Form SSA-711: Request a Deceased Individual’s Social Security Record

Form SSA-711 is the Freedom of Information Act request you send to the Social Security Administration to obtain a deceased person’s Social Security card application record. You can ask for either a photocopy of the original Application for a Social Security Card (Form SS-5) or a typed computer extract of the data from that application. The completed form and payment go by mail to SSA’s FOIA office in Baltimore. The current fees are $27 for the SS-5 photocopy and $26 for the computer extract.

What You Can Request

The form covers exactly two record types. The SS-5 photocopy is a scanned image of the paper application the person filled out when first applying for a Social Security number, showing the handwriting, signature, and details as originally recorded. The computer extract, sometimes called a Numident record, is a typed printout of the data SSA entered into its system from that application. It is easier to read but lacks the original handwriting.¹

SSA-711 does not produce earnings histories, benefit payment records, or other account-level data. Those go through a separate FOIA process on SSA’s request page.²

Whether SSA Will Release the Record

SSA applies what it calls its Extreme Age Policy to decide whether to disclose a deceased person’s SS-5. The agency will release the record when you submit acceptable proof of death, such as a death certificate, obituary, or public death index entry. It will also release the record with proof of death if the number holder would be at least 100 years old. Once the number holder would be over 120, SSA presumes death and no separate proof is required.²

Parents’ names on the SS-5 follow a stricter rule. SSA will not disclose the parents’ information unless the parents have given written consent, you have proof the parents are deceased, or the number holder meets the 100-year or 120-year thresholds above.²

Information to Gather First

The more you can fill in, the better SSA’s chances of finding the right file. The form asks for the deceased person’s full name at birth, any other names used during their lifetime, sex, Social Security number, date of birth, and place of birth. The SSN is by far the most useful identifier. If you don’t have it, complete every other field you can.¹

The form also asks for the mother’s maiden name, the mother’s married name or names, and the father’s full name. When you don’t have the SSN, this is how SSA locates the record, so complete it thoroughly. Fill it in even if you do have the SSN. A single transposed digit can otherwise derail the entire request, and the parent names give SSA a fallback.¹

You’ll also provide your own printed name, signature in ink, date, mailing address, phone number, fax number, and email address.

How to Fill Out the Form

Download SSA-711 from ssa.gov/forms. Print or type all entries and sign in ink. Page one collects the deceased person’s identifying details and your contact information. Page two is where you specify what you want: check the box for a photocopy of the original SS-5, a computer extract, or both. Each option has its own fee line.¹

If you’re requesting records for more than one deceased person, photocopy page two and complete a separate copy for each individual. Add the fees from lines A through E and enter the total on line F. That total is what you pay.¹

Fees and Payment

SS-5 photocopy from microfilm: $27
Computer extract (Numident): $26
Certification of either record type: add $10

Certification is an official SSA stamp verifying the document’s authenticity. Order it only if the record will be used in a legal proceeding or submitted to an agency that requires certified copies. For genealogical research, uncertified copies are fine.²

You can pay by credit card, check, or money order. Do not send cash. For credit card payments, complete Form SSA-714, a one-page payment stub asking for your card number, expiration date, CVV, and cardholder signature, and include it with your SSA-711. If paying by check or money order, make it payable to SSA, put your name, address, and phone number on the check, and enclose one payment covering the total from all requests.³

Where to Mail It

Send the completed form and payment to SSA’s FOIA office in Baltimore. There is no online submission option.

Standard mail: SSA OEIO DEBS FOIA, PO Box 33022, Baltimore, MD 21290-3022
Express mail: SSA OEIO DEBS FOIA, 6100 Wabash Ave., Baltimore, MD 21215

Do not send SSA-711 to your local Social Security field office. It goes directly to the central FOIA unit.¹

Requests SSA Cannot Process

Two hard limits apply no matter how much information you provide. SSA cannot process a request for someone who died before November 1936, because the Social Security program had not yet begun issuing numbers. And if the person was born before 1865 and you cannot supply the SSN, SSA cannot search. Providing the SSN overrides that second limit. If your ancestor falls outside these windows, the National Archives or state vital records offices may be better sources.¹

After You Submit

SSA processes FOIA requests under the federal statutory timeline of 20 working days, though complex searches or high volume can push actual turnaround longer. If SSA cannot locate a matching record, or if your submission is missing payment or required details, the agency contacts you by mail at the address on the form.

When the search succeeds, SSA mails the photocopy or extract to you. Review it carefully. If the information doesn’t match the person you were researching, SSA may have pulled the wrong file, which happens most often with common names. You can submit a new request with additional identifying details to narrow the search.¹

1
Social Security Administration. Request for Deceased Individual’s Social Security Record
2
Social Security Administration. Make a FOIA Request
3
Social Security Administration. Credit Card Payment – SSA-714