Updated October 19, 2026. Quick answer: Form SS-5 is the Application for a Social Security Card. You use it to apply for an original card, to apply for a replacement card, or to change or correct information on your Social Security number record. The form says the application is free, and the main condition is the evidence: it must be original or certified by the record custodian.
What Form SS-5 is for
The form opens with its own cost statement: “Applying for a Social Security Card is free!” It then lists three uses: “Apply for an original Social Security card”, “Apply for a replacement Social Security card”, and “Change or correct information on your Social Security number record”.
The form puts the burden on the paperwork: “You MUST provide a properly completed application and the required evidence before we can process your application.” On what counts as evidence, “We can only accept original documents or documents certified by the custodian of the original record.” “Notarized copies or photocopies which have not been certified by the custodian of the record are not acceptable.” The form also says “We will return any documents submitted with your application.”
Original, replacement or change: what each needs
For an original card, the form says “you must provide at least two documents to prove age, identity, and U.S. citizenship or current lawful, work-authorized immigration status.” A replacement asks for less: “To apply for a replacement card, you must provide one document to prove your identity.” A record change is different again: “you must provide documents to prove your identity, support the requested change, and establish the reason for the change.”
The form says what a name-change document needs and how name-change cards are counted: “A document supporting a name change must be recent and identify you by both your old and new names.” “Cards issued to reflect changes to your legal name or changes to a work authorization legend do not count toward these limits.”
| Item | As printed on the form |
|---|---|
| Replacement limit | “limits the number of replacement Social Security cards you may receive to 3 per calendar year and 10 in a lifetime.” |
| In person rule | “If you are age 12 or older and have never received a Social Security number, you must apply in person.” |
| Parents’ numbers | “If you are applying for an original Social Security card for a child under age 18, you MUST show the parents’ Social Security numbers” |
| Other identity documents | “If you do not have one of the documents above or cannot get a replacement within 10 work days, we may accept other documents that show your legal name and biographical information” |
| Card mailing window | “Show an address where you can receive your card 7 to 14 days from now.” |
| Time estimate | “it will take between 5 and 60 minutes to read the instructions, gather the facts, and answer the questions” |
Evidence of age, identity and citizenship
The form lists examples by type, and says they “are not all inclusive.” For age, “In general, you must provide your birth certificate.” For identity, “You must provide current, unexpired evidence of identity in your legal name.” “Your legal name will be shown on the Social Security card.”
The preferred identity documents are named: “U.S. driver’s license; or” “U.S. passport”. One document type is excluded outright: “WE CANNOT ACCEPT A BIRTH CERTIFICATE, HOSPITAL SOUVENIR BIRTH CERTIFICATE, SOCIAL SECURITY CARD STUB OR A SOCIAL SECURITY RECORD as evidence of identity.”
For citizenship, “In general, you must provide your U.S. birth certificate or U.S. Passport.” For immigration status, “We CANNOT accept a receipt showing you applied for the document.” If you are completing the form for another person, “you must provide evidence that shows your authority to sign the application”.
The items, in order
The form explains that “The numbers match the numbered items on the form.” The items below follow the printed form and its instruction page.
| Item | As printed on the form |
|---|---|
| Item 1 | “NAME TO BE SHOWN ON CARD” |
| Item 2 | “Social Security number previously assigned to the person” |
| Item 3 | “PLACE OF BIRTH” |
| Item 4 | “Show the month, day, and full (4 digit) year of birth” |
| Item 5 | “CITIZENSHIP” |
| Items 6 and 7 | “Providing race and ethnicity information is voluntary and does not affect decisions on your application.” |
| Items 9 and 10 | “PARENT/ MOTHER’S NAME AT HER BIRTH” |
| Item 11 | “ever filed for or received a Social Security number card” |
| Items 12 and 13 | “Name shown on the most recent Social Security card issued for the person” |
| Items 14 and 15 | “DAYTIME PHONE NUMBER” |
| Item 16 | “Show an address where you can receive your card 7 to 14 days from now.” |
| Items 17 and 18 | “YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE PERSON IN ITEM 1 IS:” |
Two items carry conditions. On item 5, for the two choices labelled Legal Alien Not Allowed to Work and Other, “you must provide a document from a U.S. Federal, State, or local government agency that explains why you need a Social Security number”. On item 13, “show the date of birth currently shown on your record in item 13 and provide evidence to support the date of birth shown in item 4.”
Item 17 is the signature item. “If you are age 18 or older and are physically and mentally capable of reading and completing the application, you must sign in item 17.” “Please do not alter your signature by including additional information on the signature line as this may invalidate your application.”
Where to send it and what happens after
The form says “In most cases, you can take or mail this signed application with your documents to any Social Security office.” “Any documents you mail to us will be returned to you.” The form does not print a processing time for the card. It does tell you which address to use on item 16, as the table above shows.
After the card arrives, the form gives a safekeeping instruction: “DO NOT carry your SSN card with you.” “Keep it in a secure location and only take it with you when you must show the card”.
For the agency’s own page on the card, see the Social Security number and card page. For the tax side of the number, the IRS explains taxpayer identification numbers and, for someone who cannot get a social security number, the Form W-7 page.
Which revision applies
The edition read for this page is Form SS-5 (12-2024), which carries its own instructions and is the revision ssa.gov served when it was read on 2026-10-19. Check the revision printed on the form you are submitting, because a later revision can change the evidence lists, the item numbers and the submission instructions.
Common mistakes
- Sending photocopies as evidence. The form says “Notarized copies or photocopies which have not been certified by the custodian of the record are not acceptable.”
- Mailing a first application when an in person visit is required. The form says “If you are age 12 or older and have never received a Social Security number, you must apply in person.”
- Adding notes to the signature line. The form says “Please do not alter your signature by including additional information on the signature line as this may invalidate your application.”
Related: Form W-7, Form W-4, and Form 1040.
Sources
- Form SS-5 (12-2024), Application for a Social Security Card: https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ss-5.pdf
Read from the agency documents linked above on October 19, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer, the account provider or the IRS is the right place to confirm anything consequential.