It’s the Social Security Number, Stupid !

The Post & Email ^ | April 14, 2011 | Helen Tansey

[gopheraj]

Until the late 80’s, a person/child did not have to have a SS# until they went to school. Parents could submit their tax returns with just the child’s name on it. Our oldest was born in 1970 and she did not get her SS# until she wanted to go to work. When the IRS changed the rules, they wanted to make sure that the children on a return were actually alive and from the US. I worked for a CPA whose boss had some mexican guys working on his ranch. They had been submitting numerous children on their returns. When the law was changed and the cpa informed them that the kids had to have a SS#, they just could not understand why they couldn’t still do what they had been doing and getting the extra credit for kids that were born and still in mexico with their mother. The boss was a big lawyer here in Texas who was very close to LBJ.

[ml/nj]

How did you get yours?

Gee. About a month now and No Reply.

ML/NJ

[wrench]

How did you get yours? Were you on a military base or some similar place when you (or your parents) applied?................................................

I had a job in another state. I neither lived in that state, nor had any kind of mailing address there, but I signed a SSAN application at the jobsite so I could get paid.

At one time the SSAN was only about income taxes, nothing to do with being a national ID tracking number.

I believe I could have secured a social security card from any state I wanted to at that time, various birth certificates were also available for the asking if you knew where and what to ask for. Not impossible today, but definitely more complicated than it once was.

[TennesseeGirl]

Regarding the Rules in effect in 1977: Social Security Administration states: "Since 1973, social security numbers have been issued by our central office. The first three (3) digits of a person's social security number are determined by the ZIP Code of the mailing address shown on the application for a social security number." So the SS application for BO was mailed from a Connecticut ZIP Code. http://www.ssa.gov/employer/stateweb.htm

Since 1972, the SSA has issued Social Security cards centrally and the area number reflects the state, as determined by the ZIP code in the mailing address of the application. http://www.ssa.gov/employer/randomization.html

[ltc8k6]

Yes, it’s the address on the application. Not the address the application was mailed from.

The application had a Connecticut address. It could have been mailed from anywhere.

[TennesseeGirl]

Sorry, I must be obtuse. I'm not getting your rationale.

If I apply for a Social Security number, a credit card, or have a mailorder purchase, why would I list an address different than my correct mailing address on the application if I want to receive that SS card, or credit card, or whatever? It wasn't a CT address listed as the return address on an envelope. It was an address on the application itself. I'm not going to want my Social Security card delivered to a Connecticut address if I live in Hawaii. I'm 15 years old in this scenario. Who am I living with in Connecticut if my maternal grandparents have custody, and my Mom lives in Jakarta?

[ltc8k6]

My rationale for what? Stating the SS# policy correctly?