To lock your Social Security Number, you use two separate federal tools: an Electronic Access Block through the Social Security Administration, which stops changes to your record through its website and phone system, and a Self Lock through the Department of Homeland Security’s myE-Verify service, which blocks the number from being cleared for new employment. Neither one deactivates the number. Each one closes a specific door.1Social Security Administration. Information About Blocking Online Access2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Self Lock
Block Electronic Access at the Social Security Administration
An Electronic Access Block stops anyone from viewing or modifying your record through the SSA’s online portal or automated telephone system.1Social Security Administration. Information About Blocking Online Access It’s the tool the agency points identity theft and domestic violence victims toward when the concern is someone changing information remotely.
Two variants exist. An eServices block prevents anyone from seeing or changing personal information online. A Direct Deposit Fraud Prevention block is narrower and stops enrollment in direct deposit or changes to payment and address details through an online account.3Social Security Administration. Identity Theft And Your Social Security Number
You don’t turn this on from a dashboard. You contact the SSA directly to request that electronic access be restricted.1Social Security Administration. Information About Blocking Online Access Once the block is in place, removing it or making certain changes to your account means going through your local Social Security office in person or through a representative rather than the automated services.4Social Security Administration. Identity Theft And Your Social Security Number – Section: What is Identity Theft?
Lock the Number for Employment Through myE-Verify
The Self Lock is a feature inside the myE-Verify service that lets you block your Social Security Number within the E-Verify system used by employers.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Self Lock When an employer runs a locked number, the system returns a Tentative Nonconfirmation, a mismatch that the employer must formally notify the employee about. The employee then has a set window to contact the Department of Homeland Security and resolve it.5Social Security Administration. Federal SSA POMS § RM 10250.200 Someone using your number to get hired hits that wall before you do.
A Self Lock lasts one year and can be renewed shortly before it expires. You can unlock the number yourself at any time through your myE-Verify account if you’re taking a new job.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Self Lock FAQ
To activate it, sign in to myE-Verify and select three challenge questions. You’ll need those same answers later if a mismatch is triggered and you have to prove the lock is yours.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Self Lock The lock takes effect right away.
What These Locks Don’t Cover
Neither tool deactivates the number for taxes, benefits, or use by businesses outside the federal systems described here. The SSA block governs access to your SSA record. The E-Verify Self Lock only affects employers that actually use E-Verify; an employer who doesn’t participate in the system will not encounter the lock at all.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Self Lock A credit freeze at the bureaus is a separate matter and isn’t handled through either agency.
What You’ll Need Ready
Federal identity verification for these services generally asks for your full legal name, date of birth, residential address, and Social Security Number. Depending on which service you’re using, a state-issued driver’s license or U.S. passport may also be required. Verification questions come from a third-party service and often draw on past addresses or financial history in government records, so accurate details matter; a wrong answer can end the session before the lock is placed.7USCIS. E-Verify Self Check Fact Sheet