Do you currently have a Social Security card? Most people are able to keep their safe for many years at a time. It is a small card, one that people typically placed adjacent to their drivers license, allowing them to know exactly where it is. Some of them will simply be printed on very thin paper, and that may prompt people to laminate them to keep them safe. However, despite your best efforts, it is possible that you may lose your Social Security card over time.
You can find information on the web about how to get a replacement. What many people do not know is that there are actually limitations on how many times you can replace your Social Security card. This is how you can go about getting a new one, and what the limitations are in regard to requesting a replacement.
Is It Easy To Replace Your Social Security Card?
Replacing a Social Security card is a relatively simple process. You can go to the local SSA field office, request the forms, and they can even help you fill them out. Filling these out will take about 30 minutes to one hour, depending upon how good you are at following directions. You also need to bring certain identifiers with you such as your driver’s license, birth certificate, and anything else that they are requesting to complete the process.
Once this is done, they will verify that you have filled out every part of the application. If you make a mistake, it could take a couple additional weeks to get a new card. That is because it will take them quite some time to get to your forms, and if there are mistakes that are detected, they will then request that you send them in again which can take two more weeks to get your replacement card.
The other way that you can do this, if you are interested in doing this online, is to fill out the forms on the web. You will have to print the forms out, and subsequently mail them to the Social Security Administration, or you can bring them down to the SSA office in your area so they can mail them for you.
Are There Any Problems Associated With Requesting A New Card?
If you are only requesting a replacement card of the exact one that you lost, this is not typically a problem at all. After you have filled out the forms, they will simply make a copy of your existing Social Security card and mail that to you within about 14 days. There could be delays if you have recently been married.
You will need to provide your marriage certificate and your new name that you would like to have on your card. This could take some additional time, and if you forget to send in your marriage certificate, specifically a notarized copy, they will not be able to process your request.
There are some people that will want to change their name for other reasons, or perhaps they want to change the number on their card. Changing the number is a very complex process, something that they will only do if it is absolutely necessary. This means that they will have to create an entirely new card for you with a brand-new number. Once you have submitted all of the information that they request to do this change, it can take a couple additional weeks to get the card back with the new number.
What If You Have Already Lost Your Social Security Card Before?
There are both benefits and drawbacks to requesting another Social Security card if you have already lost yours before. The benefit is that you will have already filled out this paperwork in the past. Having done so, the next time that you do it, it’s going to be a much faster process.
You will know exactly what forms to provide to the Social Security Administration. You will also be more aware of mistakes that you may be making. You will know where to take your paperwork if you would like to bring this to the SSA office in your city or town.
All of these are benefits of having lost your card before. However, there is a drawback associated with losing your card, especially if you have done this multiple times. It has to do with the number of times that they will allow you to request a duplicate card.
Are There Limitations To How Many Replacement You Can Get?
There are some limitations to getting your Social Security card replaced. First of all, you are not allowed to replace your card and uncountable number of times. The limitations are a total of three replacement cards within the span of a single year. Additionally, you can only get your Social Security card replaced a total of 10 times your entire life.
This can cause some apprehension with many people that are constantly losing their cards. They may wonder if they will ever be able to get a new one. For the most part, people do not often lose their Social Security card on a regular basis. Therefore, this maximum of 10 replacements is not going to affect them at all.
Most people understand that you need to have your Social Security card for many purposes, some of which are not related to taxes you will always have your number, unless you decide to change it, but getting a physical card can be a problem if you have lost it more than 10 times.
Are There Exceptions To These Limitations?
There are a few exceptions to these rules. It has to do with your reason for getting a new one. Instead of being limited because you have simply lost your card, you might be requesting a new card because you have gotten married.
It is also possible that you may need to change your Social Security card number because of financial fraud related to that number and court cases that have been filed. If this happens more than 10 times, or if this occurs after you have already lost your card 10 times, then this is not going to be a limitation you will have to worry about.
It is hard to imagine that anyone would actually lose their Social Security card more than 10 times, or more than three times in a single year, but it is possible. It’s one of those situations where you would have to see what would occur if you ever got to that point.
You might be able to hire an attorney that would be able to present your case at a federal level in order to rectify the situation. As a general rule, it is simply better to be fully cognizant of where you are putting this card on a regular basis so you do not have to test these rules which do exist.
If you are never lost your Social Security card, you are not going to ever think about the limitations of getting a new one. If you are going to get married, or if you have any financial difficulties involving your Social Security number, you know that these rules will not apply.