How to Change Your Name After Marriage With Social Security

To change your name with Social Security after marriage, wait at least 30 days after your wedding, then submit Form SS-5 with your marriage certificate and a valid ID. There’s no fee. If you married in one of 21 participating states, you can do the whole thing online; otherwise you’ll apply by mail or at an in-person appointment. The new card arrives by mail, typically within seven to ten business days after Social Security has your documents.

Check Whether You Can Apply Online

The Social Security Administration now lets people in 21 states complete a marriage name change entirely through ssa.gov, with no office visit and no mailed documents. Those states are Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. SSA has said the list will keep growing.¹

Start at the SSA’s “Change name with Social Security” page and answer the screening questions. Even the online path asks about your marriage certificate and ID, so have them nearby. One timing point matters: wait at least 30 days after your wedding date before submitting. Your state needs that time to update its vital records, and if you apply earlier SSA may not be able to verify the marriage electronically.¹

If your state isn’t listed or the tool decides you don’t qualify, you’ll apply by mail or in person. SSA requires an appointment for in-person visits; schedule one through the website or by calling 1-800-772-1213.²

Documents You’ll Need

SSA accepts only original documents or copies certified by the issuing agency. Photocopies, notarized copies, and receipts don’t count, and nothing you hand in can be expired.³

Proof of your legal name change: your marriage certificate, either the original or a certified copy from the vital records office where you married. It has to show both your previous name and your new married name.
Proof of identity: a current U.S. driver’s license, state-issued ID card, or U.S. passport.
Proof of U.S. citizenship, if it isn’t already on file with SSA: a U.S. birth certificate, U.S. passport, Certificate of Naturalization, or Certificate of Citizenship. If you had a card before and citizenship was recorded then, you won’t need this again.³

If You’re Not a U.S. Citizen

Permanent residents and other noncitizens use the same process but different identity documents: a Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551), an Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766), or an Arrival/Departure Record (Form I-94) with an unexpired foreign passport. Students on F-1 or M-1 visas add Form I-20; J-1 or J-2 exchange visitors add DS-2019.³

If You Married Abroad

SSA accepts foreign marriage certificates, but the document has to be the original or a certified copy from the foreign records office. Don’t hire a translator. If the certificate isn’t in English, SSA handles translation internally; you submit the original foreign-language document and SSA routes it through its own process.⁴

Filling Out Form SS-5

Form SS-5, the Application for a Social Security Card, is the same form used for original cards, replacements, and corrections. Download it from ssa.gov or pick one up at any Social Security office.⁵

In the field labeled “Name to be shown on card,” enter your new married name. In “Full name at birth if other than above,” enter the name you were given at birth. Use “Other names used” for anything else you’ve gone by. Fill in your personal details, confirm the mailing address is correct because that’s where the new card goes, and sign. If you apply through the SSA portal, there’s no paper form to print or sign.

How to Submit Your Application

There’s no fee, no matter which method you use.⁶ Third-party sites that charge to “handle” a Social Security name change offer nothing you can’t do yourself, and you still have to give your documents directly to SSA.

By Mail

Send Form SS-5 and your original or certified documents to your local Social Security office. Use a trackable shipping method; these are documents you don’t want to lose. SSA mails your originals back after processing. Round-trip mail plus current processing delays can push total turnaround to two to four weeks.⁷

In Person

An office visit lets staff verify your documents and hand the originals back the same day. Book an appointment first through ssa.gov or 1-800-772-1213, and bring your completed Form SS-5 with the originals.²

When Your New Card Will Arrive

Once SSA has everything it needs, the new card usually arrives within seven to ten business days. Mailed applications take longer overall because of current delays on the SSA end, with total turnaround sometimes running two to four weeks.⁷

To check status, sign in to your my Social Security account at ssa.gov, or call 1-800-772-1213 and say “application status” at the prompt. Automated phone help runs 24 hours a day in English and Spanish. For TTY, call 1-800-325-0778.⁸

When the card arrives, check the spelling. If anything is off, contact SSA right away for a correction.

Handle Social Security Before Taxes and Other IDs

Your SSA record feeds nearly every other identity system. State DMVs typically check SSA when you apply for a new driver’s license, and the IRS matches the name on every tax return against the SSA database. A mismatch is one of the most common causes of delayed refunds.⁹

The practical rule at tax time: file under whatever name SSA currently has on record. Married in December but haven’t updated your card yet? File under your former name. Updated with SSA before filing season? Use your new married name. Filing jointly doesn’t change this; each spouse’s name has to match their own SSA record.

Tell your employer too. If a W-2 comes out under your old name after SSA already has your new one, ask for a corrected form. If you end up with two W-2s from the same employer under different names, report all the income on one return and ask the employer to clean up the discrepancy with SSA.⁹

1
Social Security Administration. Just Married? Need to Change Your Name?
2
Social Security Administration. Change Name with Social Security
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Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card
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Social Security Administration. Transmittal of Foreign-Language Documents for Translation
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Social Security Administration. Application for Social Security Card – Form SS-5
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Social Security Administration. What Does It Cost to Get a Social Security Card?
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Social Security Administration. How Long Will It Take to Get a Social Security Card?
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Social Security Administration. Check Application or Appeal Status
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Internal Revenue Service. Name Changes and Social Security Number Matching Issues