We all misplace things once in a while, some more important than others, and we react accordingly. You might barely bat an eye when you lose the bottle cap of that Gatorade you?re going to finish anyway, or you might cringe when 5 bucks mysteriously vanish from your wallet. Unfortunately, every so often the misplaced object turns out to be a biggie?your Social Security card is one of those big things.
Why should you know how to get a new Social Security card? Getting a new Social Security card is a good idea because a Social Security card is required for getting a job and retiring from it. Social Security cards keep track of your tax payments so that you can receive your Social Security benefits (assuming the Baby Boomers are able to leave us a little something behind!). The countless times you?ll be asked for your Social Security number throughout your lifetime gives you an idea of how important your Social Security card is. In some cases, you might not need your Social Security card as long as you know your Social Security number, but being without one isn?t a great place to be in. If you find yourself in this situation, you?ll probably want to figure out how to get a new Social Security card as soon as possible.
Lucky for you, the process isn?t overly complicated and it?s free of charge. You?ll need to fill out an Application for a Social Security Card, also known as Form SS-5, which you can easily find it online. After that, you can drop off or mail the application to your local Social Security office. Part of getting a new social security card is verifying your identity. The office can?t provide Social Security card replacement service to just anyone, so you?ll have to prove who you are. You have to present current documents that prove your age, U.S. citizenship and identity. These documents should be in original form or certified copies. A birth certificate will verify your age. For U.S. citizenship, you can show your birth certificate, passport or a certificate of naturalization. To prove identity, a driver?s license or passport will work fine.
After this process you might have a new Social Security card, but that doesn?t change the fact that the original Social Security card is out in the world somewhere. Now that you know how to get a new Social Security card, learn how to prevent misuse of your old one. If an unscrupulous individual happens to get a hold of it, they can use it for identity theft purposes. If someone is using your Social Security card to get a job, you can report it to Social Security Online (http://www.socialsecurity.gov/) so they can verify your records. If someone might be using credit in your name, you will have to contact the Federal Trade Commission.
Now that you?ve protected yourself from identity theft, make sure you don?t need to get a new Social Security card again. Don?t carry your Social Security card around with you regularly?keep it at home in a safe place, which will help prevent it from getting lost or stolen. We might continue to misplace things, but we can certainly decrease the chance of doing so.
