To get a Social Security card for your child, fill out Form SS-5, gather original documents that prove your child’s age, identity, and U.S. citizenship along with your own identity and relationship to the child, and submit everything to the Social Security Administration in person or by mail. There is no fee. For a newborn, the hospital usually handles the whole thing as part of birth registration, and the card arrives in the mail within about two weeks.
First, Decide Whether You Need the Card at All
The SSA itself says a Social Security card is not an identification document, and in most everyday situations you only need to know the number.1Social Security Administration. Guard Your Card Filing taxes, opening a bank account, and applying for health insurance all work off the number. For employment verification, other documents like a W-2 or pay stub can substitute for the physical card.
You do need to apply for a card when your child has never had a number, when the original is lost or stolen and you have no record of the number, when the child’s legal name changes, or when the card is damaged beyond recognition. If you already know the number and just need it for a form, skip the trip.
Newborns: Let the Hospital Do It
The easiest way to get a number for a new baby is through Enumeration at Birth, which is built into the birth registration process at nearly every U.S. hospital.2Social Security Administration. Enumeration at Birth Process The hospital collects the information, sends it to your state’s vital records office, and that office forwards it electronically to the SSA. No separate form, no office visit. The card arrives by mail in one to six weeks, with a national average of about two weeks.3Social Security Administration. What is Enumeration at Birth and How Does It Work?
The program is voluntary. You can decline and apply on your own, but there is no real advantage to doing so.
Watch the tax calendar. To claim the Child Tax Credit, your child must have a Social Security number valid for employment, issued before the due date of your return including extensions.4Internal Revenue Service. Child Tax Credit The same rule applies to the Earned Income Credit.5Internal Revenue Service. Dependents If your baby is born late in the year and the hospital process didn’t happen, apply on your own without waiting.
The Documents You Need
Any application outside the hospital process requires original documents or certified copies from the issuing agency. Photocopies and notarized copies are not accepted.6Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need To Get a Social Security Card You are proving five things: the child’s age, identity, and citizenship, and your own identity and relationship to the child.
Age and Citizenship
A U.S. birth certificate covers both in one document.7Social Security Administration. Social Security Numbers for Children If you don’t have one, the SSA may accept a religious record made before the child turned five, a U.S. hospital record of birth, or a U.S. passport.6Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need To Get a Social Security Card Ordering a certified birth certificate from your state’s vital records office generally runs $10 to $35 for the first copy, plus mailing time.
The Child’s Identity
This is the step that catches most parents off guard. A birth certificate proves age and citizenship but is not accepted as proof of identity.6Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need To Get a Social Security Card You need a second document showing the child’s name along with identifying details such as date of birth, age, or parents’ names. A recent photo is preferred but not always required.
The SSA’s preferred document is an unexpired U.S. passport. If your child doesn’t have one, other acceptable options include a state-issued non-driver ID card, a final adoption decree, a certified medical record from a doctor or clinic, a religious record like a baptism certificate, or a school or daycare record from the current or prior year showing the child’s name and age.7Social Security Administration. Social Security Numbers for Children For young children who have neither a passport nor a state ID, a certified copy of the pediatric medical record is often the most practical choice. Call the pediatrician’s office and ask.
Your Identity and Relationship to the Child
Bring a current photo ID for yourself: a driver’s license, state ID, or U.S. passport works. To prove the relationship, a birth certificate listing you as a parent is enough. Legal guardians should bring the court order establishing guardianship.7Social Security Administration. Social Security Numbers for Children
Form SS-5 and Where to Submit It
Every application other than hospital enrollment uses Form SS-5, a single page you can download from the SSA website or pick up at any Social Security office.8Social Security Administration. Application for Social Security Card Form SS-5 Use black or blue ink and print clearly. The form asks for the child’s full legal name, date and place of birth, and both parents’ names and Social Security numbers. Names must match the supporting documents exactly; a mismatch will delay the application. A parent or legal guardian can sign for a child under 18.
You have three ways to submit.
In person. This is the fastest and safest route because staff verify your originals on the spot and hand them back immediately. Find your local office and schedule an appointment through the SSA’s office locator.9Social Security Administration. Field Office Locator An in-person visit is required if the child is 12 or older and has never had a Social Security number; the SSA will interview you and ask for evidence that no number was previously assigned.6Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need To Get a Social Security Card That rule applies only to first-time applications.
By mail. You can send the SS-5 and originals to a local SSA office. This spares the office visit but keeps your originals out of your hands for weeks. Use certified mail with a return receipt.
Starting online. For replacement cards, you can begin the application at ssa.gov/number-card and finish at a local office or Card Center where staff verify your documents.10Social Security Administration. U.S. Citizen/Child – Replacement Social Security Card You still have to bring originals in person.
How Long the Card Takes to Arrive
Hospital-enrolled newborns receive cards in one to six weeks, averaging about two.11Social Security Administration. How Long Does It Take To Get My Child’s Social Security Number? For every other application, the SSA estimates the card will arrive by mail within 5 to 10 business days after the application is processed.12Social Security Administration. Replace Social Security Card Mail-in applications run longer because the package has to be received, verified, and returned. If nothing arrives within a few weeks of your expected window, call 1-800-772-1213 or visit the local office. Keep a copy of the completed SS-5 and a note of which documents you sent.
Name Changes and Replacement Limits
If the reason for the card is a legal name change, you’ll need all the standard documents plus one that proves the change: a court order approving the name change, a final adoption decree with the new name, a certificate of naturalization with the new name, or an amended birth certificate.6Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need To Get a Social Security Card
Federal regulations cap replacement cards at three per year and ten per lifetime.13SSA. Code of Federal Regulations 422.103 – Social Security Numbers Only cards issued after December 2005 count toward the total, and cards issued for a legal name change or a change in immigration status don’t count against the limit.14SSA. Limits on Replacement SSN Cards The SSA can grant hardship exceptions, for example when a government agency requires the physical card to provide a benefit.
Non-Citizen Children
Non-citizen children can get a Social Security number, but the path depends on work authorization from the Department of Homeland Security. A child with work authorization shows a DHS immigration document such as a Permanent Resident Card (I-551), an Arrival/Departure Record (I-94) with an unexpired foreign passport, or an Employment Authorization Document (I-766).6Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need To Get a Social Security Card
A non-citizen child without work authorization can only get a number for a valid non-work reason, such as qualifying for a federally funded benefit that requires one. The parent must supply a letter from the agency offering the benefit, identifying the child, explaining why an SSN is needed, citing the law that requires it, and signed by a named contact. A non-work SSN cannot be used for employment. If the child needs a tax identification number but doesn’t qualify for an SSN, the IRS issues Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) instead.15Social Security Administration. Social Security Numbers for Noncitizens
After the Card Arrives, Protect the Number
Children are appealing targets for identity theft because no one checks their credit for years. Store the card at home rather than in a wallet; the SSA advises against carrying it because you rarely need the physical document.1Social Security Administration. Guard Your Card Treat it like a birth certificate: locked away unless you specifically need it.
The strongest preventive step is a credit freeze with all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). For a child under 16, the freeze is free and stays in place until you lift it.16Federal Trade Commission (FTC). How To Protect Your Child From Identity Theft Children 16 or 17 can request and remove a freeze themselves. The process for a minor is different from an adult’s and requires contacting each bureau separately with proof of your identity and the child’s.