Structure of Social Security Numbers - Barcodes Inc. (2024)

Social Security Number Structure

Social security numbers are issued by the US Social Security Administration, and are used to help identify the citizens of the United States by number. These important 9-digit numbers provide information that can be used to help people obtain credit, apply for a job, and identify themselves for the purposes of taxation. They also prove that individuals are American citizens. All social security numbers start with three digits, then two in the middle, and finish with four numbers. The first three numbers are called the area number. The area number shows the region or state where a person was born, and was first adopted in 1936. Here are some links to more information about social security area numbers:

The group numbers are the two middle numbers of a social security number. These numbers do not represent the geographical region, but they do represent the order in which a number was issued for a particular region. For example, if someone was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, then the area number (the first three digits) represents that geographical part of the state, and the group number shows the order in which the person was born within that particular area. This number can be reissued at the discretion of the Social Security Administration. The numbers 00 are never assigned as a group number, so if these numbers are submitted they will usually be flagged as fraudulent. More information on group numbers can be found here:

The final four numbers of a social security number are called the serial number. These numbers are designated in chronological order, and correspond with the area and group numbers. Often, many companies and creditors verify someone’s identity by asking for the last four, or serial number on a person’s SSN. These numbers are random and designed to help distinguish one number from the next.

In today’s modern world, identity theft has become a very serous issue. Some thieves may try to obtain merchandise or credit with a fake social security number. The group number and serial number will never be zeros in succession. Social security numbers will also never contain a letter in any portion of the number. The United States government has ways to detect an illegitimate number, and also posts some helpful information for merchants, creditors, and citizens so they can detect when a number is fake. For more information on discerning between real and fake social security numbers, as well as general information, please see one of the following links:

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Structure of Social Security Numbers - Barcodes Inc. (2024)

FAQs

Structure of Social Security Numbers - Barcodes Inc.? ›

They also prove that individuals are American citizens. All social security numbers start with three digits, then two in the middle, and finish with four numbers. The first three numbers are called the area number. The area number shows the region or state where a person was born, and was first adopted in 1936.

How are Social Security numbers structured? ›

The nine-digit SSN is composed of three parts: The first set of three digits is called the Area Number. The second set of two digits is called the Group Number. The final set of four digits is the Serial Number.

What is the barcode on the back of a Social Security card? ›

The secure barcode is a data storage technique that is applied to the back of the card during the card printing operation. It has sufficient capacity to store the number holder's name, SSN, and other identifying information, the number holder's biometric identifier, or other encoded data.

What is the format of an SSN? ›

The Social Security number is a nine-digit number in the format "AAA-GG-SSSS". The number has three parts: the first three digits, called the area number because they were formerly assigned by geographical region; the middle two digits, the group number; and the last four digits, the serial number.

What determines the first 3 numbers of SSN? ›

Area Number. The 3-digit area number is assigned by geographic region. In 1936 the Social Security Board planned eventually to use area numbers to redistribute work to its 12 regional centers to serve workers in those areas.

How is Social Security structured? ›

Social Security is mainly funded through a dedicated payroll tax created by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act. Employers and employees each pay 6.2 percent of wages, with a cap on the amount of wages subject to the tax ($168,600 for 2024, adjusted annually for growth in economy-wide wages).

What bank owns my Social Security number? ›

There is no federal reserve bank that your social security number is linked to. A claim otherwise is a scam. The only accounts at the Fed are for member banks.

Why is there a barcode on the back of my ID? ›

The barcode on the back of North American driver's licenses is also a PDF417. Amusingly enough, it encodes all the text on the front of the license. Name, DOB, weight, height, etc. Retailers that scan your license for alcohol age limit checks get a lot of data they don't technically need.

What state were you born in by SSN? ›

All social security numbers start with three digits, then two in the middle, and finish with four numbers. The first three numbers are called the area number. The area number shows the region or state where a person was born, and was first adopted in 1936.

How do I get money from my social security number? ›

You can do so by signing up for direct deposit, which sends payments directly into your bank account. Or, you can have your benefits automatically deposited into your Direct Express® Debit MasterCard® account. Direct deposit is a simple, safe, and secure way to get benefits. What is the Direct Express® card?

What is the invalid format for SSN? ›

An invalid SSN is one that the SSA never assigned. A valid SSN will never look like this: The first three digits are “000,” “666,” or in the 900 series. The second group consists of “00” as the two digits.

How to decode a SSN? ›

Decode Social Security Number. The nine-digit Social Security Number is broken into 3 parts - the Area, Group, and Series. The Area number is the first three digits of a Social Security Number, the Group number is the middle two digits and the Series number is the final four digits.

Can two people have the same Social Security number? ›

There are millions of people who have SSNs, and some people think it is unique, but it is not, your number can match several people.

What do the middle two numbers in Social Security mean? ›

The group number (G), or second set of digits, refers to the specific order in which SSNs are distributed within a geographical area from 01 to 99. First, odd numbers are assigned from 01 to 09 followed by even numbers from 10 to 98. Then, even numbers are assigned from 02 to 08.

What is the breakdown of a Social Security number? ›

Since its inception, the SSN has always been comprised of the three-digit area number, followed by the two-digit group number, and ending with the four-digit serial number.

What do the Social Security codes mean? ›

The codes following a Social Security number indicate the type of benefits you are entitled to. The Social Security number followed by one of these codes is often referred to as a claim number and they are only assigned once you apply for benefits.

What do the middle two digits of SSN mean? ›

The group numbers are the two middle numbers of a social security number. These numbers do not represent the geographical region, but they do represent the order in which a number was issued for a particular region.

What do the numbers on the back of your Social Security card mean? ›

The back of the card contains information about the SSN and the card itself, including where to mail found cards, where and how to obtain information from SSA, a card stock sequence number, and the card's official form number.

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