Mining the 1880 Census Mother Lode: Insanity and Idiocy
By knowing just the first three digits of someone’s SSN, you can correctly guess their birth
state. The nine-digit SSN has
been used since 1936 to track a person’s wages for the purpose of accruing
benefits with the Social Security Administration. The SSN has 3 sections.
state. The nine-digit SSN has
been used since 1936 to track a person’s wages for the purpose of accruing
benefits with the Social Security Administration. The SSN has 3 sections.
Area Numbers
The first three digits of
the SSN are called the area numbers.
This is because they originally corresponded to the state that a person
lived in at the time they were issued their SSN.
the SSN are called the area numbers.
This is because they originally corresponded to the state that a person
lived in at the time they were issued their SSN.
Beginning in 1972, the
area numbers began being assigned based upon the zip code in the mail address
to which the individual requested his or her card to be sent. Thus, it is possible for someone to reside in
one state but ask that the card be returned to another states, thus rendering
the area number less than area specific.
(Click the following image to enlarge it.)
Group Numbers
Digits four and five in
the SSN are referred to as group numbers.
They identify the block of numbers currently being issued. As an example, the SSNs 123-01-0001 through
123-01-999 would all be issued before moving on to the next group number.
the SSN are referred to as group numbers.
They identify the block of numbers currently being issued. As an example, the SSNs 123-01-0001 through
123-01-999 would all be issued before moving on to the next group number.
Serial Numbers
Digits six through nine
are known as serial numbers. They are
issued consecutively from 0001 to 9999.
are known as serial numbers. They are
issued consecutively from 0001 to 9999.
By dissecting someone’s
SSN you can learn the state in which they lived when they applied for the number
for those SSNs issued prior to 1972 and the state noted in the return address
for those applied for after 1972.
SSN you can learn the state in which they lived when they applied for the number
for those SSNs issued prior to 1972 and the state noted in the return address
for those applied for after 1972.
In some cases, letters may
appear after a social security number .
For example, I have a California death certificate that reports a social security number with an “A”
appended to the end of the number. For example:
“000-00-0000A.”
appear after a social security number .
For example, I have a California death certificate that reports a social security number with an “A”
appended to the end of the number. For example:
“000-00-0000A.”
The Social Security
number followed by one of these codes is often referred to as a claim
number. The SSA assigns these codes once someone applies for
benefits. These letter codes may appear on correspondence from
Social Security or on a Medicare card. They will never appear on a Social
Security card.
number followed by one of these codes is often referred to as a claim
number. The SSA assigns these codes once someone applies for
benefits. These letter codes may appear on correspondence from
Social Security or on a Medicare card. They will never appear on a Social
Security card.
For example, if the
wage earner applying for benefits and your number is 123-45-6789, then their
claim number is 123-45-6789A. This number is
also be used as their Medicare claim
number, once they become eligible for Medicare.
wage earner applying for benefits and your number is 123-45-6789, then their
claim number is 123-45-6789A. This number is
also be used as their Medicare claim
number, once they become eligible for Medicare.
|
Code
|
Identification
|
|
A
|
Primary claimant (wage
earner) |
|
B
|
Aged wife, age 62 or over
|
|
B1
|
Aged husband, age 62 or over
|
|
B2
|
Young wife, with a child in her care
|
|
B3
|
Aged wife, age 62 or over, second claimant
|
|
B5
|
Young wife, with a child in her care, second
claimant |
|
B6
|
Divorced wife, age 62
or over |
|
BY
|
Young husband, with a
child in his care |
|
C1-C9
|
Child – Includes minor, student or disabled
child |
|
D
|
Aged Widow, age 60 or over
|
|
D1
|
Aged widower, age 60 or over
|
|
D2
|
Aged widow (2nd
claimant) |
|
D3
|
Aged widower (2nd
claimant) |
|
D6
|
Surviving Divorced Wife, age 60 or over
|
|
E
|
Widowed Mother
|
|
E1
|
Surviving Divorced Mother
|
|
E4
|
Widowed Father
|
|
E5
|
Surviving Divorced Father
|
|
F1
|
Parent (Father)
|
|
F2
|
Parent (Mother)
|
|
F3
|
Stepfather
|
|
F4
|
Stepmother
|
|
F5
|
Adopting Father
|
|
F6
|
Adopting Mother
|
|
HA
|
Disabled claimant
(wage earner) |
|
HB
|
Aged wife of disabled claimant, age 62 or over
|
|
M
|
Uninsured – Premium Health Insurance Benefits
(Part A) |
|
M1
|
Uninsured – Qualified for but refused Health
Insurance Benefits (Part A) |
|
T
|
Uninsured – Entitled to HIB (Part A) under
deemed or renal provisions; or Fully insured who have elected entitlement only to HIB |
|
TA
|
Medicare Qualified
Government Employment (MQGE) |
|
TB
|
MQGE aged spouse
|
|
W
|
Disabled Widow
|
|
W1
|
Disabled Widower
|
|
W6
|
Disabled Surviving Divorced Wife
|
NOTE: This list is not
complete, but shows the most common beneficiary codes.
Content for this article is from CR80News Fall 2008 and from the Social Security Administration.
Related posts
Future genealogists should know that as of July 2011, the old area-group-serial structure of the social security number was discontinued. New numbers from that time will be assigned to the next available 9 digit number.
Thank you Eileen. Glad that everything before 2011 was not done this way. Makes it so much easier to learn about our ancestors when the numbers are not assigned randomly.
It may not officially started until July 2011, but they were already doing it. My youngest son was born June 2011 and his social starts with a number way off from my other kids; it was issued at the end of June.
Another interesting fact about our Social Security number is that the first three digits of it indicate the state where the individual applied for the number. On the other hand, the lowest numbers are allocated to states in the Northeast while the highest numbers are assigned to the West Coast. Read this article "9 Facts About Social Security" to find out the things that you should know about our Social Security system.
Thank you Bruce. Great information to know.
The only info I have on my great grandfather is his ss# how can I find out when he was born and when he died?
Most likely yes. There are quite a few sites where one can enter the SSN and learn more about the person, such as: http://ssdmf.info/number.html. You can also request the application file that was submitted to obtain the SSN. For info on how to apply: http://genealogy.about.com/od/online_records/a/ss5_request.htm. Let us know if you would like us to help with this.