What Information Does This Card Display
The front of the card holds your name, photograph and signature, along withthe card expiry date. The back of the card holds your PPS number and a cardnumber. It also holds a magnetic stripe to enable social welfare payments suchas pensions to be collected at post offices
If you are entitled to freetravel the card will also display this information in the top left-handcorner. If FT-P is written on the card the holder is personally entitled tofree travel. If FT+S is written on the card the holder can travel with theirspouse, partner or cohabitant. If FT+C is written on the card the holder canhave a companion travel with them for free.
How Can Thieves Profit From Stealing My Social Security Card
Fraud artists can manipulate a stolen or lost Social Security card in a lot of waysall of which can lead to you taking a major financial hit. Here are three ways they do it.
Knowing how to get a new Social Security card makes sense given the potential costs if yours is lost or stolen.
More Information About How To Get A New Social Security Card & Replacing A Social Security Card
Replacement cards will arrive within 10 business days of submitting your application, and a temporary social security card printout can be requested from your local office. In order to get a replacement social security card you will need to provide documentation that proves you are a US citizen and your identity. All documents must be either originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. The social security office will not accept photocopies, notarized copies of documents or receipts showing you applied for the document. Social Security may use one document for two purposes, such as using your US passport as proof of both citizenship and identity. However you are still required to provide at least two separate documents. This page assumes you are an adult and a US citizen.
Acceptable Documents For Your Social Security Card Application
When you submit your application, either in person or by mail, you must also submit documentation proving three things: Age, Citizenship, and Identity. You must use at least one document from each category. If you use a document that covers multiple categories, you must use at least two total documents.
Original documents or certified copies are required. Photocopies are not acceptable.
Age
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Accessing Your Personal Information
If you live in Canada, you have the right to ask for information about your SIN record.
You may ask for a copy of any SIN forms submitted in the past. To ask for copies you must:
- Complete a Personal Information Request form and mail to this address:
Access to Information and privacy Coordinator
Phase IV Floor 12 Mail Stop 1203
140 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau QC K1A 0J9
Types Of Social Security Cards
We issue three types of Social Security cards. All cards show your name and Social Security number. If you are not a U.S. Citizen or lawful permanent resident, you may have a work restriction listed on your card. The chart below explains the three types of cards that we issue:
Shows your name and Social Security number and lets you work without restriction.
We issue it to:
- People lawfully admitted to the United States on a permanent basis.
Shows your name and Social Security number with the restriction, “VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION”.
We issue it to people lawfully admitted to the United States on a temporary basis who have DHS authorization to work.
Shows your name and Social Security number with the restriction, “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 have a valid non-work reason for needing a Social Security number or
- need a number because of a federal law requiring a Social Security number to get a benefit or service.
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Get Ssa Benefits While Living Overseas
U.S. citizens can travel to or live in most, but not all, foreign countries and still receive their Social Security benefits. You can find out if you can receive benefits overseas by using the Social Security Administrations payment verification tool. Once you access the tool, pick the country you’re visiting or living in from the drop-down menu options.
Getting A Social Security Number For A New Baby
The easiest way to get a Social Security number for your child is at the hospital after they are born when you apply for your childs birth certificate. If you wait to apply for a number at a Social Security office, there may be delays while SSA verifies your childs birth certificate.
Your child will need their own Social Security number so you can:
- Claim your child as a dependent on your income tax return
- Open a bank account in their name
- Get medical coverage for them
- Apply for government services for them
Keep your Social Security card in a safe place to protect yourself from identity theft.
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What You Should Expect & When Will You Receive Your Card
The process time varies so be sure to get to the office as early as possible. Lines can be very long. You should be certain to check your documentation beforehand to prevent embarrassment and unnecessary delays.
Once your application is completed and submitted along with any supporting documentation, the Social Security office will normally take one week to send you a card if you applied in person, two weeks if you applied through mail. If you have not received your social security card, you should contact your local Social Security office.
How Do Benefits Work And How Can I Qualify
While you work, you pay Social Security taxes. This tax money goes into a trust fund that pays benefits to:
Those who are currently retired
To people with disabilities
To the surviving spouses and children of workers who have died
Each year you work, youll get credits to help you become eligible for benefits when its time for you to retire. Find all the benefits Social Security Administration offers.
There are four main types of benefits that the SSA offers:
Learn about earning limits if you plan to work while receiving Social Security benefits
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Corrected Card For A Us Born Adult
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:
- Prevent your wages from being posted correctly to your Social Security record, which may lower the amount of your future Social Security benefits.
- Cause delays when you file your taxes.
Important
We cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies. We cannot accept a receipt showing you applied for the document. All documents must be current .
We may use one document for two purposes. For example, we may use your U.S. passport as proof of both citizenship and identity.
Corrected Card For A Foreign Born Us Citizen Adult
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, you also need to tell your employer. If you do not tell us when your name changes, it may:
- Prevent your wages from being posted correctly to your Social Security record, which may lower the amount of your future Social Security benefits.
- Cause delays when you file your taxes.
Important
You must present original documents or copies certified by the agency that issued them. We cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies. All documents must be current . We cannot accept a receipt showing you applied for the document.
We may use one document for two purposes. For example, we may use your U.S. passport as proof of both citizenship and identity.
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Lost Your Social Security Card Need To Make Changes Here’s How
InvestopediaForbes AdvisorThe Motley Fool, CredibleInsider
Many people find they need to change or correct their Social Security information when they get married or divorced and change their names. Or they need a replacement Social Security card when they realize theyve lost their original one or it’s been stolen. Here is how to deal with either of those situations.
How To Request A Social Security Card Replacement
If all you need is a replacement Social Security card, with no other changes, you can simply request a new card online at the Social Security website. You’ll need to be a U.S. citizen age 18 or older with a U.S. mailing address and will have to supply information from a drivers license or state-issued identification card from a participating state or the District of Columbia.
Currently, every state but Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and West Virginia participates in this program. If you’re from Alaska, Delaware, and Wisconsin, note that Social Security will only accept a driver’s license.
This service is not yet available to people whose drivers license or identification card was issued by a U.S. territory, such as Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Note that a new Social Security card can also be requested by filling out the application and returning it via mail to dropping it off at the local Social Security Administration office. Or applicants can go to the local Social Security Administration office and fill out an application there.
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Replacement Card For A Us Born Child
You can replace your child’s Social Security card for free if it is lost or stolen. You are limited to three replacement cards in a year and 10 during a lifetime. Legal name changes and other exceptions do not count toward these limits. For example, changes in immigration 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.
Important
You must present original documents or copies certified by the agency that issued them. We cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies. All documents must be current . We cannot accept a receipt showing you applied for the document.
Submitting Your Application By Mail Or In Person
The final step is to submit the SS-5 form and your original or certified documents to your local Social Security office or card center, either by mail or in person. You can find the address online using the Social Security Administration’s Field Office Locator.
If you apply by mail, the office or center will mail your original documents back to you along with your new Social Security card.
One advantage of going in person is that you eliminate the possibility that sensitive or difficult-to-replace personal documents, such as your original birth certificate, driver’s license, or passport, will get lost or stolen in the mail. If you have any questions, you can also call that office beforehand and ask which documents you need to bring with you.
Generally, the Social Security Administration says, it will take two to four weeks to process your application and send you your card.
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Card Replacement Or Renewal
Born Belizeans applying for a card replacement or renewal, who do not have a scanned image of their birth certificate in the Social Security Boards registration database, do not need to provide their birth certificate provided that:
Note: A change of name or date of birth must be authenticated by providing evidence showing that a bona fide/legal change has been made.
Registered persons who have a recent photo captured in SSBs registration database do not need to provide the required Photo ID for card replacement or renewal purposes.
How To Request A Social Security Card With A Different Name
The steps to update your card after a name change are similar to those for applying for a card in the first place. You’ll need to fill out the Social Security Administrations Form SS-5: Application for a Social Security Card and gather supporting documents to prove your age, identity, and citizenship status.
Form SS-5 is a one-page form with 18 items. Most of these items should be easy for you to complete. This form can be printed and filled out by hand or filled out on a PDF form and then printed.
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Applying For A Social Security Replacement Card Especially Online Can Be Fairly Straightforward You Just Need The Right Documentation On Hand
It can be frustrating searching for your Social Security card, coming up empty and realizing you need to get a new one.
Even with the Social Security Administration offices mostly closed to the public right now because of COVID-19, getting a card replacement can be fairly straightforward. But you need to have the right documentation for the agency to issue you a new one.
Here are four things you need to know about getting a Social Security card replacement.
1 of 4
Replacements Arent Always Needed
Also, you should be aware of the fact that its not always that you need a card replacement. If you know your number, that may be enough for you in some cases. However, if you find yourself in a situation where a card is necessary, then you need a replacement, and applying online is very easy.
If you are one of the people who cannot apply online, you should go to a Social Security office instead. If you visit socialsecurity.gov, you can find the available locations. Luckily, there are over 1,300 offices for this purpose. If the office is too far away from you, its also possible to download the application and mail it. However, this is a little risky, because it is possible to get your identity stolen.
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Corrected Card For A Noncitizen Adult
If you change your name, become a U.S. citizen, or your immigration status or work authorization has changed, you need to tell Social Security so we can update our records and when necessary, issue a new card.
When you request a replacement or a corrected Social Security card, you must show us proof of your identity, immigration status and work authorization. In addition, if you need to change or correct any information on your Social Security card, you need to show us certain documents about the change. We can only accept certain documents.
How Do I Update My Social Security Card After I Get Us Citizenship
You have just become a US citizen, and, therefore, you can and should use all the advantages of obtaining US citizenship. For example, you can get various disability and retirement benefits as a true US citizen. But before you are actually able to get a new job or employ government services, the United States government requires you to get a Social Security card.
Getting your Social Security data updated is easy, but before you visit SSA, the Social Security Administration, you should wait for at least two weeks after your Oath of Allegiance ceremony finished. A couple of weeks should be enough so that the US government updates your data.
To update a Social Security card and also the Social Security Number , you are required to provide at least two documents to SSA. One such document is the Certificate of Naturalization and you should also get ready one of the following documents:
- US passport
- A certified copy of your medical record
- Health insurance card or
- US military or government identification card.
SSA will not accept your birth certificate, however. Note that you need two documents if you are applying for a new Social Security card. If you already have such a card and just need to update it, one document will be enough for the Social Security Administration.
As a side note, once you received the Certificate of Naturalization, you may need or want to apply for a US passport for traveling abroad and register to vote besides updating the Social Security card.
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Replacement Card For A Foreign Born Us Child
You can replace your child’s Social Security card for free if it is lost or stolen. However you may not need to get a replacement card, knowing your childâs Social Security number is what’s important. You are limited to three replacement cards in a year and 10 during a lifetime. Legal name changes do 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.
Important
You must present original documents or copies certified by the agency that issued them. We cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies. All documents must be current . We cannot accept a receipt showing you applied for the document.