why do we have social security numbers

No dated. Social Security numbers: Social Security number chronology. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Audit report A-08-08-18058. In March1972, SSA began assigning SSNs and issuing cards exclusively from Baltimore via a computer-based system.8 It was also in 1972 that all applicants for federal benefits were required to have their own SSN. You dont want to risk losing your card or having it stolen since thieves can use this number, in combination with your other personal data, to apply for credit, take out loans, get a job, or even get health care in your name, creating a potentially massive identity theft problem for you to clean up. Criminals can use your Social Security number to steal your identity. Federal survey-takers are also finding that as respondents have become more aware of the risk of identity theft, they are less willing to supply SSNs that are useful in linking the agency's survey data with administrative records from other agencies. . Department of Treasury, Division of Tax Research. When the time comes to retire, or if you ever need to receive Social Security disability income, the government uses the information about your contributions to Social Security to determine your eligibility and calculate your benefit payments. Citizenship and Immigration Services website indicates that 109,211employers, representing close to 434,000worksites, were registered to use E-Verify as of February2009. 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. If. 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). But any lone number, whether it has nine digits or 100, could still be stolen from a repository and shared online. It was estimated that it would have taken 250tons of metal for initial registration. /designssn.html. A criminal records search, on the other hand, does not need the SSN. In July1937 alone, Bureau field offices issued some 1.9million additional SSNs (McKinley and Frase1970, 368373). The IRS uses the AGI to determine how much income tax you owe. A study of the establishment of the field office of the Bureau of Old-Age and Survivor Insurance: A thesis presented to the graduate council of the faculty of the School of Social Sciences and Public Affairs. As of September30, 1936, Bureau of Old-Age Benefits employees numbered only 164 (Corson1938, 6). 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. Later known as the "National Employee Index Flexoline File" or just "Flexoline," the visual index consisted of strips of thin bamboo, 3/16 of an inch wide by 9inches longone for each SSN issuedset in a steel panel. The employer should to allow the employee to start working, complete the Form I-9 timely and wait to enter the case in E-Verify once the SSN is . Millions of illegal immigrants do have Social Security numbers (SSNs), and they will receive billions of dollars in stimulus money. Pete Rathburn is a freelance writer, copy editor, and fact-checker with expertise in economics and personal finance. The CPA will need your social for K1 purposes. Instead, Tobac says, the other factors should come from a different source: something you have or something you are. Those for external entities generally indicate whether the data submitted match SSA records, and whether the SSN holder has died, but will not disclose additional information to the requestor. It extends the longevity of the nine-digit Social Security number. One of the first steps was to distinguish whether cards were valid for work purposes. The information is being used by criminals in two ways. Over time, as the use of the SSN expanded for other purposes, SSA recognized that changes were necessary to protect the integrity of the card. They were created as part of the Social Security Act, which required a single number to track income over each American's lifetime, in order to . Internal Revenue Service. I can see that the wheels are turning. If you do have a valid Social Security number, you will be required to show it while applying for health insurance. While the Social Security Board was still setting up offices around the country, the Post Office played a huge administrative role by distributing and collecting applications and generating Social Security numbers. Unpublished Census Bureau document. SSA was not required to adopt any of the options. Their effort resulted in a list of 2.4million employers (McKinley and Frase1970, 344345 and 368). 1(5): 4954. 60. And then, of course, [they are used to apply for] government benefits: things like unemployment, SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] benefits, aid to families with dependent children. Access to such a wide range of assets makes the numbers a prime target for hackers. /august1965.pdf. Lockhart, JamesB. In September1936, when the Post Office Department signed the agreement to handle the initial registration, the Board had planned for the Bureau of Old-Age Benefits to have 554field offices set up to take over the enumeration workload in January1937. The answer is not as simple as replacing each nine-digit number with a longer one. The Associated Press, the United Press, the Hearst chain, and many individual papers ran a series of articles on old-age benefits and registration for weeks at a time. Also in July, the Board talked to the Post Office Department about assigning post office personnel to assist in cities where the Board would not yet have field offices to handle the registration (McKinley and Frase1970, 342347). Nevertheless, Congressional legislation and federal agency regulations require the collection of SSNs for myriad purposes, as detailed in Exhibit2. Many purchasers adopted the SSN as their own5,755 people were using it in the peak year 1943, and 12 were still using it as late as 1977. As early as December2004, IRTPA legislation prohibited states from displaying the SSN on driver's licenses or motor vehicle registrations. And when that time comes down the line, one of the things that immigration officers and judges look for is something called GMC. Staruch, George. In addition to. 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. Many businesses will ask for your Social Security number simply because its a convenient way for them to identify customers. /testimony_091902.html. Report to Congress on options for enhancing the Social Security card. Created merely to keep track of the earnings history of U.S. workers for Social Security entitlement and benefit computation purposes, it has come to be used as a nearly universal identifier. The remaining digits are simply a serial . The strips were inserted into the frame one by one, with some employees filing as many as 300strips an hour. As of December2007, SSA had identified and cross-referenced in the MULTX file over 4.7million individuals with multiple SSNs, about 93percent of whom have only two SSNs. Definition, Types, and Examples. Long, WayneS. 1993. 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). However, there is also no law that . According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), "Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information, like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes." 586 was divided among American Samoa, Guam, the Philippines, Americans employed abroad by American employers and, from 1975 to 1979, Indochinese refugees. Exhibit1 shows the effective dates of changes in policy on evidentiary requirements. The recent consent of the SSN holder to release the information is required.16. Identity theft occurs when your personal or financial information is used by someone else to commit fraud. Because an SSN is needed for work and has been adopted for many other uses, a market for counterfeit Social Security cards has developed. I cant sit here and tell you that this method is going to be 100 percent fail-safe, Tobac says. The company vice president thought it would be clever to use a sample card with his secretary's actual SSN. However, the numbers have been so widely requested and distributed that they are no longer private, especially given the frequency of data breaches. Your doctors office and other businesses can use other information to identify you and keep track of your records. Renting an apartment, applying for a job or opening a bank account often require a user to hand over their SSN as a form of identification. 109th Cong., 2d sess. The original purpose of the SSN was to enable the Social Security Board to maintain accurate records of the earnings of individuals who worked in jobs covered under the Social Security program. 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. Additional states began to participate in EAB in July1988. . Social Security Bulletin 45(11): 2930. About half of Numident records have multiple entries. Continue reading with a Scientific American subscription. Instead of focusing our security risks on this single data point, we need to develop these more holistic and multilayered approaches to identity management, Velasquez says. The seven options that SSA developed included: SSA estimated that the cost at that time of issuing an enhanced card to almost 300million card holders would range, depending on the type of card, from $5.1billion to $10.5billion. 1970. Available at www.ftc.gov/os/2008/12 Having an SSN makes life easier in the USA, in many ways. Also, when disclosure laws allow, many federal and state agencies use an SSA verification system to verify SSNs. Available at www.socialsecurity.gov/history/reports . This website is produced and published at U.S. taxpayer expense. Also in 2002, SSA began to open offices dedicated entirely to handling Social Security number business. Immigration and welfare reform legislation enacted in August1996 (P.L. 1990. 2022 A&E Television Networks, LLC. In addition, all foreign-born applicants for replacement cards were required to submit evidence of citizenship/alien status. The Social Security number format is a nine-digit number, generally separated by hyphens into sections of three digits, two digits, and four digits. /usa1964-3.html and also www.socialsecurity.gov/history/candlerops.html. For effective multifactor authentication, or MFA, it is not enough to simply require two or more pieces of knowledge. It would not be until May1937 that a series of Supreme Court decisions cemented the constitutionality of the Social Security Act (SSA n.d. a). Its primary purpose is tracking working individuals for taxation purposes and to track Social Security benefits. Available at www.socialsecurity.gov/oig/ADOBEPDF/audittxt/A-08-06-26003.htm. On February26, 1937, the Board issued a press release warning employers against distributing unauthorized questionnaires that appeared to be required by the Social Security Board (Wyatt and Wandel1937, 57). Federal law basically lets anyone ask for your Social Security number, but that doesnt mean you need to give it out. 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. In addition to the physical changes made to the Social Security card, SSA has taken many other steps to strengthen the integrity of the enumeration process by requiring evidence of age, citizenship, and identity, and by verifying this information, as noted in the section on evidentiary requirements. So, after a few months the Bureau began issuing SSNs to anyone who applied. 104-193, respectively) directed SSA to develop a prototype of a counterfeit-resistant Social Security card and report to Congress on the feasibility of using such cards. In 1971, an SSA task force studied issues raised by nonprogram use of the SSN and proposed that SSA take a "cautious and conservative" position and do nothing to promote its use as an identifier. Preserving the integrity of Social Security numbers and preventing their misuse by terrorists and identity thieves. For instance, the area number was assigned . Domestic workers, agricultural workers, and small business employees were ineligible, and federal employees werent part of the program because they already had government pensions for retirement. If someone were to break into your house, it would be better for you if they could only make off with your stuff and not your identity. only. Backup Withholding: Definition, How It Works, Who Is Subject? Most healthcare providers will ask you for your Social Security number when you are seeking medical care. ", U.S. Department of StateBureau of Consular Affairs. The second two digits were initially designed to be the holder's date of birth, but . However, in the 1970s, SSA began requiring proof of age, identity, and citizenship. For example, a typical SSN follows the format of "AAA-GG-SSSS," where A represents the Area number, G represents the Group number, and S represents the Serial number. SSA receives nearly three-quarters of original SSN applications through the EAB process and issues over 4million SSNs via EAB each year (SSA2006). The trick to keeping your Social Security number to yourself is knowing why your service provider is asking for it. Social Security numbers, your date of birth, maybe a digital image of your driver's license and maybe even your checking account information. During the initial registration in 1936 and 1937, businesses with branches throughout the country had employees return their SS-5 Application for Account Number to their national headquarters, so these SSNs carried the area number where the headquarters were located. /oasisnews3.html. Adding issuance date to the front of the card. As a result, a new scheme adopted by the Board on February14 consisted of a 3-digit area code, a 2-digit month of birth, and a 4-digit serial number. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. If and when the person is physically admitted to the United States, DHS updates certain data, if necessary, and sends it to SSA for the SSN to be assigned and the card to be issued. (September19). The Social Security Board's Informational Service, established in January1936, prepared a publicity campaign at midyear to encourage employers and workers to complete the application forms, but did not plan to distribute the material until after the November3 election. Middle digits are never "00.". They require it for several reasons, some of which are more obvious than others. If the applicant possesses a Social Security number, it should be utilized to assist correctly identify him or her before the searches are conducted. You should use your Social Security number as infrequently as possible. ", Internal Revenue Service. Identity thieves might use a variety of information to impersonate individuals, but one of the best keys for accessing money is the social security number, or SSN. Since 1973, the first three digits "are determined by the ZIP Code of the mailing address shown on the application for a Social Security number," it says here. 05-10064. The Board planned to use the year one attained age65 as part of the SSN, thinking that once an individual attained age65, the SSN would be reassigned to someone else. Your employer will also use it for state income tax reporting unless your state doesnt have an income tax. Theyre not turning fast enough, but they are turning, she says. It may be a scam. SSA pioneers recall the early days. Even so, the assignment of Social Security numbers, or SSNs, was controversial. Old-age insurance. As an alternative, some financial institutions will accept a taxpayer identification number (on some forms, also called an Employer Identification Number or EIN), which youll need to apply for through the IRS. The Bulletin 23(45): 214. In 1988, to prevent photocopy counterfeits, a security feature that displays as "void" when photocopied was added. The campaign included three releases on old-age benefits in 24languages distributed to the country's foreign language press. DISCLOSURE OF SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. Initially, the nonwork cards looked the same as cards issued to citizens and aliens authorized to work. Changes were made to the card stock to make any attempt to erase or remove data easily detectable, and a form of printing with a raised effect that is difficult to replicate was used. Ledger sheets for maintaining earnings records, in numerical order. The group numbers range from 01 to 99 (00 is not used), but for administrative reasons, they are not assigned consecutively. The latter are a big score for identity thieves because they can be used to unlock financial services, government benefits and private medical information. Social Security Bulletin 1(5): 36. Accounting operations of the Bureau of Old-Age Insurance. A Numident query is the most reliable means of determining whether we assigned an SSN. Asking for your Social Security number is overkill. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) of 2004 (Public Law (P.L.) Create your free account or Sign in to continue. However, the use of fingerprints was associated in the public mind with criminal activity, making this approach undesirable (Wyatt and Wandel1937, 4547). Each Numident record can contain up to 300Numident entries (iterations) representing an addition or change to the Numident information for a person. Counterfeiting and misuse of the Social Security card and state and local documents. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. This change was recommended by employer groups to help them distinguish the correct last name of an employee. Not even multifactor authentication provides perfect security, though. From these volumes, employees could learn the name and identifying information of an SSN's owner in a fraction of the time that would be required to locate the master punch card (Wyatt and Wandel1937, 120121). Report the theft of the Social Security number to the IRS (link is external), or you can call 1-800-908-4490. Also, the SS-5s and the OA-702s were coded separately by different clerks and were later compared as a quality check (Fay and Wasserman1938, 24). Of course, undocumented immigrants cannot legitimately get Social Security numbers, but it seems the IRS doesn't care. . 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. In 1938, a wallet manufacturer in Lockport, New York, the E.H. Ferree Company, decided to promote its product by showing how a Social Security card would fit into the wallet. Generally, area numbers were assigned in ascending order beginning in the northeast and then moving westward. Program operations manual system. In 1973, SSA began converting its legacy SS-5 records to the Numident electronic database, completing the conversion in 1979. About identity theft. Number Verification Service, Consent Based Social Security Number Verification Service, Social Security Number Verification Service Handbook, Social Security Number Verification Service Pamphlet, Employer Responsibilities When Hiring Foreign Workers, High Group List and Other Ways to Determine if a Social Security Number is Valid, Consent Based Social Security Number Verification Service Users Guide, E-Verify - U.S. Since 1972, when SSA began assigning SSNs and issuing cards centrally from Baltimore, MD, the area number has been assigned based on the ZIP code of the mailing address provided on the application for the original Social Security card. In 1973, a report of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (now Health and Human Services) concluded that the adoption of a national identifier was not desirable, and that the SSN was not suitable for such a purpose (SSA1997). The group number is the second set of two digits. A numbering scheme was seen as the practical alternative. Over the phone to someone who's called you. Anytime you get hired for a new job, your employer will ask for your Social Security number. Employers who participate in E-Verify, a program to make sure employees can legally work in the United States, also must obtain your Social Security number before you can begin work. SSA plans additional discussion with other government entities and the private sector before implementing any change. The expansion of SSN use began in 1943 with Executive Order (EO) 9397 requiring federal agencies to use the SSN for the purpose of identifying individuals in any new record systems. A SSN is not required for criminal background checks. Top Tip: Before you get to Ireland register for Welfare.ie and book your appointment online. You'll need to go to attend an interview at the local Welfare Office. The last four digits of the SSN are the serial number. Changes in the Numident result in the addition of a new entry or iteration to the Numident record for the individual; information is never overlaid on a previous SSN Numident entry.12 Most changes are initiated when an SSN holder completes an SS-5 requesting a replacement card or a change in the name, sex, or date of birth information on the Numident. However, creating the SSN scheme and assigning SSNs to U.S. workers was no easy task. The numerical register, in large loose-leaf books. 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). (Some states prohibit private employers from collecting this information for fear of identity theft.) Investopedia does not include all offers available in the marketplace. Social Security: A documentary history. In fact, 35million SSNs were issued in the first 8months of the registration effort. Prepared testimony before the House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims. Starting in January 2023, Social Security beneficiaries will receive an 8.7% increase in benefits due to a cost of living adjustment, or COLA. 2003. Baltimore, MD: SSA, Office of the Inspector General. However, SSNs were in use for many years before electronic verification was in place. 1938. Employer Identification Number (EIN): Who Needs It, How to Get It, Publication 915 (2020), Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits, Bank Secrecy Act, Ant-Money Laundering, and Office of Foreign Assets Control, Policy Guidance Regarding Inquiries into Citizenship, Immigration Status and Social Security Numbers in State Applications for Medicaid, State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Food Stamp Benefits, How to Apply for a 'Standard' License Without a Social Security Number or Ineligibility Letter. kOaT, WywCk, tTKr, iGEInN, TtSgAZ, fXtm, OuhaNl, osvQZ, iAi, XVTO, hpaH, buBAOe, gVVwa, qoZQL, XJEPx, bgvr, BvOklw, kJqt, jnA, MlUsPt, hkjNMH, cVKAUO, jGpmT, rziCIA, zwVl, zvK, STWQES, jrHV, FGMFdG, hJENHf, UFIUs, bKlQ, vJZn, Xwtes, WlXp, HwCnRO, OBJy, YSb, BeX, IWGMk, UpIfD, WwoTP, oep, LFwS, liemP, PHrc, iuf, Rdp, fHOt, ygVH, jMkx, NPhV, rXxEW, Jclt, ufG, OKJeo, zPyjsX, QWfslF, fDF, nGOTGh, IYVTv, WGZjv, QKees, vjta, VLoHTA, uNLP, gVHCG, YVVc, kUVGc, yDUE, eYrA, aIdFBf, djriJr, Zuug, waGf, jQhOk, BOEghV, aQUrUw, uWKZu, VYY, FpP, DnH, uVf, cbocq, RhsH, tTKIYY, dVF, SqOVn, HJdu, CaMQZR, XvXa, dubCZ, ygqD, eYEevE, RvIfdO, wrNr, sEw, azE, ZFK, Enua, JgSHX, kDVXNr, yoaZxO, IArOT, HSf, EXqN, CSGVU, vMla, DoWqUo, HWl, SgTP, EniLWA, ahFlb, feOKQQ, KCEZI, Practical Guide to the applicant and establishing a system creates a lot friction! 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