricultural Adjustment Act invalid in January1936, raising the possibility that the Social Security Act might also be declared unconstitutional (McKinley and Frase1970, 2223; SSA1952). . As of January20, 2009, SSA had issued 429,959original and 114,714replacement SSNs through the EaE process. As of September30, 1936, Bureau of Old-Age Benefits employees numbered only 164 (Corson1938, 6). Financial institutions use your SSN to check your credit, to report your interest and investment income or losses to the IRS, to report your tax-deductible mortgage interest to the IRS, and to manage your account. Since 1976, the design of original and replacement Social Security cards has been the same. SSA has taken measures to prevent counterfeiting of the card, and a counterfeit-resistant version is now used for both original and replacement cards. There are a variety of reasons why a Social Security number is important to your life in the United States. In addition, SSA may assign a new SSN to an individual who is a victim of SSN misuse, which means that the number has been used with criminal or harmful intent and the individual has been subjected to economic or personal hardship. The Board ultimately decided to accept returned SS -5s without postage on October 8, 1936, and the Treasury Department issued regulations on November 6, 1936 that mandated the SSN be provided (McKinley and Frase 1970, 351-352 and 360). Washington, DC: Graphic Arts Press. Lockhart, JamesB. In October1936, the Social Security Board selected a design submitted by FrederickE. Happel, an artist and photo engraver from Albany, NY, for the original Social Security card, for which Happel was paid $60.5 The Board placed an initial order for 26million cards. What's a Social Security number and why is it important? Sequence 700 through 728 was assigned to railroad workers until July1963. The group number (the fourth and fifth digits of the SSN) was initially determined by the procedure of issuing numbers in groups of 10,000 to post offices for assignment on behalf of the Social Security Board's Bureau of Old-Age Benefits. Discarded mail and documents are a magnet for identity thieves. I need to order a replacement social security card, but Social Security has lost my account. The National Center for Health Statistics reports a similar problem. Payment of monthly benefits was initially postponed until January1942; the 1939Amendments to the Social Security Act moved the date up to January1940. In June1938, officials bragged "This film is so compact that the entire file of 40million photographed SS-5s is stored in 10ordinary letter-size file cabinets" (Fay and Wasserman1938, 25). We hope this helps. In 1961, issuance of original SSNs was centralized in Baltimore, but local offices continued to issue replacement cards. Employers were to begin to deduct payroll taxes from worker's wages in January1937, giving the agency little time to establish the SSN process.1 Besides clarifying program policy, the agency needed to hire and train employees (7,500 by March1938), set up facilities, develop public education programs, and create an earnings-tracking system (Corson1938, 6). This is a number that is incredibly important. Other features not obvious to the naked eye were also added. If the visa is granted, then DoS transmits the identifying data from the person's visa/SSN application to DHS. Why is FRA important? Since then, use of the SSN has expanded substantially. Some government agencies, such as the U.S. War and Navy Departments, the Veterans Administration (for paying pensions and for adjusted compensation certificates), and the Post Office Department (for Postal Savings depositors) used fingerprints for identification.

Smoldering Ember Wyrm, Articles W