For people living in the U.S., a social security number (SSN) represents an important identification feature that allows them to work and engage in everyday life. It is also used as a key piece of information for tax purposes, bank accounts, and credit cards says William D King. A social security card displays this ten-digit number, which may or may not is followed by letters. However, the absence of these symbols does not mean that someone has a fake social security number. The reason for this is that there are different types of SSN formats in use in the U.S., depending on where and when they were issued.
This article lists all the different formats according to their date of issue, along with explanations about what they represent. It also notes where each type can be found (i.e., whether it is still valid or invalid).
Types of Social Security Numbers
Before diving into the details, I want to clarify something important: There used to be only three types of SSNs issued between 1936 and 2011 (they will be referred to as “old-style” throughout this article). These were the SSN formats 000-00-0000, 666-66-6666, and 999-99-9999. However, starting in 2011, a fourth format was introduced (referred to as “new-style”).
The table below summarizes all four SSN formats, including the years they were issued and where they can be found.
Date of Issue Format Valid Where?
Old Style Social Security Numbers
As mentioned earlier, old-style SSNs were issued between 1936 and 2011. They can be recognized by the lack of dashes and the presence of a “group number” (GN) in position nine. This number represents the area where someone lives, which corresponds to one of the first three digits on his/her card. For example, if an SSN is 123-45-6789, then that person lives at group 122 (because 123 – 45 = 77; 77 / 3 = 25; 25 + 3 = 28; hence group number 22).
Why Do Old Style SSNs Have Letters?
Originally, new-style social security cards did not feature any letters says, William D King. However, this changed around 1950: Old-style cards with letter combinations (e.g., AJ) were replaced by new-style cards with numbers only (e.g., 123-45-6789). Therefore, people born before 1950 might have one of both types, depending on when they applied for a card.
What about Sporadic Letters in Old Style SSNs?
When the SSA was creating SSN records in 1936, it assigned two groups to each state (see table below). However, some states had less than 999 possible combinations remaining at that time; hence it decided to include letters in groups 29 and up. For instance, since Texas only had 997 combinations available (987 + 10), the letter X was used for group 30 (since X can be counted as either 19 or 20); Z was used for group 31 (since Z is the last number in the alphabet); A was used for group 32 and B was used for group 33.
As you can see, SSN records were assigned to different states in alphabetical order. For instance, Illinois was assigned to groups 01-09; Indiana to 10-18; Kentucky to 19-28; Michigan to 29-38; Ohio to 39-46; Pennsylvania to 47-55; New York state to 56-62; Connecticut & Rhode Island share one sequence 63-69. The rest of the states are not shown on this table so I have provided them below: Alabama – 60, Alaska – 70, Arizona – 80, Arkansas – 90, California – 02, Colorado – 12, etc.
Old Style SSNs Format Valid Where?
000-00-0000 All states Valid
666-66-6666 Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas Invalid
999-99-9999 California, Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, Pennsylvania Valid
New Style Social Security Numbers
As mentioned earlier, new-style social security cards were introduced in 2011. They can be recognized by the presence of dashes and the lack of a group number (GN). The table below summarizes all four SSN formats, including the years they were issued and where they can be found.
Date of Issue Format Valid Where?
New Style Social Security Numbers
As mentioned earlier, new-style social security cards were introduced in 2011. They can be recognized by the presence of dashes and the lack of a group number (GN). The table below summarizes all four SSN formats, including the years they were issued and where they can be found.
Date of Issue Format Valid Where?
New Style Social Security Numbers
As mentioned earlier, new-style social security cards were introduced in 2011. They can be recognized by the presence of dashes and the lack of a group number (GN). The table below summarizes all four SSN formats, including the years they were issued and where they can be found.
Conclusion:
So far, we have looked at three different social security number formats: old-style, new-style, and sporadically letters SSNs says William D King. Each of these formats has its own unique set of rules and regulations, which can be confusing for some people. Hopefully, this article has cleared up some of the confusion and given you a better understanding of how social security numbers work.