Social security number prefix

The Area Number is assigned by the floot fly region, social security number prefix. Prior tocards were issued in local Social Security offices around the country and the Area Number represented the State in which the card was issued. This did not necessarily have to be the Social security number prefix where the applicant lived, since a person could apply for their card in any Social Security office. Sincewhen SSA began assigning SSNs and issuing cards centrally from Baltimore, the area number assigned has been based on the ZIP code in the mailing address provided on the application for the original Social Security card.

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. Fay of the Social Security Administration selected a record from the top of the first stack of 1, records and announced that the first Social Security number in history was assigned to John David Sweeney, Jr. However, since the Social Security numbers were not assigned in chronological order, Sweeney did not receive the lowest Social Security number,

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We're no longer updating this page, so the information on it may be out of date.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.

As the areas assigned to a locality were exhausted, new areas from the pool were assigned, so some states had noncontiguous groups of numbers. 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. Generally, numbers were assigned beginning in the northeast and social security number prefix westward.

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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.

Social security number prefix

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.

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Frequently Asked Questions. Alleged Social Security numbers containing area numbers other than those found on that table are impossible. Only recently have group numbers in the series been allocated. Since the group number is non-repeating and assigned according to a fixed albeit weird rule set, it is an indicator of the age of the SSN. The original area number assignments have been augmented as required. That distinction belongs to Grace D. S2CID However, the number was found to be in use by 12 individuals as late as Before June 25, , a valid SSN could not have an area number in the range —, or above , the highest area number the Social Security Administration had allocated. Similarly, Social Security numbers are often valued information for hackers to gain in attacks such as social engineering attacks, where attackers try and manipulate people into disclosing private information. Ars Technica. 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.

Created merely to keep track of the earnings history of U.

The applicant's mailing address did not have to be the same as their place of residence, so the area number did not necessarily represent the applicant's state of residence, regardless of whether the card was issued before or after Unlike many similar numbers, Social Security numbers have no check digit. Contents move to sidebar hide. Since the group number is non-repeating and assigned according to a fixed albeit weird rule set, it is an indicator of the age of the SSN. Statistics in Medicine. Railroad Retirement Board discontinued July 1, Social Security Administration. Area numbers assigned prior to are an indication of the location of the SSA office which originally issued the SSN. Exacerbating the problem of using the Social Security number as an identifier is the fact that the Social Security card contains no biometric identifiers of any sort, making it essentially impossible to tell whether a person using a certain SSN truly belongs to someone without relying on other documentation which may itself have been falsely procured through use of the fraudulent SSN. The SSNs in Idaho, then, were assigned in the following order: , , , Frequently Asked Questions. Many citizens and privacy advocates are concerned about the disclosure and processing of Social Security numbers.