How to Change Your Name on Social Security Card After Marriage

To change your name on your Social Security card after marriage, you submit proof of the marriage and proof of your identity to the Social Security Administration, either online (in 21 participating states), in person at a field office, or by mail using Form SS-5.¹ The service is free, your nine-digit number stays the same, and the updated card arrives by mail within 5 to 10 business days.² Do this before you update your driver’s license, passport, or bank records, because most other agencies verify your identity against Social Security’s file.

Documents You Need

You’ll need to prove three things: your legal name change, your identity, and — if it isn’t already on file — your U.S. citizenship or immigration status. Every document must be an original or a certified copy from the issuing agency. Photocopies aren’t accepted, even notarized ones.³

A certified marriage certificate from the vital records office of the state, county, or country where you married. This is what proves the name change.
A U.S. driver’s license, state-issued ID, or U.S. passport showing your name plus either your date of birth or photograph. If the ID still shows your former name, the marriage certificate bridges the two names.³
Proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, if Social Security doesn’t already have it on file.³

An identity document that still shows your old name can be expired for this application, since you haven’t yet been able to update it. Once your new card arrives, renew the expired ID promptly.⁴

If you aren’t a U.S. citizen, you’ll also need to show your immigration status and, where applicable, work authorization. Accepted documents include a Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551), an Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766), or an unexpired foreign passport with a Form I-94 admission record. F-1 and M-1 students add a Form I-20; J-1 and J-2 exchange visitors add a Form DS-2019.⁵

Foreign marriage certificates are accepted if they’re official records issued under the laws of the country of marriage. A translation may be requested if the certificate isn’t in English.⁶

Applying Online in Participating States

If you married in one of 21 participating states, you can complete the entire process on the Social Security website with no office visit and no mailing. The agency verifies your marriage electronically through the state’s vital records office. Wait at least 30 days after the wedding before applying so the state has time to record the marriage.⁷

As of late 2024 the participating 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. In Delaware and Wisconsin, only residents with a driver’s license (not a state ID card) qualify. The list is expected to grow.⁸

Start at the Replace Social Security Card page and answer the screening questions. If you qualify, you’ll finish digitally. If you don’t, you can still begin online and bring your documents to a local office within 45 days to complete the request.⁴

Applying in Person or by Mail

If you don’t qualify online, you’ll file Form SS-5, the Application for a Social Security Card. Download it from the agency’s website, print it, and complete it in black or blue ink.⁹

The form asks for your new legal name exactly as you want it printed, the name you were given at birth, your existing Social Security number, your date of birth, your parents’ names, and your citizenship status. Race and ethnicity questions are voluntary. Sign using your new legal name.⁹

In Person

As of January 2025, the Social Security Administration asks that you schedule an appointment before visiting a field office, though walk-ins are still accepted when you can’t make an appointment or have an urgent situation.¹⁰ Call 1-800-772-1213 or use the agency’s office locator to find your nearest field office. The advantage of going in person is that staff review your originals and hand them back the same day.

By Mail

You can mail Form SS-5 with your original documents to your local Social Security office. Use a trackable method with delivery confirmation. The agency returns originals by mail after processing, and the documents and the new card may arrive on separate days.¹¹ You’ll be without your marriage certificate and ID during that window, which is worth planning around.

When Your New Card Arrives

The new card arrives by mail within 5 to 10 business days after processing.² It shows your updated name and the same nine-digit number you’ve always had. There’s no fee.¹ Federal rules cap replacement cards at three per year and ten per lifetime, but a marriage-based name change doesn’t count toward either limit.¹²

What a Marriage Certificate Alone Will Change

A marriage certificate supports several last-name variations but not every name change you might have in mind. With it, you can take your spouse’s surname, give your spouse your surname, hyphenate or combine both surnames, or take one part of a spouse’s compound surname.¹³

Anything further — a new first name, or a last name unrelated to either spouse — generally needs a court order. Whether a marriage certificate can support a first-name change at all depends on the law of the state where you married, so check your state’s rules before you plan on it.¹³

Tell Your Employer After the Card Arrives

Your employer must print the name on your W-2 exactly as Social Security has it. A mismatch can prevent Social Security from crediting your earnings for the year, which affects your future retirement and disability benefits. Ask your employer to keep using your old name on payroll until you can show them the new card.¹⁴

Once you have the card, give your employer a copy so payroll can update going forward. If you change your name late in the year and your W-2 was already prepared with your old name, that’s fine, because it will still match what Social Security had on file for that tax year.¹⁴

What to Update Next

With the new Social Security card in hand, work through your other records in roughly this order:

Driver’s license or state ID at your state DMV, bringing the new card and marriage certificate. Most states require this within a set number of days after a name change.
U.S. passport, using Form DS-5504 if issued within the past year or Form DS-82 for a renewal, with a certified copy of your marriage certificate.
Voter registration through your state or county elections office, often available online.
Bank accounts and credit cards, usually updated at a branch with your new ID and marriage certificate.
Insurance, utilities, and other accounts, each handled directly with the provider.

1
Social Security Administration. Replace Social Security Card
2
Social Security Administration. Change Name with Social Security
3
eCFR. 20 CFR 422.107 – Evidence Requirements
4
Social Security Administration. U.S. Citizen – Adult Name Change on Social Security Card
5
Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card
6
Social Security Administration. POMS GN 00305.020 – Preferred Proof of Ceremonial Marriage
7
Social Security Administration. Just Married? Need to Change Your Name?
8
Social Security Administration. POMS RM 10205.630 – Internet SSN Replacement Cards (iSSNRC) Policy
9
Social Security Administration. Application for Social Security Card
10
Social Security Administration. Changes to Accessing Our In-Person Services
11
Social Security Administration. POMS GN 00301.275 – Retention or Return of Documents
12
Social Security Administration. Section 422.103 – Social Security Numbers
13
Social Security Administration. POMS RM 10212.055 – Evidence Required to Process a Name Change on the SSN Based on Marriage, Civil Union and Domestic Partnership
14
Social Security Administration. Employer W-2 Filing Instructions and Information