How does everyone have a different Social Security number?

Today, assigned randomly and never recycled, a social security number is as unique an identifier as your fingerprints. (Although, in the past, duplicates are known to have been issued accidentally.)

What is SSN number format in USA?

The Social Security number is a nine-digit number in the format “AAA-GG-SSSS”.

Is 0000 a valid SSN?

The SSA eliminated the geographical significance of the first three digits of the SSN, referred to as the area number, by no longer allocating the area numbers for assignment to individuals in specific states. SSNs containing group number 00 or serial number 0000 will continue to be invalid.

Do any Social Security numbers start with 000?

SSA will not issue SSNs beginning with the number “000” in positions 1 – 3. SSA will not issue SSNs with the number “00” in positions 4 – 5. SSA will not issue SSNs with the number “0000” in positions 6 – 9.

Can someone have the same last 4 digits of SSN as me?

Although the last four digits of your Social Security number are very freely shared, they are, in fact, the most important part to protect. Only the last four digits of your Social Security number are truly random and unique.

Does every American have a Social Security number?

Does everyone have to have a Social Security number? According to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), any U.S. citizen (over age 18) who receives income must have an SSN. Employers are required to use that SSN to report the individual’s income to the IRS.

How are SSN formatted?

The nine-digit SSN is composed of three parts: The first set of three digits is called the Area Number. The second set of two digits is called the Group Number. The final set of four digits is the Serial Number.

How many leading zeros can a Social Security number have?

Separators such as “-“will not be accepted. New Social Security Number cannot have three or more leading zeros. New Social Security Number cannot end in four zeros.

How is a SSN format?

What do the first 3 numbers of your Social mean?

Area Number
The first set of three digits is called the Area Number. The second set of two digits is called the Group Number. The final set of four digits is the Serial Number.

What do the first 3 digits of your Social Security number mean?

The first three (3) digits of a person’s social security number are determined by the ZIP Code of the mailing address shown on the application for a social security number. The number merely established that his/her card was issued by one of our offices in that State.

How many social security numbers are there in the United States?

Today the SSN may be the most commonly used numbering system in the United States. As of December 2008, the Social Security Administration ( SSA) had issued over 450 million original SSN s, and nearly every legal resident of the United States had one.

How many people use social security number 000-00-0000 when applying for jobs?

A Government Accountability Office audit last year found 9 million cases of workers using the Social Security number 000-00-0000 when applying for jobs. Requiring all employers to check Social Security numbers against a federal database could cost nearly $12 billion a year, another GAO report found last year.

How much money does the Social Security Administration collect from invalid SS numbers?

The Social Security Administration collected $14.5 billion between 1985 and 2000 from invalid SS numbers (including almost 9 million filings under Social Security number 000-00-0000). Ten percent of the 250 million wage reports filed by employers with Social Security every year match no existing numbers.

What are the last 4 digits of the SSN called?

The last four digits of the SSN are the serial number. The serial number represents a straight numerical series of numbers from 0001–9999 within each group. Serial number 0000 is not assigned. Designing the Social Security Card