How to Freeze or Lock Your Social Security Number

You cannot freeze a Social Security number the way you freeze a credit card. What you can do is place four separate locks — at the credit bureaus, the Social Security Administration, the IRS, and the federal employment verification system — that together block the ways thieves actually use a stolen SSN. Each lock is free, each is placed on its own, and each covers a different type of fraud. To freeze your Social Security number in any meaningful sense, you work through all four.

Why There Is No Single Freeze

“Freezing your SSN” is shorthand for several distinct protections. A credit freeze blocks new creditors from pulling your credit report. An SSA record block prevents anyone from viewing or changing your benefits information online or by phone. An E-Verify Self Lock stops your SSN from passing employment eligibility checks. An IRS Identity Protection PIN prevents someone from filing a federal tax return in your name.

A credit freeze on its own leaves you exposed to employment fraud, tax fraud, and benefit theft. That is why the four locks are treated separately below.

Freeze Your Credit at All Three Bureaus

A credit freeze — the formal term is security freeze — stops the credit bureaus from releasing your credit report to new lenders. Because almost no creditor will approve an application without pulling a report, the freeze effectively blocks new accounts from being opened in your name. Placing, lifting, and removing a freeze is free under federal law, and a freeze does not affect your credit score.¹²

You have to contact each of the three major bureaus separately. A freeze at one does not carry to the others.

Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services or 800-685-1111
Experian: experian.com or 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-freeze or 800-916-8800

Requests placed online or by phone must be processed within one business day. Mailed requests get three business days. Within five business days of placing the freeze, each bureau sends confirmation and the authentication method — usually a PIN or online account login — you will use to manage it later.¹

Lifting the Freeze When You Need Credit

When you apply for a loan, credit card, apartment, or anything else requiring a credit check, you temporarily lift the freeze. Depending on the bureau, you can lift it for a specific creditor or for a set window of time. Online and phone requests must take effect within one hour; mail requests within three business days.¹ In practice, most online lifts go through in minutes. You can lift and replace the freeze as often as you want, always for free.

What a Credit Freeze Does Not Cover

The freeze only stops new creditors. Existing creditors, certain government agencies such as child support enforcement, and companies you have hired to monitor your credit can still see your file. Employers and insurers requesting reports for their own purposes are also not blocked.³ And a credit freeze does nothing about tax fraud, employment fraud, or someone tampering with your Social Security benefits.

Add a ChexSystems Freeze for Bank Accounts

Most identity-theft guides skip this one, and it closes a real gap. Banks generally use ChexSystems, not the three credit bureaus, to screen new checking and savings account applications. Someone with your SSN can try to open bank accounts in your name even after you have frozen your credit.

You can place a separate ChexSystems security freeze through their consumer portal, by calling 800-887-7652, or by mailing a request along with copies of your ID, Social Security card, and a recent proof of address to their Security Freeze Department.⁴ You will receive a PIN to manage the freeze afterward.

Lock Down Your Social Security Administration Record

The SSA offers two blocks you can add to your own account to prevent electronic tampering with your benefits.⁵ The eServices block prevents anyone, including you, from viewing or changing your personal information through the SSA website or automated phone system. The Direct Deposit Fraud Prevention block prevents anyone from enrolling in direct deposit or changing your address and payment routing information online or through a financial institution. Either block, once placed, can only be removed by visiting your local Social Security office in person.

Start by claiming a my Social Security account at ssa.gov if you have not already. Tying your SSN to your own account keeps a thief from creating one first. As of June 2025, sign-in is through Login.gov or ID.me; the old SSA username and password option has been removed.⁶ Once logged in, you can add either or both blocks through your account settings.

If your SSN has already been compromised and you want electronic access shut off immediately, you can call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) and request the block by phone.⁷ These blocks are genuinely restrictive. You will not be able to apply for benefits, check statements, or update information online while they are active. Any of those tasks will mean a visit to your local office.

Lock Your SSN in E-Verify

Someone with your SSN can use it to get hired in your name, which creates tax problems and IRS notices for wages you never earned. The E-Verify Self Lock feature places a lock on your SSN so it cannot pass employment verification through E-Verify. If an employer runs your locked SSN, the check comes back as a mismatch, which flags the hire as unauthorized.⁸

To use it, create a free myE-Verify account at e-verify.gov. The lock stays active as long as the account is valid and you have not manually removed it. When you are starting a new job at an employer that uses E-Verify, unlock your SSN before your start date and re-lock it once verification is complete. Not every employer uses E-Verify, so this lock will not catch every case of employment fraud, but it covers a large share of the workforce.

Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN

An Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) is a six-digit number the IRS assigns to you. Any federal tax return filed under your SSN must include this PIN, or the IRS rejects it. It is the single most effective tool against tax-related identity theft, and anyone with an SSN or ITIN can request one.⁹

There are three ways to enroll:

Through your IRS online account. This is the fastest option. You will verify your identity through ID.me if you do not already have an account.
By submitting Form 15227, if you cannot verify online. The IRS will call to verify your identity by phone. Your adjusted gross income must be below $84,000 (individual) or $168,000 (married filing jointly), and the PIN arrives by mail in four to six weeks.
By scheduling an in-person appointment at a local Taxpayer Assistance Center with a photo ID and one additional form of identification. The PIN arrives by mail in about three weeks.

Once enrolled, you receive a new IP PIN each year. Parents and legal guardians can also request IP PINs for dependents, though dependents under 18 must use Form 15227 or the in-person route rather than the online option.⁹

Protecting a Child’s Social Security Number

Children’s SSNs are attractive to thieves because the fraud can go undetected for years. Nobody checks a seven-year-old’s credit report, and by the time the child applies for student loans or a first credit card, the damage can be extensive. You can place a credit freeze on a minor’s file at all three bureaus, and federal law requires the bureaus to create a file for the child if one does not already exist.¹⁰

The paperwork is heavier than for your own freeze. You will need to prove your identity and your relationship to the child, typically with a copy of your government-issued ID, the child’s birth certificate, and the child’s Social Security card. Each bureau has its own submission process, and most require you to mail physical copies rather than upload them. Plan on a few weeks per bureau. Parents and legal guardians can also request IRS IP PINs for dependent children using the Form 15227 or in-person methods above.

If Your SSN Is Already Being Misused

Everything above is preventive. If you are already seeing fraudulent accounts on your credit report, an IRS notice about a return you did not file, or bills from companies you have never used, start at IdentityTheft.gov. The site generates an official FTC Identity Theft Report and builds a personalized recovery plan based on the type of fraud you have experienced.¹¹ Save or print the report before you leave the page; you may not be able to retrieve it later.

You can also place a fraud alert on your credit file, which tells lenders to verify your identity before approving new credit. Unlike a freeze, you only need to contact one bureau, and that bureau must notify the other two.² A fraud alert can run alongside a freeze.

For tax-related identity theft, read any IRS notice carefully before acting. Letters 5071C, 4883C, and 5747C contain specific verification instructions to follow, and you should use those rather than filing a separate form. Only file IRS Form 14039, the Identity Theft Affidavit, if you believe you are a victim of tax-related identity theft and have not received one of those letters.¹² Form 14039 can be submitted online at irs.gov, by fax, or by mail; if you are also filing a paper tax return, attach the form to the back of it.¹³ Once the immediate issue is resolved, enroll in the IP PIN program for ongoing protection.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
2
Federal Trade Commission. Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts
3
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is a Credit Freeze or Security Freeze on My Credit Report
4
ChexSystems. Place a Security Freeze
5
Social Security Administration. Fraud Prevention and Reporting
6
Social Security Administration. Learn About Changes We’re Making to Your Personal my Social Security Account
7
Social Security Administration. How You Can Help Us Protect Your Social Security Number and Keep Your Information Safe
8
E-Verify. Self Lock
9
Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN
10
Federal Trade Commission. New Protections Available for Minors Under 16
11
Federal Trade Commission. Identity Theft – IdentityTheft.gov
12
Internal Revenue Service. When to File an Identity Theft Affidavit
13
Internal Revenue Service. Form 14039 – Identity Theft Affidavit