Understanding SSA Benefits (Part 2)
What You Need to Know About Social Security While You're Working
Your Social Security Number
Your link with Social Security is your Social Security number. You need it to get a job and pay taxes. The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses your Social Security number to track your earnings while you're working and your benefits after you're getting Social Security.
Don't carry your Social Security card. You should be careful about giving someone your Social Security number. Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes today. Most of the time, identity thieves use your Social Security number and your good credit to apply for more credit in your name. Then, they use the credit cards and don't pay the bills.
Your Social Security number and SSA records are confidential. If someone else asks the SSA for information it has about you, SSA won't give any information without your written consent, unless the law requires or permits it.
Contact SSA if you need a Social Security number, if you lose your card and need another one, or if you need to change your name on your current card. You will be asked to complete a simple application, and SSA will need to see certain documents. These need to be originals or copies certified by the issuing office; SSA cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies of documents.
To get a Social Security number or a replacement card, you must prove your U.S. citizenship or immigration status, age, and identity. You won't need proof of your U.S. citizenship and age for a replacement card if these are already in your records. The SSA accepts only certain documents as proof of U.S. citizenship. These include your U.S. birth certificate, U.S. passport, Certificate of Naturalization, or Certificate of Citizenship. If you aren't a U.S. citizen, you must show your immigration document proving work authorization. If you don't have work authorization, different rules apply.
For proof of identity, SSA accepts current documents showing your name, identifying information, and preferably a recent photograph. Acceptable documents include a U.S. passport, a driver's license, or other state-issued identification card. To apply for a change of name on your Social Security card, you must show a recently issued document that proves your name has been legally changed.
Be sure to safeguard your Social Security card. SSA limits the number of replacement cards you can get to three in a year and 10 during your lifetime. Legal name changes and other exceptions don't count toward these limits. For example, changes in noncitizen status that require card updates may not count toward these limits. These limits may not apply if you can prove you need the card to prevent a significant hardship.
All of these card services are free. Social Security never charges for the card services provided. For more information, read >Your Social Security Number and Card (Publication No. 05-10002) at Link opens in a new windowhttps://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10002.pdf. If you aren't a citizen, read Social Security Numbers for Noncitizens (Publication No. 05-10096) at Link opens in a new windowhttps://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10096.pdf.
How You Become Eligible for Social Security
As you work and pay taxes, you earn Social Security "credits." In 2019, you earned one credit for each $1,360 in earnings—up to a maximum of four credits a year. The amount of money needed to earn one credit usually goes up every year.
Most people need 40 credits (10 years of work) to qualify for benefits. Younger people need fewer credits to be eligible for disability benefits or for their family members to be eligible for survivors' benefits when the worker dies.
U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA). (2019, January). What you need to know about Social Security while you're working (pp. 4–6). In Understanding the benefits (SSA Pub. No. 05-10024, ICN 454930). Retrieved August 20, 2019, from https://www.ssa.gov/