Explanation of a Social Security Number
In the United States your Social Security number (SSN) consists of nine very important numbers. Some people receive their SSN as a baby, so that their parents may include them at income tax reporting time and others receive it when they get their first job. When an identity thief gets hold of an SSN, the rest of the identity theft is easy, so we must vigilantly guard these precious numbers.
Social Security is a nationwide program that uses public money to provide a certain degree of economic security for all Americans. This government program was started in 1935 and provides old age, disability, survivors insurance and supplemental security income for elderly and disabled people. All American employers and employees are required to pay Social Security taxes. This tax money is used to provide benefits for retired people and other qualified persons. We receive Social Security benefits based on the amount of Social Security taxes that we paid during our working careers.
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Social Security also provides to those earning a low income. (Learn about Social Security reform at the Social Security Reform Centre) The fundamental purpose of your SSN is to keep a record of the funds you paid into the Social Security program so that you may receive benefits later on in your life. Our Federal government requires a steady, lifelong, ‘unique to you’ identity number so that a record may kept of your payments during your entire working life, regardless of how many times we change jobs/careers, move or change our names.
New SSNs are not assigned consecutively and the very first number was not the lowest number nor was the most recent the highest. The SSNs are assigned to a specific region and come in batches. The nine digit SSN has been issued in more than 400 million different sequences and is defined into three parts, area, group and serial numbers. Area numbers. The first three numbers originally represented the state in which the person first applied for a Social Security card. Numbers commenced in the Northeast and moved westward. Then in 1972 the Social Security Administration (SSA) began to assign numbers based on the ZIP code provided on the original application form. Because the applicants mailing address is not always their home address the SSN does not necessarily represent the state in which he/she lives.
For many Americans who received their SSN as babies, the area number indicates the state we were born in. Group numbers. These are the two middle digits that go from 01 to 99 and are used to create a break in all the SSNs with the same area number into smaller, more administrative friendly blocks. The SSA tells us that group numbers issued first consist of the odd numbers from 01 through 09, and then even numbers from 10 through 98, with each number assigned to a state. When all numbers in group 98 of a specific area have been issued, the even groups 02 through 08 are used, followed by odd groups 11 through 99. Serial numbers. The last four digits are the serial numbers and within each group designation run consecutively from 0001 through 9999. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service advises that any U.S. citizen over the age of 18 yrs. who receives income must have an SSN and the employer is required to report the persons income to the IRS. You have no choice; you must participate in Social Security coverage. You do not have to apply for your child’s SSN unless you want to claim the child as a deduction on your income taxes. You can apply for your child’s SSN by applying directly to the Social Security Administration.
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If you want to open a savings account for your child, acquire medical coverage for them or let them utilize a government service, you will need to get them an SSN. After a person dies the SSA advises that the SSN is not recycled, rather the number is removed from the active files and not reused. Statisticians state that the nine digit SSN allows for approximately one billion possible combinations. If you change your name or your SSN is lost or stolen you will need to complete a Form SS-5. Your new number will be the same as your old number and to receive a replacement card you will require proof of identity i.e. driver’s license, employer ID card, marriage license or divorce decree, military records, adoption records, passport, school ID card, health insurance card (Medicare card is not accepted). In very rare circumstances like identity theft or stalking, the SSA will assign a person a new SSN.
Even in extreme cases the only agency or company etc. that can issue a new SSN is the Social Security Administration. If you encounter a company that offers to procure a new SSN for you to clear up your credit, report them to the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. If you need more information on acquiring a new card call (800) 772-1213 or visit the SSA Web site. (see direct link in this article) If anyone steals your SSN and identity they are subject to some serious prosecution. In October 1998, President Bill Clinton signed the Identity Theft and Assumption Deference Act of 1998 and this act makes it a felony to use or transfer the identity (including the SSN) of another person. A short while ago the act was used successfully to prosecute a Wisconsin man for stealing the identity of an Illinois man when the victims SSN was used to get a job that enabled the identity thief to steal computer equipment and open bank accounts and file income taxes. The identity thief plead guilty and faces a maximum 15 years and a fine up to $250,000. The Social Security Fraud hotline is P.O. Box 17768, Baltimore, MD 21235, Tel: (800) 269-0271 from 10am to 4pm EST, Fax: (410) 597-0018, Email: oig.hotline@ssa.gov
