Social security number prefix

The Area Number is assigned by the geographical region.

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, [1] the Social Security number has become a de facto national identification number for taxation and other purposes. Within three months, 25 million numbers were issued. On November 24, , 1, of the nation's 45, post offices were designated "typing centers" to type up Social Security cards that were then sent to Washington, D. On December 1, , as part of the publicity campaign for the new program, Joseph L.

Social security number prefix

We're no longer updating this page, so the information on it may be out of date. See our current work related to privacy. Check out our 4-star rating on Charity Navigator. Join EFF Lists. Electronic Frontier Foundation. Podcast Episode: 'I Squared' Governance. Structure of Social Security Numbers. The first three-digit field is called the "area number". The central, two-digit field is called the "group number". The final, four-digit field is called the "serial number". Area Numbers The area numbers were assigned to geographical locations in a manner analogous to the way in which ZIP codes were later assigned in particular, area numbers increase from east to west across the continental US as do the ZIP codes. Most area numbers were assigned according to state or territorial boundaries, although the series was assigned to railroad workers regardless of location this series of area numbers was discontinued in and is no longer used for new SSNs. With few exceptions, each geographical area is assigned a range of area numbers. Area numbers assigned prior to are an indication of the location of the SSA office which originally issued the SSN.

It was really just a bookkeeping device for our own internal use and was never intended to be anything more than that.

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Trying to figure out if a social security number is valid? Want to know what state an SSN was issued in? How are Social Security Numbers Assigned? Up until , Social Security Numbers were assigned to different regions in batches. The number is divided into 3 parts — the area numbers , the group numbers , and the serial numbers. Contrary to popular belief, social security numbers are not issued consecutively.

Social security number prefix

This change is referred to as "randomization. The SSA began assigning the nine-digit SSN in for the purpose of tracking workers' earnings over the course of their lifetimes to pay benefits. Since its inception, the SSN has always been comprised of the three-digit area number, followed by the two-digit group number, and ending with the four-digit serial number. Since , the SSA has issued Social Security cards centrally and the area number reflected the state, as determined by the ZIP code in the mailing address of the application. There are approximately million numbers available for assignment. However, the previous SSN assignment process limited the number of SSNs available for issuance to individuals by each state. Changing the assignment methodology extended the longevity of the nine digit SSN in all states. SSA ]. If you have any questions regarding SSN randomization or its possible effects to your organization, please see the related Frequently Asked Questions. Skip to main content.

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Employee, patient, student, and credit records are sometimes indexed by Social Security number. Alleged Social Security numbers containing area numbers other than those found on that table are impossible. Toggle limited content width. However, the number was found to be in use by 12 individuals as late as National Tax Journal. Area Numbers The area numbers were assigned to geographical locations in a manner analogous to the way in which ZIP codes were later assigned in particular, area numbers increase from east to west across the continental US as do the ZIP codes. National identification numbers by country. Furthermore, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have demonstrated an algorithm that uses publicly available personal information to reconstruct a given SSN. As the areas assigned to a locality were exhausted, new areas from the pool were assigned, so some states had noncontiguous groups of numbers. Before , people often did not obtain a Social Security number until the age of about 14, [7] since the numbers were used for income tracking purposes, and those under that age seldom had substantial income. The group numbers for each area number are assigned in the following order: 1. All it does is confirm that a particular number has been issued to a particular name. The SSNs in Idaho, then, were assigned in the following order: , , , Now numbers are assigned randomly, and fraudulent SSNs are not easily detectable with publicly available information.

Created merely to keep track of the earnings history of U. Assigned at birth, the SSN enables government agencies to identify individuals in their records and businesses to track an individual's financial information.

Thus, the Area Number does not necessarily represent the State of residence of the applicant, either prior to or since. Skip to main content. This is an archival or historical document and may not reflect current policies or procedures. Instead, a driver's license or state ID card is used as an identification for adults. Within three months, 25 million numbers were issued. Since then, Social Security numbers have become de facto national identification numbers. For example, if the highest group assigned for area is 72, then we know that the number is an invalid number because even Groups under 9 have not yet been assigned. The SSN is frequently used by those involved in identity theft. Internal Revenue Code section d provides: "The social security account number issued to an individual for purposes of section c 2 A of the Social Security Act [codified as 42 U. Until , the SSA published the last group number used for each area number.