A Social Security number (SSN) is a nine-digit number that the United States government issues to all U.S. citizens and eligible U.S. residents wh꧟o apply for one. The government uses this number to keep track of your lifetime earnings and the number of years worked.

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 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Social Security to determine your eligibility and calculate your benefit payments. Most people will use the same Social Security number their entire lives, though some people might need to apply for a replacement number at some point because of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:identity theft.

Keep reading below to learn when and why you need a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Social Security number, as well as when you should avoid using it.

When and Why You Need a Social Security Number

Anytime you get hired for a new job, your employer will ask for your Social Security number. Your employer’s accounting department will use this number to report your income to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and your Social Security wages to the 澳洲幸🔯运5开奖号码历史查询:Social Security Administration (SSA).

Your employer will also use it for state income tax reporting, unless your 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:state doesn’t have an income tax. 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.

Below are some o🔯ther common scena♔rios where you’ll need to provide your Social Security number.

When Opening an Account with Any U.S. Financial Institu♒tionಌ

Since 1970, the federal government has required banks to obtain customers’ Social Security numbers or an 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Individual Taxp🅘ayer Identification Number (ITIN). 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Financial institutions use your SSN to check your credit, report your interest and investment income or losses to the IRS, to report your tax-deductible mortgage interest to the IRS, and manage your account.

As an alternative, some financial institutions w⛎ill accept a taxpayer identifica🌳tion number (on some forms, also called an Employer Identification Number, or EIN), which you’ll need to apply for through the IRS. 

When Applying for a Federal Loan

The government will use your Social Security number to make sure you’re eligible when you apply for a federal loan, such as a federal student loan. For example, to qualify for federal 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:student loans, you must not be in default on anoth🐟er federal loan, and you must have eligible citizenship or visitor status.

When Applying for Certain Types of Public Assi💜stance

Public assistance programs, such as 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:unemployment benefits or 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Social Security Disa꧂bility Insurance (SSDI), are usually managed by federal or state government agencies that use Social Security numbers to identify people and make sure they aren’t claiming benefits that they aren’t entitled to.

When Enrolling in Medicare

The Social Security Administration works with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to enroll people in Medicare. 

When Applying for a Passport

Federal law requires you to provide a Social Security number if you have one when you apply for a U.S. passport. If you don’t have an SSN, you must provide a sworn statement that you were never issued one.

On Your Tax Return

The IRS uses this number to match the income you report on your tax return to the income that your employer and financial institutions report having paid to you. Also, you’ll need to provide your child’s SSN to claim your child as a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:dependent on your tax return.

To Get a Driver’s License

If you have an SSN, many states require you to provide it when you apply for a driver’s license. 

Noncitizens who don’t have Social Security numbers are exempt from providing a Social Security number in many situations that normally require it, including getting a driver’s license, registering for school, getting private health insurance, or applying for public assistance like subsidized housing.

However, without this number, financial institutions won’t be able to run a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:credit check⭕ on you. This could make it difficult to get a credit card or loan.

When to Avoid Using Your Social Security Number

You should use your Social Security nuℱmber as infrequently as possible. Just because someone asks for it doesn’t mean they truly🔜 need it.

For example, though most medical providers will ask for your SSN, you cꦜan leave the line asking for it blank when filling out medical paperwork, and often, no one will question it. Your doctor💜’s office and other businesses can use other information to identify you and keep track of your records. That said, while you can refuse to provide your SSN, the other party can also refuse to do business with you.

You also shouldn’t carr🐬y your Social Security card around with you unless you will be using it for a specific purpose that day, such as when you’re filling out paperwork to start ▨a new job, and you have to show it to your employer as proof of citizenship (though if you can show a valid passport, you don’t need to provide your Social Security card).

You don’t 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, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:take out loans, get a job, or even get healthcare in your name, creating a potentially massive id🌠entity theft problem for you to clean up.

If💦 your card is lost 🎐or stolen, you’ll want to apply for a new one.

Similarly, you should 🔯keep any documents that contain your SSN, such as your tax returns, in a secure place. 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. You also need to carefully safeguard your electronic documents that contain your Social Security number. If you have an unencrypted PDF of your t🧜ax return on your laptop, you’re effectively carrying your Social Security card every time you take your computer with you on a trip or to a coffee shop.

The Bottom Line

When the U.S. government introduced the Social Security program with its numbers in 1936, it was never meant to be so widely used to identify and track individuals. Today, this number is used for everything from its original purpose—to track your lifetime earnings and calculate your Social Security benefits—to opening a checking account or fil♍ling out a new-patient form at the doctor’s office.

Ma💃ny businesses will ask for your Social Security number simply because it’s a convenient way for them to identify customers. Unfortunately, criminals can use your Social Security number to commit identity theft, so you should guard yo෴ur SSN carefully and only give it out when absolutely necessary.